Alabama (2) Hale Macon. ARC has provided special funds for the Region's poorest counties since 1983. Alabama (1) Macon. These areas should be an important focus of Commission assistance. Home: ARC-Designated Distressed Counties, Fiscal Year 2019. At first, the distressed county program focused mainly on providing badly needed public facilities, especially water and wastewater facilities, and on human resource projects such as literacy training. The capacity-building program is designed to strengthen communities and help organizations fulfill their mission in an effective manner. Designations are revised annually using the most current data available.The Commission recognizes that some areas in non-distressed counties have substantially higher poverty or lower income levels than national averages and should be considered economically distressed.
Source and Methodology Home: Map of ARC-Designated Distressed Counties, Fiscal Year 2019. At first, the distressed county program focused mainly on providing badly needed public facilities, especially water and wastewater facilities, and on human resource projects such as literacy training. The program has two parts: a capacity-building effort and a telecommunications and information technology initiative. Designations are revised annually using the most current data available. ARC-Designated Distressed Counties, Fiscal Year 2020.
The resulting values are summed and averaged to create a composite index value for each county. The 11 distressed counties in Tennessee include: Lake, Lauderdale, Hardeman, Perry, Wayne, Clay, Grundy, Bledsoe, Scott, Hancock, and Cocke. Status, the ARC's economic status designation for the county, based on the three variables above. The dashboard below illustrates the current economic status for all 95 counties in Tennessee as measured by the ARC. Alabama (1) Macon.
Accordingly, the Commission designates as "distressed areas," those census tracts in at-risk and transitional counties that have a median family income no greater than 67 percent of the U.S. average and a poverty rate 150 percent of the U.S. average or greater. Map of ARC-Designated Distressed Counties, Fiscal Year 2019 (PDF: 400 KB). Based on that comparison, each Appalachian county is classified within one of five economic status designations—distressed, at-risk, transitional, competitive, or attainment. The Appalachian Regional Commission uses an index-based county economic classification system to identify and monitor the economic status of Appalachian counties. Distressed counties are those that rank in the worst 10 percent of the nation's counties.Currently, 80 counties qualify for distressed county status on the basis of low per capita income and high rates of poverty and unemployment.For more information on distressed counties, including lists of distressed counties by year, see Home: Program Areas: Distressed Counties: ARC-Designated Distressed Counties, Fiscal Year 2021. Each state PDF contains the following information:County Economic Status and Distressed Areas in Appalachia ARC-Designated Distressed Counties, Fiscal Year 2021. Counties are designated as distressed, at-risk, transitional, competitive, or attainment, based on their ranking in the index. ARC has provided special funds for the Region's poorest counties since 1983.
Under pre-1983 guidelines, most of these counties were too poor to qualify for federal aid for these facilities.In October 2000, the Commission approved the creation of an enhanced program for distressed counties. Counties are designated as distressed, at-risk, transitional, competitive, or attainment, based on their ranking in the index. Elements of the program include:The telecommunications and information technology program was created to promote the development of telecommunications in Appalachia.The program seeks to stimulate economic growth and improve the standard of living in the Region through technology-related avenues. Each county in the nation is then ranked, based on its composite index value. Print this page Email this page . There are five possible designations: Distressed — these counties have at least twice the national poverty rate and have a per capita market income 67% of the national average or a three-year average unemployment rate that is twice the national average.
Each state PDF contains the following information:Grant applicants can use the tables and maps in this section when completing ARC project forms. Distressed Counties Program. ARC-Designated Distressed Counties, Fiscal Year 2019. Print this page Email this page .