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Podcast
Oct. 8, 2025

Bethany Greene describes the flow of federal funds into Fifth District communities as transfer payments, from health care and Social Security benefits to unemployment insurance payments. In particular, she discusses regional variances in communities' reliance on this funding, especially in rural areas. Greene is a regional economist at the Charlotte branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

Podcast
Sept. 10, 2025

Mary Donnan and Victor Farmer discuss two projects in the Fifth District that illustrate the challenges of economic development in rural communities and the importance of philanthropic organizations in addressing those challenges. They also reflect on how the Richmond Fed's Community Investment Training program, whose core curriculum is provided by Invest Appalachia, helped move the projects forward. Donnan is executive director of the Alleghany Foundation and Farmer is director of the Boone Memorial Health Community Foundation.

Article
Third Quarter 2025

In recent years, some small towns that were losing population have started growing again. What do they have in common?

Tom Barkin
President and Chief Executive Officer