Skip to main content
Home

Mapping a nation of regional clusters

Harvard Business School U.S. Economic Development Administration
EXPLORE

Search

  • I am an Economic Developer

    Are you trying to determine a strategy for your organization, region, or industry? Then follow our Economic Developer path.

    Follow Economic Developer Path
  • I am a Policymaker

    Are you hoping to effect change in the economic landscape through federal, state, or local government policy choices? Then follow our Policymaker path.

    Follow Policymaker Path
  • I am an Academic or Researcher

    Are you interested in learning more about clusters and conducting action-oriented research? Then follow our Academic or Researcher path.

    Follow Academic or Researcher Path
  • I am in the Private Sector

    Are you looking into the economic competitiveness of a region through the lens of the private sector? Then follow our Private Sector path.

    Follow Private Sector Path
  • Data by Cluster

    A cluster is a regional concentration of related industries that arise out of the various types of linkages or externalities that span across industries in a particular location. The U.S. Benchmark Cluster Definitions are designed to enable systemic comparison across regions. View and compare clusters across the U.S.

    View Data by Cluster
  • Frequently Asked Questions

    How do I compare different clusters on a national level?

    How do I find my region’s strongest cluster(s)?

    How do I identify which cluster my industry belongs in?

    How do I compare local vs traded clusters?

    Are there overlaps between the clusters?

  • Data by Region

    A region is broadly defined as a county, economic area (EA), metro/micropolitan statistical area (MSA), or state. The U.S. Benchmark Cluster Definitions use the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis defined economic areas. View and compare regions across the U.S.

    View Data by Region
  • Frequently Asked Questions

    How do I compare different regions?

    How do I build a region to meet my needs?

    How is my region doing, especially in comparison to its peer regions?

    How do I find subregions related to my region?

    How do I use the map view to visualize economic data across the country?

  • Organizations

    View Organizations
  • Blog

    View Blog
  • Resources

    View Resources
  • Community

    The Community of Practice enables practitioners to share Resources, post Blogs, and find partner Organizations. View and contribute content of interest to the cluster based economic development community.

    View Community Page
  • Register
  • or
  • Sign in
Welcome   Welcome  
About
Cluster
Region
Community
- View Organizations
- View Blog
- View Resources
- View Community Page
Register
Login
Home
  • I am an Economic Developer

    Are you trying to determine a strategy for your organization, region, or industry? Then follow our Economic Developer path.

    Follow Economic Developer Path
  • I am a Policymaker

    Are you hoping to effect change in the economic landscape through federal, state, or local government policy choices? Then follow our Policymaker path.

    Follow Policymaker Path
  • I am an Academic or Researcher

    Are you interested in learning more about clusters and conducting action-oriented research? Then follow our Academic or Researcher path.

    Follow Academic or Researcher Path
  • I am in the Private Sector

    Are you looking into the economic competitiveness of a region through the lens of the private sector? Then follow our Private Sector path.

    Follow Private Sector Path
  • Data by Cluster

    A cluster is a regional concentration of related industries that arise out of the various types of linkages or externalities that span across industries in a particular location. The U.S. Benchmark Cluster Definitions are designed to enable systemic comparison across regions. View and compare clusters across the U.S.

    View Data by Cluster
  • Frequently Asked Questions

    How do I compare different clusters on a national level?

    How do I find my region’s strongest cluster(s)?

    How do I identify which cluster my industry belongs in?

    How do I compare local vs traded clusters?

    Are there overlaps between the clusters?

  • Data by Region

    A region is broadly defined as a county, economic area (EA), metro/micropolitan statistical area (MSA), or state. The U.S. Benchmark Cluster Definitions use the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis defined economic areas. View and compare regions across the U.S.

    View Data by Region
  • Frequently Asked Questions

    How do I compare different regions?

    How do I build a region to meet my needs?

    How is my region doing, especially in comparison to its peer regions?

    How do I find subregions related to my region?

    How do I use the map view to visualize economic data across the country?

  • Organizations

    View Organizations
  • Blog

    View Blog
  • Resources

    View Resources
  • Community

    The Community of Practice enables practitioners to share Resources, post Blogs, and find partner Organizations. View and contribute content of interest to the cluster based economic development community.

    View Community Page
EXPLORE

Search

Register
Sign in
Harvard Business School U.S. Economic Development Administration

Community

Add Organization

Recent Blogs

Companies Defined By the Industries (+ Clusters) They Operate In

by Industry Building Blocks Sun, 01/22/2023 - 14:07

Industry Clusters make so much sense. Working with Industry Cluster data makes sense too – however, getting companies in your location to define the specific industry clusters they are in is challenging. Many companies define themselves in terms of which one or two NAICS codes best represent what they do, but that is hardly enough.

U.S. Cluster Mapping Portal Announces Soft Launch of Regional Comparison Tool

by cmp.admin Fri, 09/17/2021 - 05:25

The U.S. Cluster Mapping Portal has soft-launched its Region Comparison Tool, which will allow users to directly compare different regions (States, Economic Areas, Metro/Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Counties) across various clusters and indicators. See below for a walkthrough of the process of creating and saving a custom region comparison.

5G Impact on Industry Clusters

by Industry Building Blocks Wed, 09/15/2021 - 05:24

5G is here now – at least in some places – and its impact on industry clusters will be intense. 5G rollout plans by AT&T, Sprint and others will have a dramatic effect on which geographic areas are at a technology advantage versus those that are at a clear disadvantage. 5G services impact IoT, AR, VR, Big Data, and other internet platform and cloud technologies that, in turn, will impact most every industry. At Industry Building Blocks (IBB) we estimate that 5G technologies will significantly impact at least 7,000 of the top 20,000 global industries.

