Center for Economic and Community Development
Penn State's Center for Economic and Community Development is an applied research center dedicated to strengthening local and regional development in Pennsylvania and beyond. The Center works with communities to address the issues they face, such as economic and demographic change, government revenue and expenditure policy, community capacity building, and social and economic inequality. Our research outputs include timely short reports, economic impact analyses, and series projects, such as county-level demographic and economic profiles. The Center team includes faculty, staff, and students.
Latest News
February 25, 2026
'Stories from the Field' Returns February 27, 2026
Please join the Center for Economic and Community Development on Friday, February 27 at 10am for an event with Rural Sociology PhD student Elisabeth Ramsey where she'll talk about oral history and digital storytelling as a researcher, filmmaker, and community collaborator.
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April 2, 2025
'Stories from the Field' Returns with Spring 2025 Session on Housing Inequality
Penn State’s “Stories from the Field” conversation series is returning this spring with a brand-new session focused on research examining housing inequality in North America. The talk will take place from 12 to 1 p.m. on April 16.
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October 23, 2024
Penn State hosting community engagement and applied research symposium Nov. 7–8
A symposium centering around community engagement and applied research will take place Nov. 7–8 at Penn State University Park. The event — titled “Community-University Partnerships for Radical Community Transformation: Co-Creating Agri-Food System Interventions” — is aimed at community organizations, researchers and extension professionals interested in building more collaborative and democratic relationships with one another.
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October 15, 2024
'Stories from the Field' returns with new sessions for fall 2024
Penn State’s CECD's “Stories from the Field” conversation series is returning this fall with two new sessions. Topics will include a youth development program that stemmed from a football field revitalization project and a health clinic that provides care in medically underserved areas.
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