ICMA recently relased the results of the 2014 Economic Development Survey. The Survey is an important and much-cited resource for anyone who follows economic development trends. Past surveys have provided valuable insights into how local government economic development incentive use is evolving, and the 2014 version is no exception. This year's findings include:

• 61% report the dollar value of the average incentive package is about the same as it has been over the last five years. 23% state that the average value is larger or much larger.
  
  
• The top “high use” incentives are:
• zoning permit assistance
• one-stop permit issuance
  
  
• Beyond these, the top incentives used are: 
• infrastructure improvements
• tax abatements
• grants
• tax increment financing
  
  
• 56% report that a performance agreement is a condition for providing business incentives, but 17% report it never is.
  
  
• 73% perform a cost-benefit analysis prior to offering business incentives.
  
  
• 75% state they measure the effectiveness of business incentives, with the top measures being jobs created, increase in the tax base, and “investment in construction materials and labor.”
  
  
• 58% report that their local government uses clawback agreements.

The survey was sent (via mail) to 5,237 city and county governments in June 2014. An online survey was also available. 1,201 local governments responded, for a response rate of 23%. A copy of the results is available online here.