Five states, 679 tracts: the new Opportunity Zone map is taking shape

The map, all at once

Five governors announced Treasury-approved Opportunity Zones in the same window, and the numbers add up to a new map: 260 tracts in Ohio, 240 in Illinois, 102 in Mississippi, 52 in West Virginia and 25 in Delaware, for 679 in total. Every one of the five announcements describes the same federal program, Opportunity Zones 2.0, and the same start date, January 1, 2027. m:…3140 m:…4538 m:…6811 m:…3798 m:…1807

The designations run for ten years. Ohio's zones remain in place through 2036, Mississippi's for a ten-year cycle, and West Virginia's for ten years as well. The framework itself was enacted by Congress in 2025, and states are required to redesignate eligible zones every ten years under that framework. m:…3140 m:…6811 m:…3798

There is also continuity with the first round. Mississippi's original Opportunity Zone designations remain in effect through December 31, 2028, and the federal program was made permanent in 2025. In Ohio, 78 of the newly designated tracts were also in the state's original 2018 program. m:…6811

The rural tilt

The pattern across the five states is a tilt toward rural places. In Mississippi, 78 of the 102 approved tracts are rural and 24 are non-rural, spread across 50 counties. In Ohio, 96 of the 260 designated tracts are in rural communities. m:…6811 m:…3140

Illinois points the same way, with nearly 90 percent of its 240 approved tracts qualifying as underserved areas under the state's criteria. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity received and reviewed more than 500 tract nominations, judging them on economic need, business and investment attraction potential, housing and workforce indicators, and existing development opportunities. m:…4538

West Virginia made the rural tilt explicit in the terms. Qualifying rural properties benefit from a 50 percent substantial improvement requirement, and qualified Opportunity Funds receive a 30 percent basis increase after five years. The state's 52 zones span 32 counties. m:…3798

How states are competing for the capital

The selection processes were competitive inside each state. Ohio received 951 nominations from 515 eligible census tracts, and the Treasury approved the 260 tracts nominated by the DeWine administration. The scale of the winnowing is the point: most nominated tracts did not make the map. m:…3140

Delaware, the smallest of the five with 25 certified tracts, is competing on plumbing rather than size. Governor Matt Meyer launched a new state landing page built with the Milken Institute's Community Infrastructure Center, designed as a clearinghouse where project sponsors and investors can find each other. There is no fee for project sponsors or investors to register or search the platform, and the governor's team began the research and engagement process in December 2025. m:…1807

The other states ran their selections through their own development agencies. Mississippi's nominations followed a selection process coordinated by the Mississippi Development Authority, and West Virginia's by the state Division of Economic Development. The federal tax incentive is the same everywhere, so the difference between states now comes down to how well each one can turn a designation into a deal. m:…6811 m:…3798

What is still missing

What none of the five announcements contains is a project list or a dollar figure. The designations establish where the tax incentive applies, and the zones are designed to attract private investment for housing, business expansion and job creation, but the specific investments, the volumes of capital and the timelines for individual projects are all still open. m:…3140 m:…4538

That gap is where the next round of news will come from. Delaware's platform and West Virginia's rural terms are both attempts to close it faster, by making it easier for sponsors and investors to meet and by sweetening the terms where the market is thinnest. The reasonable read is that the map is now set, and the competition has moved from getting designated to getting funded. m:…1807 m:…3798