On Thursday, Sept. 4, Gov. Mike Braun announced the release of a new independent study that validates the state’s 15 READI regions as Indiana’s official economic and workforce planning framework. Graphic from Indiana Economic Development Corporation.

News Release

INDIANAPOLIS — On Thursday, Sept. 4, Gov. Mike Braun announced the release of a new independent study from the Indiana Business Research Center at the IU Kelley School of Business that validates the state’s 15 READI regions as Indiana’s official economic and workforce planning framework.

The analysis, The Case for READI Regions as Official Economic Planning Regions, was commissioned under Executive Order 25-45, which directed the Secretary of Commerce to recommend by this year’s end a unified set of regional boundaries.

Braun said the findings affirm the strength of Indiana’s regional approach:

“This report proves what we’ve seen on the ground: Indiana’s regions are strong, well-defined, and ready to lead,” he said. “The 15 READI regions were built by local leaders, tested through real collaboration, and now validated by independent research. By aligning the state around this framework, we remove confusion, cut costs, and give Hoosiers one clear plan forward.”

The IBRC study compared READI regions with state-defined Economic Growth Regions and federally defined Metropolitan Statistical Areas. It found that:

A map of Indiana READI Program districts. Photo from Indiana READI.

READI regions emerged voluntarily from local governments in 2021 with READI 1.0 and align with real labor markets.

They demonstrate nearly the same commuting “tightness” — a measure of economic cohesion — as state-drawn regions, at lower implementation cost.

They have already proven their effectiveness through READI and READI 2.0, where regional strategic plans leveraged billions in investment.
Dr. Phil Powell, Executive Director of the IBRC and co-author of the report, noted the significance of the findings:

“Our analysis shows that READI regions provide a socially efficient and empirically sound foundation for Indiana’s regional policy,” Powell said. “They capture economic activity nearly as effectively as state-drawn regions, but with the added advantage of trust and collaboration already built among local leaders. That gives Indiana a durable framework to deliver economic and workforce development.”

Secretary of Commerce David Adams said the adoption of the READI framework will ensure clarity and accountability moving forward:

“This report confirms that Indiana’s regional approach is working,” Adams said. “With READI regions now validated as the economic planning framework, we can focus on strategy — empowering regions grow population, wages, and opportunity with one clear map.”