Ohio’s big cities lead state’s job gains in 2019; others lose ground

When it came to job creation in Ohio last year among the state’s metro areas, there was Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati and then everyone else.

The three metro areas added 40,200 jobs from December 2018 through last month, according to Ohio Department of Job and Family Services data released Tuesday.

The remaining metro areas lost 7,600 jobs among them during the period, led by a loss of 6,400 jobs in Akron and 4,400 jobs in Youngstown. Dayton posted a gain of 3,400 jobs while most other metro areas had small gains or losses.

Cincinnati’s metro area, which extends to Northern Kentucky and Southeastern Indiana, posted the best gains, adding 24,000 jobs over the period, a growth rate of a solid 2.1%.

Columbus added 13,800 jobs and Cleveland 12,400, growth rates of about 1.2%.

The three metros have led job creation over the past decade with a greater focus on service-oriented jobs.

But many of the state’s smaller metro areas have struggled with job creation and population growth, particularly those tied to manufacturing, said economist Bill LaFayette, owner of economic-consulting firm Regionomics.

“I would argue that the weak population growth is a function of weak employment growth. It’s a really tough nut to crack,” he said.

Often, the smaller metro areas are geared around a handful of employers, he said.

“You’ve got all these industries whose main focus is in the local area. If the local area population isn’t growing, neither can those industries. It’s kind of a double whammy,’’ he said.

Cincinnati and Columbus had the lowest unemployment rates among the metro areas last month at 3.2%, the state data shows.

The jobless rate in central Ohio was 3.3% in November.

The 3.2% rate was the second-lowest of 2019, trailing only the 2.7% rate posted in April. That rate was a post-recession low.

The local unemployment data isn’t seasonally adjusted, so it can produce rates that vary widely during the year.

LaFayette’s seasonal adjustments show central Ohio had an unemployment rate of 3.3% last month, down from 3.6% in November.

Delaware County posted a 2.8% unemployment rate in December, the lowest in the metro area, according to Ohio Department of Job and Family Services data released Tuesday. Union County’s rate was 2.9%.

Those two counties were among nine counties in the state with unemployment rates at or below 3.0% in December.

Statewide, rates increased in 38 counties in December, fell in 29 counties and remained the same in 21 counties.

Mercer County in northwestern Ohio had the lowest unemployment rate, 2.5%, while Monroe County in eastern Ohio had the highest rate at 8.9%.