Different people have disparate experiences in accessing credits. Exploring ways to close this credit access gap could provide more economic opportunities for underprivileged areas.

As revealed through data and academic literature, histor­ical inequity in credit access still affects minority borrow­ers today.

This issue of Community Scope seeks to better understand the economic impact of regional food systems through the food hub model, and offers examples from the Fifth District.

Data from Fed Communities' Banking Deserts Dashboard show how in-person banking access changed in the Fifth District from 2019 to 2023.

Recent Immigration into the Fifth District has broadly aided population growth, but especially in states adjoining the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia).

Over the past two years, community development financial institutions (CDFIs) received large, targeted investment from three federal programs. How was funding distributed to CDFIs in the Fifth District?

Small businesses remained challenged throughout 2021 and those that sought financing to bridge funding gaps experienced a higher rate of denials than before the pandemic.

The Fed's Community Impact Survey reveals COVID-19 disruptions to community organizations' operations and the low-income communities they serve.

Heirs' property, land passed through generations without a clear title, is an unstable form of landownership that can lead to lost capital and wealth.

Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) like Woodlands Community Lenders are uniquely positioned to help rural towns address unique challenges through place-based revitalization and by attracting investment.

Rural black Fifth District communities have long suffered fewer economic opportunities and thus worse economic outcomes.

The most recent stimulus bill extends many 2020 changes to the unemployment insurance program but reduces the supplement to weekly benefits.

Firms report how the coronavirus is influencing their employment levels, hiring plans, and wages in our annual survey.

The Federal Reserve developed and fielded a survey of community-based organizations to better understand the impacts of COVID-19 on their operations and the communities they serve. Fifth District respondents in April and June expressed that while organizations and communities are experiencing significant disruptions, effects are expected to be longer-lasting for the latter.

The number of job postings dropped considerably in the United States and the Fifth District in March and April but showed signs of recovery in May.

As part of the U.S. response to COVID-19, unemployment insurance recipients are receiving increased weekly payments. For many individuals in the Fifth District, these enhanced unemployment benefits are greater than the wages they earned while at work.

Federal, state, and local government financial support for consumers in response to COVID-19 is widespread, but not universal. Who’s left out from existing governmental support programs?

What does hospital capacity look like in the Fifth District, and how might rural hospital closings impact the current crisis?

College attainment differs greatly between Fifth District counties, as do unemployment rates and earnings by education level from state to state.