Southern Tier NY Clusters Are Blooming

by Industry Building Blocks Wed, 09/15/2021 - 05:16

Since our 1st Industry Summit on Nov 28, 2018 which introduced the concept of Industry Clusters (to a sold-out crowd which gave rave reviews) the Southern Tier has moved to an industry-cluster mindset. Many people felt it was the best government-run conference ever because the industry clusters crossed political and jurisdictional boundaries and brought together many city, county and multi-county organizations that were rarely aligned with themselves or the objectives of the private sector companies.

SSTI 2017 Conference in DC

by StuartMVG Thu, 09/07/2017 - 10:19

SSTI’s annual conference engages those involved in the innovation economy in a dynamic exploration of the advances and challenges facing our community. Gather with your peers to help build solutions in the face of uncertain funding and other roadblocks, and to share practices that strengthen science, tech, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Find out more here.

September 13th - 15th in Washington, D.C.

Visit our blog  →

Recent Resources

The Competitive Advantage of Nations

by cmp.admin Wed, 09/22/2021 - 05:21

National prosperity is created, not inherited. It does not grow out of a country's natural endowments, its labor pool, its interest rates, or its currency's value, as classical economics insists.

A nation's competitiveness depends on the capacity of its industry to innovate and upgrade. Companies gain advantage against the world's best competitors because of pressure and challenge. They benefit from having strong domestic rivals, aggressive home-based suppliers, and demanding local customers. 

Defining Clusters of Related Industries

by cmp.admin Wed, 09/22/2021 - 04:10

Clusters are geographic concentrations of industries related by knowledge, skills, inputs, demand, and/or other linkages. A growing body of empirical literature has shown the positive impact of clusters on regional and industry performance, including job creation, patenting, and new business formation. There is an increasing need for cluster-based data to support research, facilitate comparisons of clusters across regions, and support policymakers and practitioners in defining regional strategies.

The Competitive Advantage of Nations

by cmp.admin Wed, 09/22/2021 - 02:41

National prosperity is created, not inherited. It does not grow out of a country's natural endowments, its labor pool, its interest rates, or its currency's value, as classical economics insists.

A nation's competitiveness depends on the capacity of its industry to innovate and upgrade. Companies gain advantage against the world's best competitors because of pressure and challenge. They benefit from having strong domestic rivals, aggressive home-based suppliers, and demanding local customers. 

Minneapolis-St. Paul Regional Cluster Initiative: Providing a Framework for Minnesota's Economic Competitiveness

by cmp.admin Fri, 09/17/2021 - 12:27

This Policy and Impact Study by the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, State and Local Policy Program at the University of Minnesota is the second in a series of four developed as part of the U.S. Cluster Mapping Project, an effort supported by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The report illustrates how Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) has benefited from applying a cluster approach as a conceptual framework for diagnosing the regional economy and as a platform for joint action to address the challenges identified.

Building Strong Clusters for Strong Urban Economies

by Rich Bryden Thu, 06/29/2017 - 09:59

Insights for City Leaders from Four Case Studies in the U.S.
Each of the case studies highlighted in this report offers actionable insights to help city leaders galvanize their cluster building efforts. They represent unique insights for the two types of cluster growth models that exist in the U.S.—cluster initiatives and cluster-oriented economic development plans—in different contexts. For city leaders designing new cluster growth strategies, we also offer a set of six general recommendations to ensure the strategies will maximize economic growth.

View additional resources  →

Organizations

Industry Building Blocks

Industry Building Blocks (IBB) is the FIRST and only company to provide granular industry information for the top 20,000 global industries used to analyze: [1] Companies; [3] Market Areas; [3] Industries; [4] Clusters.

Location

28 Vestal Avenue
28 Vestal Avenue
Binghamton, NY 13903
United States

Greater Richmond Partnership

The Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc. (GRP) is the lead regional economic development organization for the City of Richmond and counties of Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico in Virginia. GRP attracts new companies to the region by providing in-depth market data, marketing the region globally and generating quality economic opportunities. Learn more at www.grpva.com.

Location

901 E. Byrd Street
Suite 801
Richmond, VA 23219
United States

New Mexico CREATE BRIDGES Region

NMSU

Location

WebGuru Infosystems Pvt. Ltd.

The ISO 9001:2015 certified company, WebGuru Infosystems specializes in offering quality website design, mobile app development & digital marketing services with 16+ years of experience in the industry.

 

Location

Cottonwood Center
2825 E Cottonwood Parkway Suite 500
Salt Lake City, UT 84121
United States

Sparx IT Solutions

Sparx IT Solutions has become a popular name in the web and mobile app development industry over the past 12 years. With a commitment to confidentiality, agility, and quality; our team is focused on delivering unconventional digital solutions. We have helped plenty of businesses from Startups to Fortune 500 companies in securing a strong online presence for their business products and services.

Location

New York, NY 10022
United States

View all organizations  →
  • Share
  • Affiliated Sites
  • Contact Us |
  • Partners |
  • Privacy Policy |
  • Terms of Use
Reporting Copyright Infringment

Copyright © 2020 President and Fellows of Harvard College.
All rights reserved.

The U.S. Cluster Mapping Project is led by Professor Michael E. Porter at the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, Harvard Business School.

This project is funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration.