Economic Development
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Community perspectives and conditions from the Fed’s Beige Book, February 2026
Community contacts report that rising costs for food, housing, and energy have strained low- and moderate-income communities and nonprofits, while rural hospitals face financial risks. Stable employment for some helped ease economic anxiety, contacts noted. But vulnerable groups and small businesses remained stressed under increasing costs, according to observations for the February 2026 Beige Book.
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Byways tourism builds on the unique appeal of small towns
Route-based tourism transforms often-overlooked small towns into vacation destinations. Residents rediscover their community’s unique appeal and visitors bring economic opportunity along America’s byways.
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The financial frontier: Small business resilience in banking deserts
For small businesses in banking deserts, navigating capital access can feel like charting unfamiliar territory.
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![[Watch] How Fed Data Tools Can Inform Economic Mobility](https://fedcommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/connecting-communities-ome-bc-data-tools.jpg?w=1024)
[Watch] How Fed Data Tools Can Inform Economic Mobility
Federal Reserve staff, along with panelists from organizations that leverage data resources to serve their communities, discuss skills-based hiring, navigating benefits cliffs, and fostering partnerships with employers. Watch or listen on demand.
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Community perspectives and conditions from the Fed’s Beige Book, January 2026
Demand for social services is growing while rising costs continue to strain household, small business, and service provider budgets, according to January 2026 Beige Book observations.
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From numbers to narratives: Why Native voices matter in data
With its suite of tools, the Center for Indian Country Development enhances access to Native community economic data. Tools like Native Economic Trends fill data gaps and provide insights to advance Native Nations’ economic self-determination and Indigenous communities’ prosperity.
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Industry, workforce, and education advance together to strengthen West Texas’s manufacturing sector
The Big Country Manufacturing Alliance (BCMA) aligns cross-sector efforts to strengthen the manufacturing industry in West Central Texas.
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The Quarterly Catch-up, Q4 2025
Check out the latest community development-related research, analyses, and articles from all 12 Federal Reserve Banks and the Board of Governors. This post captures content published between October 1 and December 31, 2025, on topics affecting communities.
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Community perspectives and conditions from the Fed’s Beige Book, November 2025
Here’s what nonprofit and community leaders, and workforce professionals serving lower-income people shared with the Federal Reserve for the November 2025 Beige Book.
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![[Watch] How Your Experience of the Economy Matters to the Fed: A Conversation with Governor Michael S. Barr](https://fedcommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/connecting-communities-how-experience-economy-matters-fed-conversation-governor-barr.jpg?w=1024)
[Watch] How Your Experience of the Economy Matters to the Fed: A Conversation with Governor Michael S. Barr
During this Connecting Communities webinar, Federal Reserve Governor Michael S. Barr shares what he is hearing from communities around the country and the value he and the Fed gain from these community insights. Watch or listen on demand.