The Opportunity Zones program encourages long-term investment and job creation in low-income areas of the state, by allowing investors to re-invest unrealized capital gains in designated census tracts. The state of Missouri submitted the 161 Opportunity Zones listed below to the federal government for inclusion in the program.
To determine which zones were nominated, Missouri relied extensively on local input. Local governments were asked to nominate areas for inclusion in the program by sending a written proposal to the Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED).
The communities prioritized their selections and provided DED with information about development plans, and descriptions of recent and future investments. In addition to local recommendations, the state considered the Opportunity Zone’s potential to address the need and generate investment impact.