The St. Louis Fed recently launched the Community Investment Explorer, an interactive tool that aggregates investments into low- and moderate-income communities. The customizable data are from the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC), and Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) programs. The Community Investment Explorer shows geographic comparisons and trends over time. This interactive tool draws on publicly available data from over 500,000 community development transactions. Collectively, the CDFI, NMTC, and LIHTC programs are responsible for several billion dollars' worth of investment into low- and moderate-income communities each year. The investments support a range of activities, from affordable housing to commercial real estate development, consumer and business lending, and more.

The tool shows geographic comparisons and trends over time in a way that is easily customizable. Users can select everything from the geographic level, location, purpose of the loan, and range of dates to analyze investments in low- and moderate-income communities. This flexible tool will help users understand trends of community investments across the country.