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EDITORIAL: Shrinking Ohio: The State Rates Near the Bottom in Population Growth. That Says Much About Its Sluggish Economy

Posted on: Friday, 17 March 2006, 09:00 CST

By The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio

Mar. 17--As Ohio's population goes, so goes the state economy. Or is it the other way around? The latest population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show Ohio among the slowest-growing states in the past five years, Massachussetts, West Virginia and North Dakota rounding out the bottom four. Ohio's population was practically stagnant, growing 1 percent from April 2000 to July 2005. The national rate was 5.3 percent. Between 1990 and 2000, the state averaged 4.7 percent population growth, lagging far behind the national rate of 13.2 percent.

The anemic growth emphasizes a disturbing trend, another signal of an Ohio sliding not only in economic prosperity but also in the factors that serve as catalysts for a turnaround.

The data indicate the majority of Ohio counties lost more residents than they attracted. In many rural and urban counties, births and newcomers barely made up for the migration. The population of Cuyahoga County, for instance, dipped 4.2 percent. Summit County held its own, with a 0.7 percent increase. At the same time, counties bordering the largest cities grew robustly. Delaware County, near Columbus, recorded an impressive 37 percent growth. Medina County, drawing primarily from Cuyahoga and Summit counties, grew 10.5 percent.

Ohio risks becoming ensnared in the vicious cycle of a stagnating population and a sluggish economy, factors so intertwined it doesn't much matter which is cause and which is effect. As Ned Hill, the vice president for economic development at Cleveland State University, pointed out, population growth signals growth in the labor market. A vibrant economy is a population booster, new jobs and opportunities enhancing the ability to attract new families and retain residents. Conversely, a weak economy forces more residents out than come in search of better jobs.

The population trends should alarm Ohio policymakers. As its population declines, the state also loses representation in Congress. The projection is the slow growth rate will cost Ohio two of its current 18 seats in the U.S. House after the 2010 census.

Ohio is in a bind. It must redevelop a strong, expanding economy. It would benefit from greater growth in population. To achieve both, it must nurture a well-educated and entrepreneurial work force of sufficient size to spur and attract new businesses with potential to grow. How will Ohio break the bind? It starts with bolstering higher education, promoting research and development and creating partnerships to bring new technologies to market. Try telling that to the state's hard-of-hearing lawmakers.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)

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