From Southern Appalachia to the Mississippi Delta and from California’s coast to Maryland’s eastern shore, states are turning to arts-based economic development strategies to revive rural economies stung by geographic isolation, infrastructure deficiencies and the flight of skilled workers to big cities, according to an issue brief from the National Governors’ Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center). Incorporating the arts into states’ existing rural economic development policy helps not only to diversify rural economies but to provide these previously struggling communities with a competitive advantage in the 21st century’s global marketplace as well. The brief, Strengthening Rural Economies through the Arts, documents how states utilize a variety of arts-focused policies to create jobs and improve quality of life. This is one of a series of issue briefs on the economic importance of the arts.