Cuyahoga Scoreboard
Government Performance & the Local Economy
Economic Analysis of
Cuyahoga County & Metro Cleveland
Metro Cleveland Economic Report (June 2025)
Metro Cleveland's Employment & Labor Force Have Grown By 10,000-15-000 Annually Since 2022
Metro Cleveland's employment was 1,082,800 in June 2025, about 12,900 more than a year ago. The labor force was 1,139,000, an increase of 20,000 since last year. Employment and the labor force have bounced back from a slight downturn in early 2025 and are now higher than before the 2020 pandemic.
Unemployment was 56,100, about 7,000 higher than a year earlier. The unemployment rate was 4.9%, 0.5% higher than a year ago. Since June 2022, employment and the labor force have grown by about 10,000-15,000 per year, and unemployment has increased slightly.
For more information, read the PDF.
Can Metro Cleveland Capitalize on Surge in Private Businesses?
Cleveland Magazine/Community Leader (Feb 2025)
Since 2018, there’s been a significant, but largely unnoticed, growth in the number of private business established in Metro Cleveland.
Despite the Covid pandemic, private businesses grew from 53,800 businesses to 58,900 businesses in five years, an increase of 10%. Unfortunately, employment did not grow as well.
A better understanding of these entrepreneurial dynamics could arguably lead not only to the overall growth of new businesses, but to an increase in the segment that has the potential to grow and create jobs beyond the owner/proprietor model.
For more information, read the PDF.
Metro Cleveland Employment & Labor Force (Dec 2024)
Employment, Unemployment & Labor Force Conditions Improved After a Lull in Early 2024.
Metro Cleveland's employment was 1,001,000 in Dec. 2024, about 14,400 more than a year ago, but still about 29,500 below five years ago. The labor force was 1,035,900, an increase of 18,300 since last year. It remained about 34,300 below the 2019 pre-pandemic level.
Unemployment was 34,900, about 3,900 higher than a year earlier. The unemployment rate was 3.4%, a little higher than a year ago.
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Overall, Metro Cleveland's employment continued to grow slowly during 2024 but was still below pre-pandemic levels. Employment growth slowed in late 2023 and contracted in the first months of 2024, but it rebounded since early summer. The labor force also grew in 2024 but is still below pre-pandemic level. The number of unemployed persons and the unemployment rate are at relatively low levels historically.
For more information, read the PDF.
Does Metro Cleveland Face a Rougher Time Ahead
Cleveland Magazine/Community Leader (Nov. 2024)
Economic conditions were very unsettled in early 2024 as the national election season got underway. The unreported news from Metropolitan Cleveland is that employment began to slow down in late 2023.
After three years of moderate but consistent post-Covid employment growth, the number of jobs contracted in the first half of 2024.
The contraction was the delayed result of the convergence of a number of unusual post-Covid conditions and continued inflation fears.
The unsettled employment situation, coupled with an erratic stock market raises the question of whether that Metro Cleveland is facing rough economic conditions.
Rougher Econ Future- Community Leader
Rougher Econ Future- with Charts
Finding Growth to Strengthen Metro Cleveland's Employment Future
Cleveland Magazine/Community Leader (Aug 2024)
As Metro Cleveland’s civic leadership seeks strategies to strengthen economic development, it is easy to fall into the trap of over-emphasizing favored industries and trumpeting positive news. By analyzing publicly available data, it's possible to take advantage of real economic strength and develop better strategies.
The article looks at thirty-three industry categories for the 2010-2023 period to determine the industries with strong, above average performance.​​
For more information, read the PDF with additional tables
For more information, read the article
How Competitive is Metro Cleveland?
Cleveland Magazine/Community Leader (May 2024)
Many Metro Clevelanders wonder how competitive the area’s economy is in creating jobs and businesses compared to eleven other Midwestern metropolitan areas.
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The period from 2010 to 2023 offers a fair period to assess Metro Cleveland’s ability to create jobs and businesses. Overall, Metro Cleveland finished tenth in job creation and ninth in business formation. The two metropolitan areas performing worse than Cleveland were Buffalo and Pittsburgh.
For more information, read the PDF with additional tables
For more information, read the article
Employment Rebound from 2020 Covid Shutdown Continues
Metro Cleveland's Employment & Labor Force Recovery Remains 2%-3% Below Pre-Pandemic Levels (Nov 2023)
Metro Cleveland's employment was 1,017,100 in Nov 2023, about 39,300 better than a year ago, but still 21,000 below the pre-pandemic level. The labor force increased by 31,600 to 1,045,600 since Nov 2022 but it remained 29,500 below the pre-pandemic level. Unemployment was 28,500, about 7,700 lower than Nov 2022. The preliminary unemployment rate was 2.7%, a very low rate historically. The smaller labor force was a major factor in the low unemployment rate.
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Overall, Metro Cleveland's recent economic growth improved in 2023 but employment was still below pre-pandemic levels. The smaller employment and labor force levels may represent a permanent contraction of the Metro Cleveland economy, although growth in the latter half of 2023 was a hopeful sign.
A Smaller Economy Permanently?
Metro Cleveland's Employment & Labor Force Rebound Has Stalled 30,000-40,000 Below Pre-Pandemic Levels (May 2023)
Metro Cleveland's employment was 994,700 in May 2023, about 17,200 better than a year ago, but still 31,100 worse than the pre-pandemic level. The labor force increased by 6,700 to 1,034,400 since May 2022 but it remained 48,700 below the pre-pandemic level. Unemployment was 39,700 about 10,500 better than a year ago. The unemployment rate was 3.9%, a point lower a year earlier but the favorable rate is somewhat misleading. The smaller labor force, not strong employment, was a major factor in the low unemployment rate. Overall, Metro Cleveland's economic growth remains weak and below pre-pandemic levels. The smaller employment and labor force levels may represent a permanent contraction of the Metro Cleveland economy.
Economic Overview of Metropolitan Cleveland & Akron
Presented to Educational Service Center NEO Business Advisory Council (Feb 3, 2023)
The presentation is an in-depth look at the impact of Covid on the seven-county Cleveland-Akron metropolitan area for a group of educational administrators. It analyzes long-term economic trends & provides a post-pandemic economic outlook.
Cuyahoga Employment & Labor Force Still Below Pre-Pandemic Levels, But Unemployment Is Low (Dec 2021)
Cuyahoga County's economy has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels as many potential workers have not rejoined the labor force.
Employment was nearly 560,000 in December 2021, 31,400 lower than in Feb. 2020 (591,200) and 18,200 below the 2018-19 average (578,000). Unemployment was 24,100, much lower than historical levels and the average of 30,000 in 2018-19.
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The unemployment rate of 4.1% in December 2021 was below the 2018-19 average of 4.9% but the favorable level disguised a big decrease in the estimated labor force. From Feb. 2020 to April 2020, the labor force contracted by 39,200. Since that time, the labor has contracted by another 2,400 to 583,900. The unusual contraction leaves the labor force 41,600 below Feb 2020.
