Northeast Ohio Employment, Actual and Projected, 1990-2019

Northeast Ohio Employment

This chart tracks employment in Northeast Ohio since 1990 and projects Northeast Ohio’s employment levels through 2019. Northeast Ohio’s employment levels grew throughout the 1990s but began to decline following the turn of the millennium. Projections predict that Northeast Ohio’s economy will add 200,000 jobs and will return to pre-recession levels by 2015.

Distribution of Centers of Jobs in Northeast Ohio

Northeast Ohio Employment Centers

County Percentage of Regional Employment, 1970-2011

County Percentage of Regional Employment, 1970-2011, US Census Bureau Data

This graph charts percentage of regional employment enjoyed by each of Northeast Ohio’s 12 counties during the period 1979-2011. Percentages for each county are label at the beginning and end of this time period. Because Cuyahoga County’s percentage is so much greater than that of the other counties, the Y-axis is presented on a logarithmic scale. From 1979-2011, Cuyahoga County’s portion of regional employment declined by 10.3%. Summit County’s portion increased by 1.1% and Stark County’s portion increased by 0.4%. During this period only three counties saw their share of regional employment decline: Cuyahoga, Mahoning and Trumbull. The county experiencing the largest growth in its share of regional employment during this period was Medina, which added 3.1% to its share.

Employed People per Developed Acre

Employed People per Developed Acre, US Census Bureau Data, Natural Resources Office of Coastal Management

Employed People per Developed Acre

As referenced in other findings, in recent decades, Northeast Ohio as increase the amount of developed land in the region by 4-5% and regional job growth has been relatively low.

Even with growth in the number of people working and an slight expansion in the amount of land on which they could work, Northeast Ohio’s rate of employed people per developed acre declined by 11.6% from 1979 to 2006.

Change in Distribution of Employees and Employers, 1986-2009

Per Capita Personal Income of Northeast Ohio Residents

Per Capita Personal Income of Northeast Ohio Residents

This chart graphs the per capita personal income of Northeast Ohio residents over a 40-year period and compares them to the national average. From the end of the 1960s through the beginning of the 1980s, Northeast Ohio residents had a per capita personal income that was greater than the national average. In the early 1980s and continuing through the mid-1990s, per capital income of Northeast Ohio residents mirrored the national average. From 1996-2009, Northeast Ohio’s per capita personal income consistently lagged the national average. In 2008, Northeast Ohio’s per capita personal income was 10.2% less than the national average.