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  • Location, Location, Labor: What We’re Learning from Small and Midsize Urban Manufacturers in Ohio

    While locating in an urban area helps, many small and midsize manufacturers still struggle to find suitable employees. What other barriers do they face, and how can local leaders and service providers help? Find out. Read More  

  • The State of Urban Manufacturing: Cincinnati City Snapshot

    The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and the Urban Manufacturing Alliance (UMA) partnered for a study of the urban manufacturing sector in Cincinnati to learn more about the city’s manufacturing environment. The study included analysis of industry data and anecdotal data from more than 100 of the city’s manufacturing firms. Findings of the study revealed positive expectations, barriers to growth, and helpful recommendations for addressing challenges. Read More  

  • Columbus—A Still Low, but Rising, Unemployment Rate

    The Columbus metro area’s unemployment rate has risen more than half a percentage point (to 4.3 percent) since April. Nevertheless, the metro area’s employment expanded by 2.0 percent, outpacing both the state and the nation. All major industries shared in this employment growth, with many sectors experiencing stronger gains in the metro area than in the nation. Home price gains remained robust, exceeding 5 percent on a year-over-year basis as of August, and the average number of permits issued per month for new housing units in the metro area has been substantially higher this year than in prior years. Per capita consumer debt levels remain stable, and credit card delinquency rates remain below both state and national averages. Finally, the Columbus metro area’s real per capita GDP grew 2.1 percent in 2016, a deceleration from the growth rate registered by the metro area in 2015. Read More  

  • Toledo—Pace of Growth Has Slowed

    The economy of the Toledo metro area has continued to grow, but the pace of growth appears to have slowed relative to the strong growth seen in 2014 and 2015. For example, per capita gross domestic product rose only half a percent in 2016, compared to an average of 2.7 percent in 2014 and 2015. Employment growth also slowed, with employment growing 0.5 percent between March 2016 and March 2017, compared to growth of 1.6 percent between March 2014 and March 2015. Perhaps most troubling is that the metro area’s credit card delinquency rate and unemployment rate are rising. On the plus side, housing prices experienced their strongest growth in more than a decade. Read More  

  • Research Explores the Industrial Heartland

    The industrial Midwest has long been recognized as a distinct economic region and an important contributor to the US economy. When manufacturing employment began to decline in the 1970s, the region suffered and came to be known disparagingly as the “Rust Belt.” Is the region so different from other manufacturing regions of the United States? If so, how and why? A new study explores these questions and finds some answers. Read More