In this recent Connection Communities webinar, discover how low- to moderate-income workers adapt to rising costs and limited opportunities. Hear firsthand stories, research highlights, and Federal Reserve leaders' insights on how financial pressures shape choices, resilience, and the future of our economy. Watch or listen on demand.

What does it mean to 'tighten your belt' when you've already run out of notches? Through a compelling combination of on-the-ground research and policy expertise, this session examined how workers who earn low to moderate incomes (LMI) are navigating rising costs, limited opportunities, and a challenging job market. Attendees gained insights on the effects financial distress of LMI communities have on labor market dynamics and economic mobility and resilience.

Featuring highlights from the Worker Perspectives research, this session revealed the daily realities of individuals struggling to make ends meet and illuminated how financial pressure shapes their consumption patterns, employment choices, and long-term planning. Attendees also heard perspectives from the Presidents of the Federal Reserve Banks of Cleveland and Chicago, and the Executive Vice President over Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta on how insights from various economic stakeholders, including workers and job seekers, provides a unique window in economic conditions and helps to shape monetary policy considerations.

Through this session, policymakers deepened their understanding of how LMI populations experience the economy and the effect of their behavior on macroeconomic trends. Employers gained perspectives on evolving workforce needs and the financial pressures shaping their labor supply and worker decisions. Organizations serving workers and job seekers discovered actionable insights to better support economic mobility and build household resilience.

More on the Worker Perspectives research: https://fedcommunities.org/research/worker-perspectives/

Place plays an important role in shaping the economic outcomes of residents. Place-based stratgies have long been used to address employment and mobility barriers in lower-income communities. However, evidence on the effectiveness of such intiatives has been mixed.

During this seminar, presented by the Federal Reserve Banks of Atlanta and Philadelphia on August 12, 2026, researchers examined the impact of workforce development programs, shared ideas to strengthen their effectiveness, and offered insights to help inform future place-based strategies.

Benefits cliffs are increasingly recognized as a critical barrier to economic mobility in communities across the country. When a raise, promotion, or new job pushes an individual or family above eligibility thresholds for public benefits, the result can be a net financial loss. This creates difficult choices for workers, employers, and policymakers.

As awareness of benefits cliffs grows, so does momentum around research, policy innovation, and community-driven solutions. This Connecting Communities webinar brought together researchers and practitioners to explore the latest evidence on how benefits cliffs affect workforce participation and economic opportunity, highlight promising strategies emerging from innovative pilots, and identify priorities for future research.

During this event, participants learned more about:

• key research findings on how benefits cliffs affect employment and advancement decisions for workers and job seekers,
• learnings from innovative pilot programs designed to reduce the impact of benefits cliffs, and
• a research agenda that can inform more effective, equitable solutions for policymakers, community-based organizations, and employers.

Related Resources:

• What Are Benefits Cliffs?: https://www.atlantafed.org/what-we-study/workforce-development/advancing-careers-for-low-income-families/what-are-benefits-cliffs
• The Research Landscape for Benefits Cliffs: Reviewing the Benefits Cliffs Research: https://www.atlantafed.org/-/media/Project/Atlanta/FRBA/Documents/news/events/2026/02/12/2026-benefits-cliffs-research-convening/conference-recap.pdf
• Career Ladder Identifier and Financial Forecaster (CLIFF) tool: https://www.atlantafed.org/research-and-data/data/cliff-tool
• Benefits Cliff Story Series: https://fedcommunities.org/benefits-cliffs/

Investment is a critical part of any healthy, growing economy, and plays a key role in rural economic development.

During this seminar presented by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond on June 25, 2026, experts discussed the barriers to community investment in smaller towns and rural communities.

The seminar featured insights from the Richmond Fed's Rural Investment Collaborative as well as research on factors that support community investment.

During this Connecting Communities webinar, researchers from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors shared key findings from the annual Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED), which was fielded in October 2025 and released on May 13, 2026. The survey is a key tool for measuring the economic well-being of U.S. households and identifying potential risks to their finances.

In addition to monitoring household financial circumstances, each year the survey explores a range of related topics. In 2025, it introduced new questions about the use of generative Artificial Intelligence at work, alongside expanded modules on family finances, employment, and economic hardships. The survey also continues to track other financial topics such as access to credit, housing affordability, savings and investments, child care costs, and banking.

Attendees had the opportunity to engage directly with the panelists during a live Q&A session, gaining deeper context and clarity on the findings.

Related resources:

• Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2025
• Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking Interactive Charts
• Codebook for the 2025 Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (PDF)

According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), approximately 5.6 million households are without a checking or savings account – otherwise known as "unbanked." Unbanked households lack a secure and safe place to store their money and can miss out on interest gains and credit-building opportunities.

This Connecting Communities webinar featured leaders from organizations focused on advancing banking access for households through safe and affordable accounts via the Bank On program. Panelists also explored findings from the most recent Bank On National Data (BOND) Hub, hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

This interactive conversation highlighted

• the benefits of having a bank account,
• lessons learned in reaching unbanked and underbanked households,
• strategies for building strong partnerships between financial institutions, local governments, and nonprofit organizations, and
• how data can inform access to banking.

Whether you're a financial institution, policymaker, nonprofit leader, researcher, or advocate, this session will provide practical insights to advancing financial access in your community.

Attendees had the opportunity to engage directly with the panelists during a live Q&A session, which provided deeper context and clarity to the findings.

The  Small Business Credit Survey (SBCS) has been administered nationally since 2016 by the 12 Federal Reserve Banks in collaboration with a network of hundreds of community and business groups throughout the country. The SBCS gathers information from thousands of small-business owners on business conditions and characteristics, credit experiences, and owner demographics. It continues to be the largest national dataset of its kind, and its reports provide awareness of small business challenges and how owners respond to them. 

During this webinar, Federal Reserve experts provided an in-depth look at findings from the 2026 Report on Employer Firms. They explored key insights from the 2025 Small Business Credit Survey, including:

• Business financing needs
• Credit approval outcomes and challenges
• Customer dynamics and trade activity
• Adoption of artificial intelligence

This session offered timely, data-driven perspectives for those working directly with small businesses, supporting economic development efforts, or seeking to better understand the current small business landscape. Attendees gained actionable insights into the challenges and opportunities shaping small businesses nationwide.

• Business financing needs
• Credit approval outcomes and challenges
• Customer dynamics and trade activity
• Adoption of artificial intelligence

This session offered timely, data-driven perspectives for those working directly with small businesses, supporting economic development efforts, or seeking to better under stand the current small business landscape. Attendees gained actionalbe insights into the challenges and opportunities shaping small businesses nationwide.

Where an individual lives can play a role in shiping their employment opportunities and interactions. While issues related to where a person is located have been overshadowed by issues related to an individual's personal circumstances, this is starting to shift.

During this seminar, presented by the Federal Reserve Board of Governors on April 2, 2026, experts from research and policy discussed how location affects job markets and can contribute to income inequality.