Connecting Communities®

Investment is a critical part of any healthy, growing economy, and plays a key role in rural economic development. During this seminar presented by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond on June 25, 2026, experts discussed the barriers to community investment in smaller towns and rural communities. The seminar featured insights from the Richmond Fed's Rural Investment Collaborative as well as resear...

During this Connecting Communities webinar, researchers from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors shared key findings from the annual Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED) , which was fielded in October 2025 and released on May 13, 2026. The survey is a key tool for measuring the economic well-being of U.S. households and identifying potential risks to their finances. In additi...

According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), approximately 5.6 million households are without a checking or savings account – otherwise known as "unbanked." Unbanked households lack a secure and safe place to store their money and can miss out on interest gains and credit-building opportunities. This Connecting Communities webinar featured leaders from organizations focused on ad...

The   Small Business Credit Survey  (SBCS) has been administered nationally since 2016 by the 12 Federal Reserve Banks in collaboration with a network of hundreds of community and business groups throughout the country. The SBCS gathers information from thousands of small-business owners on business conditions and characteristics, credit experiences, and owner demographics. It continues to be the...

Where an individual lives can play a role in shiping their employment opportunities and interactions. While issues related to where a person is located have been overshadowed by issues related to an individual's personal circumstances, this is starting to shift. During this seminar, presented by the Federal Reserve Board of Governors on April 2, 2026, experts from research and policy discussed how...

Occupational and economic mobility are crucial for a healthy economy that supports all. In this Connecting Communities webinar, learn more about the Federal Reserve Banks of Philadelphia and Cleveland's  Occupational Mobility Explorer  (OME) and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta's  Career Ladder Identifier and Financial Forecaster  (CLIFF) tools. The OME sheds light on skills-based career pathwa...

How your community experiences the economy—whether you and your neighbors can access employment, afford your home or small business expenses, or save for future goals—matters to the Federal Reserve. Through its community development function, the Federal Reserve builds relationships and regularly engages with communities in every region of the country. The first-hand insights and real-time impress...

Every two years, the 12 Federal Reserve Banks survey community development financial institutions (CDFIs) about industry conditions. During this Connecting Communities webinar, participants learned more about what CDFIs have shared, including:   How demand for CDFI's products and services changed over the past year and how it might evolve in the future, How CDFIs leverage public funding to accompl...

This Connecting Communities podcast explores key findings from the 2025 Community Perspectives Survey, which was conducted in April and May 2025. The survey captured the current conditions and future outlook of low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities across a range of critical issues, including:   Economic mobility Labor market trends Housing Financial stability Small business conditions Health...

How resilient is your community's workforce? A strong, adaptive workforce is a key driver of community stability. During this Connecting Communities webinar, Bill Rodgers, vice president of Community Development Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, presented on current trends in the labor market. A panel of workforce experts and practitioners delved into actionable strategies that yo...

June 5, 2025- During this Connecting Communities webinar, researchers from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors presented the key findings from the annual Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED). This survey was fielded in October 2024 and released on May 28, 2025. The SHED is a key tool of the Federal Reserve Board, as it helps to understand the financial circumstances of low-in...

February 13, 2025. From the northeast corner of Maine to west central Texas, leaders are partnering with regional Reserve Banks—and each other—in unique ways to help ensure that local economies work better for everyone. What does it take to work across sectors and collaborate effectively to help change a local economy? Local leaders who participated in three Fed-supported place-based initiatives, ...

October 10, 2024. Historical and systemic factors have led to and still contribute to climate vulnerability in lower-income communities. But there are practical solutions for clean energy, resilience, and equity. In 2024, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, in collaboration with Enterprise Community Partners and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), published a volume of essays about the...

In April 2024, the Federal Reserve conducted the Community Perspectives Survey , which focuses on economic conditions in low- to moderate-income (LMI) communities and the health of organizations serving them. Overall, the survey found poor conditions for economic mobility in LMI communities. Access to housing and increasing cost of goods and services were among the top challenges. Respondents did...

August 8, 2023. Conversations with the community make a difference. Community development practitioners and policymakers recognize the value of conducting research with communities as partners through community-engaged research. This approach invites stakeholders into the research process by centering their perspectives and elevating their expertise. These discussions help create better services,...

The Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking is the main survey from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors for tracking the financial circumstances of low- and moderate-income families and potential risks to their financial health. This year's survey continues to track key topics related to financial outcomes, such as the effects of inflation on household finances, emergency savings, hous...

Bank branches in the US have been closing steadily for over a decade, but that trend accelerated during the pandemic. Online and digital banking may be out of reach for those without digital devices, broadband, and digital literacy skills. A lack of access to physical banking services can create  banking deserts , or geographical areas where there is a significant lack of access to traditional ban...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2021 the U.S. Department of Treasury deployed $46 billion to support housing stability. Without existing local and state infrastructure to quickly deploy these federal rental assistance dollars, community-based organizations (CBOs) across the country played a key role in helping ensure the funding reached households that needed it most. On February 15, 2024, we hos...

This podcast explores the challenges of labor market disparities and economic inequality. Dr. Niki vonLockette shares insights into systemic discrimination and policies for equal employment opportunities.

Benefits cliffs create economic challenges for workers and employers alike. A benefits cliff may occur when an increase in income—from working more hours, getting a raise, or taking a new position—pushes a worker above the income eligibility limit for one or more public assistance programs, and the loss of assistance is greater than the value of the increase. This forces people to choose between t...

As we know, the labor market and disparities within it have notably changed since 2018. That's the last time the Federal Reserve System hosted a conference around uneven outcomes in the labor market. As we gear up for our next convening on this topic in February 2024, we're taking the opportunity to chat with speakers who joined us at the 2018 event. We're asking them What insights can you share a...

Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) provide financial products and services to underserved markets where it may be difficult to access what traditional financial institutions offer. Every other year, the Fed conducts a survey of CDFIs to better understand the barriers and opportunities that they face. This year's survey sought input on various topics ranging from demand for produc...

Workers are key to the country's economic success. Their voices are critical to conversations about understanding the labor market. Last year, the Federal Reserve held virtual focus groups across the US to find out how workers in lower-wage roles and job seekers with less than a bachelor's degree experienced the labor market during the pandemic. During this Connecting Communities webinar, hear ins...

How did inflation affect families last year? Did trends shift in the use of emerging financial products? This recent discussion with the Federal Reserve Board of Governors explores findings from the Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED). For the past decade, the SHED has provided insights into financial challenges families face. The latest report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S...

Underserved communities face significant challenges in achieving a full and equitable recovery after natural disasters. One reason is that these neighborhoods often lack access to services offered through disaster funds and the necessary insurance to protect their households. The Federal Reserve and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shares how FEMA programs can help low- to moderate-incom...