Economic and Workforce Development Programming

Counties for Economic Mobility (C4EM) advances 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. 

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.

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.

The Economic Recovery Corps (ERC) is a 30-month national fellowship, launched in partnership with the U.S. Economic Development Administration, that embeds experienced economic development professionals in counties nationwide to build local capacity and advance inclusive, long-term economic growth.

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. 

The Counties for Career Success initiative supported counties in enhancing pathways to education and employment. The 2023-2024 cohort received technical assistance, expert guidance and peer learning opportunities.

The network supports county leaders to develop successful economic mobility strategies for their local communities.

This resource hub brings together data, analysis and tools to support county leaders in expanding housing access and affordability for their residents. 

The toolkit supports all counties across the country to prepare for and recover from economic shocks, such as industry downturn, supply chain disruption, consumer demand change or natural disaster.

Explore these resources to promote inclusive economic prosperity for county residents.

The report provides counties with a practical, five-step framework for developing affordable housing on county-owned land, covering site selection, zoning review, financial feasibility, developer procurement and community engagement. It highlights how counties can reduce development costs, leverage public assets and build community support to expand affordable housing production.

The resource hub connects county officials with current NACo Federal advocacy, existing resources, FAQs and best practices on election administration.