The Economic Development Administration, an arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce, has awarded a two-year, $499,977 grant to the Indiana Business Research Center (IBRC) to further develop StatsAmerica.org — a popular tool used by economic developers, city planners and researchers.

Part of IU’s Kelley School of Business, IBRC will maintain and expand StatsAmerica’s databases and website, as well as develop a new digital library for quick access to key reports, planning guidelines, best practices and related economic development materials.

IBRC originally developed StatsAmerica and its suite of tools, which includes the Innovation Index. The index diagnoses a region’s strengths and weaknesses concerning innovation-driven economic activity and recently was expanded to include more than 50 measures of innovation and economic performance.

“Over time, (StatsAmerica) has become one of the most widely used sources of detailed data for every county in the nation, including demographic, workforce and economic statistics.”

— IBRC Director Jerry Conover

StatsAmerica also features interactive tools that provide insight into the types of industries and occupations that are most important to a specific region’s economy.

Read more about the grant, StatsAmerica and its uses here.