Economic Development

Too often, states and cities pursue economic development strategies that amount to little more than tax giveaways to big corporations. Pushing back on this flawed approach, EARN groups design and promote smart economic development policies that invest in infrastructure, in people, and in the communities where opportunity is lacking.

Smart economic development means strong workforce development programs, such as apprenticeships and sector strategies; infrastructure investments in transportation, schools, broadband, and healthcare; and community development projects that deliver good, high-paying jobs to local residents, especially in communities of color, and other underserved communities.

Publications

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State ARPA/SLFRF Spending Workbooks

These workbooks track spending of the $350 billion in State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) awarded to state, local, territorial, and tribal governments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic downturn. The U.S. Treasury mandated that these funds were obligated for use by December 31st 2024. We hope this analysis helped ensure effective use of these funds in your communities.

These workbooks analyze the Treasury’s 2024 reporting data by fiscal quarter, ending March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31, 2024 respectively. Please note that the Q2 release does not include Annual Project and Expenditure reports for smaller SLFRF recipients (metro cities and counties with populations under 250,000 and allocations under $10 million, Tribal governments with allocations under $30 million, and non-entitlement local governments). For data on these smaller localities, refer to the Q1, Q3, and Q4 workbooks.

Questions or suggestions? Email dperez@epi.org.

Last updated May 20th, 2025