Thriving Rural Communities

Thriving Rural Communities OCRA Current: Thriving Rural Communities Indiana’s economy continues to thrive. The Indiana Economic Development Corporation has set all-time records for new capital investment, new payroll and wages, and for the number of new jobs all in the last five years. In fact, in less than six years - from 2017 to the present - Indiana has attracted almost $5 billion more in capital investment than it did in the previous 12 years combined. In 2021, the Office of Community and Rural Affairs commissioned a report by Ball State University’s Center for Business and Economic Research. The report is called  The State of the Rural Economy in Indiana. Link to Report This report is a follow up to the Rural Road to Recovery initiative in partnership with Purdue University's Center for Regional Development and Ball State University's Indiana Communities Institute. This partnership has resulted in the creation of blueprints for placing Indiana's small cities and towns on the road to recovery in the wake of COVID-19. To view the entire Rural Road to Recovery document, including each agency-specific action plan,  click here . View of copy of OCRA's  one-page summary here . In August 2022, the Rural Road to Recovery Impacts report was released. This report provides an overview of how labor participation and the economy, as well as local government revenue sources, were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the state of Indiana. Link to Report