A scorecard assessing Akron’s economic health finds things are looking up, with nearly full employment and other positive signs.
The Fund for Our Economic Future, a philanthropic collaboration of Northeast Ohio organizations, has been tracking data as it works to improve the region’s economy and encourage equitable access to opportunity.
In its latest scorecard it finds Akron employment at 74.7 percent, near the full employment benchmark of 75 percent. The Fund’s director of job preparation Janine Kaiser also said job growth in companies that are less than five years old has been strong here. "Akron is one of the places that’s doing somewhat better than the region as a whole at least in the last 5 years," Kaiser said. "The trajectory is stronger and growing more quickly."
The Fund also saw strength in Akron’s traded sector growth—meaning businesses that produce goods that can be sold outside the local market. Areas where improvement lagged involved rising incomes that can provide families with economic security.
The Fund has produced scorecards for Northeast Ohio overall and the four sub-regions of Cleveland, Canton, Youngstown, and Akron. These scorecards are a yearly benchmark stemming from the full Two Tomorrows report that came out in February 2018. See Akron's full scorecard below.
Editor's Note: This story has been edited to clarify that traded sector growth measures growth in businesses that produce goods that can be sold outside the local market.
Editor's Note: This story has been edited to clarify that traded sector growth measures growth in businesses that produce goods that can be sold outside the local market.
