Federal bank regulatory agencies have published the 2025 list of distressed or underserved nonmetropolitan middle-income geographies. This list identifies areas where certain banking activities can qualify for Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) credit.

The CRA requires that banks are evaluated on their ability to meet the credit needs of their entire community, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, while maintaining safe and sound operations. The newly released list pinpoints specific nonmetropolitan middle-income geographies eligible for revitalization or stabilization activities that can receive CRA consideration. These designations are based on local economic conditions such as unemployment rates, poverty levels, and population changes.

The activities in these designated geographies will be eligible for CRA consideration under the community development definition for a period of 12 months following the publication of this year's list. Similar to previous years, there is a one-year lag period applied to areas included in the 2024 list but not designated in 2025.

"Revitalization or stabilization activities in these geographies are eligible to receive CRA consideration under the community development definition for 12 months after publication of the current list," stated the agencies. They also noted that "as with past lists, the agencies apply a one-year lag period for geographies that were included in 2024 but are no longer designated as distressed or underserved in the current list."

The complete 2025 List of Distressed or Underserved Nonmetropolitan Middle-Income Geographies is available in PDF format.