Designations for the economic health of counties throughout the Appalachian Region were released this past week by the Appalachian Regional Commission.  Just seventy-seven counties in the Appalachian Region were designated as “economically distressed”.  Chattooga County was the only county in Georgia to receive the designation.

The Appalachian Regional Commission spans 423 counties across 13 states. This includes all of West Virginia – the only state completely within the Appalachian Region – and parts of 12 other states: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

The designations come from an annual status report by the Appalachian Regional Commission. The analysis compares each of the ARC’s 423 counties with national averages for unemployment rates, per capita income and poverty rates over the previous three-year period.

The goal of the commission is to bring Appalachia, which has long been considered economically disadvantaged, to parity with the rest of the United States.  The annual report tracks the progress of federal funds spent in the area and helps to determine grants that could be awarded.

The federal agency’s goal is to bring Appalachia — a swath along the mountain range, stretching from southern New York to northern Mississippi — to socioeconomic parity with the rest of the country. The annual designations track progress and govern grant awards.