In Case You Missed It…

The latest round-up of all EIG-related content

Newly Released —

EIG just launched our 2017 Distressed Communities Index, a project examining economic well-being nationwide across nearly every zip code, county and congressional district. The DCI reveals a growing divergence in the economic and social experience of America’s distressed communities from the nation as a whole.

This year, we’ve incorporated new dimensions to the DCI, including a closer look at the connection between a community’s economic well-being and the health, demographics, public assistance needs, educational attainment, and political representation of local residents.

We are proud to continue offering a way for policymakers, academics, journalists, and businesses throughout the country to better evaluate economic well-being. Visit our website to view the digital story, download the report, and explore the interactive maps to see where your community ranks on the index.

The U.S. Census Bureau released its annual update of its Business Dynamics Statistics last month, which describes trends in new business formation in the United States. The new data underscore that, even as many areas of the economy continue to recover from the Great Recession, American entrepreneurship remains in crisis.

Read EIG’s analysis on the recent data on Medium here.

The startup rate edged up to 8.1 percent in 2015, only 0.1 percentage points higher than the year before.

Rise of the Rest —

The 6th Rise of the Rest (ROTR) bus tour began this week! EIG joins Steve Case, author J.D. Vance and the rest of the ROTR team to celebrate the startup ecosystems in cities across the U.S. Stops on this trip have included central Pennsylvania; Ann Arbor, MI; Indianapolis, IN; Columbus, OH; and Green Bay, WI. Find more highlights from the tour here.

Accolades —

EIG was recently named the runner up in Prospect Magazine’s 2017 Think Tank Awards. EIG was recognized for our work on the decline in economic dynamism in America, which the judges called “grim and well-argued.” See the full list of distinguished honorees here.

Image Courtesy: Fridtjof Nansen Institute

EIG in the News —

The large parts of America left behind by today’s economy. By Kim Hart, Axios.

The large parts of America left behind by today's economy

Millions mired in poverty as US upturn passes them by, study finds. By Sam Fleming and Lauren Leatherby, Financial Times.

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U.S. Economic Expansion is Unevenly Spread, Study Says. By Jeffrey Sparshott, Wall Street Journal.

U.S. Economic Expansion is Unevenly Spread, Study Says

Rich Areas Are Winners in Geographically Uneven U.S. Recovery. By Jordan Yadoo, Bloomberg.

The Rich Are Getting Richer in the U.S. Recovery

Study finds the most prosperous U.S. cities are nearly all in the West. By Anna Hensel, VentureBeat.

Study finds the most prosperous U.S. cities are nearly all in the West

Every county in America, ranked by economic distress. By Christopher Ingraham, Washington Post.

Analysis | Each county in the United States, ranked by economic distress

Recession, recovery leave behind suffering communities. By Reid Wilson, The Hill.

Recession, recovery leave behind suffering communities

America’s Most and Least Distressed Cities. By Sarah Holder, CityLab.

America's Most Distressed and Most Prosperous Cities

Huge Swaths Of America’s Communities Are Economically Stagnant: How Can We Make Them Grow? By Eillie Anzilotti, Fast Company.

Huge Swaths Of America's Communities Are Economically Stagnant: How Can We Make Them Grow? | Fast…

Opinion: Economically distressed regions in the U.S. cannot be forgotten. By Boris Epshteyn, WJLA.

Opinion: Economically distressed regions in the U.S. cannot be forgotten

Recession’s Hangover Blurs the Way to a Broad Recovery. By Ben Casselman, The New York Times.

Why Some Scars From the Recession May Never Vanish

As bids for Amazon’s headquarters come due, tech has a chance to spread the wealth. By Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times.

As bids for Amazon's headquarters come due, tech has a chance to spread the wealth

We won’t be rebuilding Houston any time soon. By Todd Hitt, The Washington Post.

Opinion | We won't be rebuilding Houston any time soon

Numbers to Know —

5 The number of years, on average, that residents of prosperous zip codes live longer than those in distressed ones. Learn more about the relationship between health and economic well-being in the Distressed Communities Index here.

6The number of Rise of the Rest tours since its inception. See if your city has been visited by Steve Case here.

8.1% of all firms in the economy were less than one year old in 2015, compared to 10.6 percent between 1990 and 2006. Read more about the state of entrepreneurship in EIG’s recent Medium post on the BDS data.

52.3 million individuals live in distressed communities across the U.S. Read the Distressed Communities Index here to learn more.

90 Number of cosponsors the Investing in Opportunity Act currently has in both houses of Congress. Learn more about IIOA here.