Exurban Change Program - Growth and Change 2007

The report is divided into three sections. First, is an overview of Ohio's historic employment situation to help us understand the underlying drivers of the economy. Second, we provide an overview of the geographical distribution of Ohio‟s jobs and how this distribution has evolved over time. Together, these two sections  provide the needed context to describe ways to move rural Ohio forward, addressed in the third section. Third and finally, we discuss rural Ohio's employment situation. Policies should be based on reality, not myth. Yet, one of our chief findings is that many of the popular explanations for Ohio‟s struggles are not consistent with reality. We provide 10 possible recommendations to help enhance the livelihood and quality of life of Ohio's rural residents. These recommendations are divided into those that could be implemented at the state level and those can be done at the community level.

Download the report or individual sections in a new window. (Note: all files in Adobe Acrobat, *.pdf, format)

• FULL REPORT:  Employment Growth, Future Prospects, and Change at the Ohio Rural-Urban Interface (3.1 MB) 

• EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• Section I:  Trends in Ohio‟s Employment Growth: Setting the Stage

• Section II:  The Shifting Geography of Ohio's Jobs

• Section III:  Moving Ohio Forward for a Prosperous 21st century

• Section IV:  Conclusions

• NOTES and REFERENCES