Counties For Economic Mobility
In the United States, economic mobility is centered on the goal that each generation can achieve greater financial well-being than the previous one. In recent decades, this goal has become harder to reach. According to Opportunity Insights, only about half of Americans born since 1980 go on to earn more than their parents did. Using evidence-based and community-informed economic development strategies, county leaders can reverse this trend and help move Americans move out of poverty.
Counties for Economic Mobility (C4EM) is a National Association of Counties initiative for county leaders to advance equitable upward economic mobility to move individuals and families out of poverty. C4EM supports a range of activities to drive data-driven and community-informed policymaking in county government.
Resource
Economic Mobility Resource Hub
Explore resources to promote inclusive economic prosperity for county residents.
Featured Initiative
Counties for Housing Solutions
NACo’s Counties for Housing Solutions program offers free three-month technical assistance sprints to address this challenge by helping counties increase local housing supply.
Featured Initiative
Rural Leaders for Economic Mobility
This program is a 22-month, 10-county peer-learning cohort that supports rural leaders in advancing equitable economic mobility. The program provides tailored technical assistance to help counties develop and implement Mobility Action Plans focused on workforce, housing, broadband, childcare and other key drivers of rural prosperity.
Resource
County Levers to Drive Economic Mobility: Local Solutions and Strategies
NACo’s County Levers report defines the role, authority and approaches for counties to improve economic outcomes and upward mobility for residents, organized by priority policy areas with county examples.
What participants are saying
County leaders from NACo’s economic mobility program discuss their work to support economic mobility in our communities—from access to housing, education, health care and good‑paying jobs to removing barriers and creating pathways for long‑term opportunity.
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Thank You to Our Funder
Counties for Economic Mobility was generously funded by the Gates Foundation. The contents of this webpage and recommended resources do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of the Gates Foundation.
Other NACo Community & Economic Development Programs & Initiatives
Building Resilient Economies in Coal Communities
The Building Resilient Economies in Coal Communities initiative connected coal communities, supported local leaders and built capacity in under-resourced communities to advance new approaches and projects for economic diversification.
SolSmart
SolSmart is a national program that helps cities, towns, counties and regional organizations become solar energy ready.
Military Communities Initiative
The U.S. Department of Defense Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative Program helps manage encroachment and incompatible development near military installations. The program forms partnerships that protect military operations from restrictive development and strengthens long-term relationships between the Department of Defense and counties.
Counties get creative with land use to add affordable housing
Orange County, Fla. is working to develop affordable housing on land owned by religious institutions and Fairfax County, Va. is exploring co-locating its libraries with affordable housing.
County-backed loan fund unlocks thousands of affordable housing units
Montgomery County, Md. is using a $100 million revolving loan fund to develop more than 3,000 affordable housing units across the county.
Housing shortage seeds planted years ago
The United States did not wind up with a housing shortage overnight - several factors have played into the conditions that have created the current market.
County invests in emerging developers to ease housing crunch
Shelby County, Tenn. offered instruction, connections and mentorship to budding real estate developers to bring fresh ideas and approaches to the market.
2026 NACo Energy Symposium
Join county leaders from across the country in the Texas Panhandle to engage with the most pressing energy issues shaping rural America today. Hear from experts, exchange ideas with peers and gain practical insights into the policies, projects and partnerships driving rural energy development.