Long depicted as a global melting pot, the United States is home to a collection of sharply divergent geographies, regions and cultures. An overlooked measure of our diversity, however, is economic. While national statistics tell a story of averages, they fail to account for the true drivers of economic expansion and contraction. It is only upon examining America’s microeconomies – our cities, towns, suburbs and rural communities – that we can begin to appreciate the myriad and complex determinants of broader U.S., and sometimes even global, economic trends. But the data needed to understand why one town booms even as its neighbor busts has long been lacking, and the effects of these localized economic wins and losses on the lives of workers, businesses and communities have been historically underappreciated. To address these needs, the Kenan Institute has launched the American Growth Project – a new initiative providing up-to-the-minute economic data, analysis and forecasting for towns, cities and counties across the country.