Ohio’s Economic Barometer: Mid-December

Here are the most recent updates of Ohio’s key economic indicators (from a variety of sources):

• Ohio’s unemployment rate is currently 5.1%, compared to 4.6% nationwide. (You can view Ohio’s jobless percentages by county.)
• Ohio’s labor force participation rate currently sits at 61.4%, compared to roughly 64% in mid-2019.
• Ohio’s manufacturing GDP, as of Q2 2021, stood at nearly $117 billion — a new record high.
• At last check, there were roughly 661,000 manufacturing jobs statewide, compared to more than 700,000 in mid-2019.
• The average weekly hours for Ohio manufacturing production employees currently stands at 40.6.
  • The average hourly earnings of Ohio manufacturing production employees is $23.
  • The average hourly earnings of all Ohio manufacturing employees is $28.78.

Meanwhile, the Back-to-Normal Index, compiled by Moody’s Analytics and CNN Business, shows Ohio’s economy at 96% of its pre-pandemic level. 12/15/2021