It’s no secret that Columbus has a booming economy. Whether it’s the spike in job growth or the resurgence of the housing market, Columbus is in great shape heading into the back half of the decade. But, just how good has the Capital City been? We take a look at metro data from Brookings.edu, which really shows how well Columbus has been performing compared to the rest of the Buckeye State.
12th in overall economic performance nationally. As the only metro area in Ohio ranked in the top 15 percent nationally in terms of overall economic performance, Columbus has been growing and expanding since its pre-recession peak.
In comparison,
- Cincinnati ranked 30th.
- Akron ranked 52nd.
- Dayton ranked 64th.
- Toledo ranked 67th.
- Cleveland ranked 68th.
- Youngstown ranked 75th.
Columbus means jobs. Seeing a 6.8 percent growth in job creation from its pre-recession peak to the most recent quarter, Columbus is a hot spot for the emerging work force. With a rise in local business, and a number of large corporations setting its sight on the Arch City, Columbus has led Ohio in job growth in the greatest part of the last decade. The only major metro area in Ohio ranked in the top 15 percent of job growth, Columbus is a bright spot in an area of concern for the Buckeye State — Ohio is the only state in the country with three major metro areas in the bottom 10% of job growth.
In comparison,
- Cincinnati ranked 60th (+0.2% change)
- Akron ranked 82nd (-2.7% change)
- Cleveland ranked 85th (-3.0% change)
- Toledo ranked 96th (-6.2% change)
- Dayton ranked 97th (-6.8% change)
- Youngstown ranked 99th (-7.7% change)
We’ve compiled a round-up of articles on how Columbus ranks in 2015 among other top U.S. metros:
In the latest Inc. 5000 list of the country’s fastest-growing private companies, the Columbus Region showed out, placing 51 companies on the list. The Columbus Region also featured Ohio’s seven fastest-growing companies, led by Apeks Supercritical, which ranked 24th nationally.
Worthington ranked second among the country’s ‘hottest ZIP codes,’ according to Realtor.com. A major relocation market in the Midwest, Worthington comes in second behind 02176, which is located in Melrose, Mass.
Columbus had the best wage gains of any city in the country in June. With gains reaching 6.2 percent, Columbus beat out San Francisco, Virginia Beach, Louisville and Rochester. The Cap City’s unemployment rate is also one percent lower than the national average.
Columbus ranks No. 1 among the 25 largest metro areas in the United States when it comes to least expensive cities for car insurance. For a city that offers the hustle and bustle that Columbus provides, it’s important to save money on car insurance, and residents in the city do on a monthly basis.
With a booming economy, affordable living and an affinity for local business, Columbus has done a whole lot of winning in 2015. It also doesn’t hurt that Columbus is the home of the defending national football champion Ohio State Buckeyes. There has never been a better time to be in the Columbus Region than now, and 2015 has certainly proven that.