Tools for Economic Development
Through the Research and National Technical Assistance Program, the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) funds the development and dissemination of new tools for economic development practitioners and policymakers to utilize to help make informed development decisions.
Other Economic Development Tools
National Technical Assistance & Capacity Building Resources (PDF)
EDA makes investments to support regional economic development. Check out some of EDA’s national technical assistance and capacity building resources that are helping regions to capitalize on this historic opportunity to build inclusive, competitive regional economies that work for all. Resources are organized in this flyer by (1) Digital/Geographic Tools, (2) Best Practices/Toolkits, and (3) Technical Assistance/Training.
EDA-Census Poverty Status Viewer
The EDA-Census Poverty Status Viewer was developed by the U.S. Census Bureau, in coordination with the Economic Development Administration, to display Persistent Poverty Counties and High Poverty Areas. Using EDA’s methodology, the tool displays areas of persistent poverty based on FY 2023 designations. High Poverty Area estimates are determined using the 2017-2021 American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
View the most recent list of Persistent Poverty Counties (XLSX).
Economic Development District (EDD) Interactive Map
The NADO Research Foundation has created this interactive Economic Development District (EDD) map that provides information about each EDD’s service area, website, contact information, and EDA regional office. It also includes two search functions: one that allows the user to quickly identify which EDD serves any address or location and one to search the map by the name of the EDD.
USACompetes
Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness
USACompetes is a one-stop resource for state, regional, and local economic officials and provides users with resources to develop an international engagement strategy to aid regions in successfully competing in the global economy. This website continues to be updated with videos and research to better engage users.