Heartland Forward brings you Pulse of the Heartland, a resource for policymakers, journalists and community leaders focused on economic trends and the latest news in the heartland.  

We track, analyze and share on-the-ground data, insights and research focused on the 20 states we define as America’s heartland.

Pulse focuses on three main drivers of economic growth and success: 

• Regional Competitiveness: Ensuring heartland states and the broader region retain and grow their competitive economic edge given the twenty states in the heartland make up the third-largest economy in the world. 
• Talent Pipeline: Building and retaining a world-class workforce across all industries and sectors with a focus on education, human capital, workforce development, innovation and entrepreneurship. 
• Health + Wellness: Thriving communities are healthy communities that provide access to affordable, quality care.

Pulse will be updated regularly to ensure audiences are able to access the latest news and analyses. All past observations and issues can be found here.