I’ve warned you before but you continue to read; so here I go again. Now that all the figures are in for 2012, we can rest comfortably knowing the central Ohio market is the place to be for another year. At least, if you want to be part of a vibrant growing market with a great quality of life. For fresh proof, I turn to the Brookings Institution, The Business Journals, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Forbes.
The Brookings Institution ranked Columbus Ohio 32nd in the country in its December Metro Monitor. This quarterly index ranks cities based upon their employment, unemployment, output (as measured by gross domestic product) and house prices since the Great Recession. Re-sorting by the amount recovered in this interactive chart showed Columbus as 19th, suggesting the city is bouncing back from the challenge better than most.
A different take was provided by the On Numbers Economic Index which is produced by The Business Journals. They ranked Columbus 4th in the country for December, using an impressive (read that excessively) 18 statistical indicators placing it in the neighborhood of Austin, Texas, the current first place holder.
Columbus Business First provided a great summary of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ figures on page 12 of the January 4, 2013 issue. Columbus’ employment has grown about 20% over the last two decades making it the fastest job creator in the state.
Of course no one wants to live and work in a place that is growing but still suffering increasing crime rates and other bad side effects. Fortunately, there is plenty of evidence that central Ohio provides a good quality of life as well. Forbes named Columbus the BEST city for working mothers in 2012 and Columbus scored an impressive 85 from CLR research on their quality of life index. Both of these indices take a broader look at issues such as crime, school systems, childcare and doctors.
Here’s to you Columbus; wishing you another excellent year in 2013!
Author’s note: The tag within my blog is a response to the fact that I don’t see enough about our great city and its many cool things. So ridicule if you will, this is just my idea of what’s cool in Columbus or “Coolumbus”.
