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Community & Economic Development

We work to promote healthy communities, human capital, and neighborhood reinvestment across the Ninth District, and we provide analysis of emerging issues that affect low- and moderate-income people.
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Inside the construction site of a large commercial or industrial building, with exposed steel supports and beams visible in the background, a male construction worker cuts through several lengths of steel using a power saw located in the immediate foreground. The worker is wearing a white hard hat with face shield, black sweatshirt, orange safety vest, blue jeans, and yellow work gloves. Sparks fly from the saw as it cuts the steel.
Native federal contractors contribute to local economies nationwideAndrew Huff | Senior Policy and Legal Advisor, Center for Indian Country DevelopmentAva LaPlante | Associate Data Scientist, Center for Indian Country DevelopmentCaryn Mohr | Senior Writer, Community Development and Engagement
August 24, 2026
Article
Colorful stylized graphic landscape with vibrant charts and technology-related elements layered on top. Image features an interconnected lattice of hexagon shapes, six of which frame photos of individuals as they spoke at the Minneapolis Fed's 2026 Center for Indian Country Data Summit. The six speakers are Michelle Beaudin, Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa; Zechariah Harjo, Muscogee (Creek) Nation; Mike Lettig, Huntington Bank; Casey Lozar, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis; Traci Morris, Arizona State University; and Michael Running Wolf, First Languages AI Reality.
Through data governance, tribes protect “digital land” and build tribal economiesCaryn Mohr | Senior Writer, Community Development and Engagement
August 14, 2026
Article
A woman stocks merchandise in the clothing section of a gift and souvenir shop. She appears in profile and has a focused expression on her face as as she holds several red sweatshirts on hangers before placing them on a wall rack for sale.
To meet demand, Native CDFIs pursue alternative sources of lending capitalMichou Kokodoko | Senior Policy Analyst, Community Development and EngagementCaryn Mohr | Senior Writer, Community Development and Engagement
July 30, 2026
Article
At a large wooden conference table that's lit from a nearby window, two colleagues, a man and a woman, gesture as they review financial charts and data on a laptop computer. Printouts of balance sheets lie on the table in front of them. Their heads are cut off in the shot and we only see their forearms and hands. The photo is taken in semi-profile over the shoulder of the man, who is seated in the foreground.
Understanding the financial health of Native CDFI loan funds: A closer look at the numbersMichou Kokodoko | Senior Policy Analyst, Community Development and EngagementH Trostle | Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Indian Country DevelopmentMaxine Xu | Data Scientist, Community Development and Engagement
July 24, 2026
Article
At a checkout lane in a large supermarket, a woman wearing a short-sleeve black tee shirt with thin white stripes loads plastic bags filled with groceries into her shopping cart. Her face has a serious expression.
Lower-income Minnesotans struggle in uncertain economyJuliet Cramer | Associate Data Scientist, Community Development and EngagementBen Horowitz | Senior Policy Analyst, Community Development and EngagementAyushi Narayan | Economist, Community Development and EngagementAlene Tchourumoff | Senior Vice President, Talent and Engagement, Learning Management Support Office, and Community Development and EngagementMaxine Xu | Data Scientist, Community Development and Engagement
July 17, 2026
Article
Several members of a multigenerational Latino family spend time together in their kitchen. A grandfather and grandson play dominos on the kitchen island while the mother and father begin preparing the next meal and the grandmother and young granddaughter chat by the sink, which sits below a large window. The room has a high ceiling, wooden cabinets, a red glass-tile blacksplash, black granite countertops, and stainless steel appliances.
New homeownership measure puts people firstErik Hembre | Senior Economist, Community Development and EngagementBen Horowitz | Senior Policy Analyst, Community Development and EngagementMaxine Xu | Data Scientist, Community Development and Engagement
July 15, 2026
Article
A view of two three-story, sixplex apartment buildings that are under construction on a compact urban lot in St. Paul, Minnesota, on a clear spring day. The buildings appear mostly completed except for siding and exterior finishes. They are partially wrapped in white Tyvek sheeting and the site is crowded with stacks of construction materials and temporary security fencing.
Housing policies in Saint Paul yield mixed results, data and developers sayErik Hembre | Senior Economist, Community Development and EngagementLibby Starling | Senior Community Development Advisor, Community Development and EngagementMaxine Xu | Data Scientist, Community Development and Engagement
June 3, 2026
Article
Saint Paul Housing DashboardMaxine Xu | Data Scientist, Community Development and Engagement
June 3, 2026
Data
Part of the Minneapolis suburb of Edina, Minnesota, is seen in the early morning light on a clear spring day. The foreground shows a townhome development, the middle ground shows a newer-construction apartment building for seniors, and the background shows a midrise condominium building.
Twin Cities region misses its housing marksJuliet Cramer | Associate Data Scientist, Community Development and EngagementBen Horowitz | Senior Policy Analyst, Community Development and EngagementLibby Starling | Senior Community Development Advisor, Community Development and Engagement
May 8, 2026
Article
A view of the interior of Grindstone Laundry, a commercial laundry facility operated by Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures and located in Hinckley, Minnesota. The large, brightly lit space houses an array of blue industrial-sized laundry machines, bins full of linens, conveyers, and other equipment. Three workers appear in the center of the shot. The most visible of them is a woman wearing a light pink shirt.
Tribes harness industry experience to enter new marketsAva LaPlante | Associate Data Scientist, Center for Indian Country Development

Sakariye Mohamed | Intern, Community Development and Engagement

Caryn Mohr | Senior Writer, Community Development and Engagement
April 30, 2026
Article
CICD Working Paper teal graphic
Understanding the Unequal Costs of Native American Homeownership

Helen Banga

Donn Feir | CICD Research Fellow (former)Matthew Gregg | Senior Economist, Center for Indian Country Development
April 29, 2026
Research
An image of a construction worker combined with an image of two women working in a restaurant
How Can Public Policy Boost Hiring?
Event on May 21, 2026
Event