Region's growth comes from collaboration, strategic investment

There is good reason to feel encouraged about the direction of our regional economy. New analysis from our Greater Sandusky Partnership Policy Center shows the Sandusky Metropolitan Statistical Area, encompassing Erie and Ottawa counties, recorded the third-fastest employment growth among 393 U.S. metropolitan areas during the first half of 2026. Average monthly employment grew 2.9% compared with the same period last year, an increase of 1,483 jobs. No metro in Ohio or the Midwest grew faster. Those numbers deserve some context. We are a smaller labor market than Cleveland, Columbus or Cincinnati, so an employer adding 100 jobs here has a greater effect on percentage growth than the same expansion would in a larger metropolitan area. But 1,483 additional jobs in a market of roughly 52,000 is meaningful, particularly because there isn't just one large project behind the increase: It's many businesses across Erie and Ottawa counties adding positions a few at a time. Outside analysis reinforces the strength we're seeing. PNC Senior Economist Ershang Liang recently reported that Sandusky posted the strongest year-over-year employment growth among Ohio metropolitan areas in June. And this summer, CNBC named Ohio the No. 1 state in America for business. The rankings are encouraging, but the more important story is the foundation that has been built here over many years. Economic growth is never the work of one organization, elected body or company: • Employers have invested in their businesses and people. • Communities have made strategic investments in infrastructure and quality of place. • Developers and entrepreneurs have taken risks. • Schools and workforce organizations have connected people with opportunity. • Local, regional and state economic development partners have helped projects move forward. We can see the results of those decisions throughout the region. Sandusky voters made a significant commitment to their community through Issue 8 in 2014, helping fuel years of intentional investment in neighborhoods, infrastructure, downtown and the waterfront. Investments — like Sports Force Parks and Cedar Point Sports Center, the result of a public-private partnership between Erie County and Cedar Point — have turned youth sports into a growing economic driver. In Ottawa County, the LogistiQ expansion in Port Clinton brought significant new investment and hundreds of jobs. Companies across the region, including Toft Dairy, Growers Mineral, American Colors and JBT Marel, continue to demonstrate the importance of businesses choosing to build their futures here. At the same time, investment in housing, downtowns, waterfronts and recreation is strengthening the region as a place to live and work. New housing is moving forward at Battery Park in Sandusky and near Mudbrook Road in Huron. There has been an explosion of investment along Ohio 53 in Catawba. The Sandusky Bay Pathway is creating greater connectivity between communities along Lake Erie. And our coastal location offers a quality of life that is increasingly difficult to find at an attainable cost in other waterfront markets. There is tremendous opportunity ahead. The reopening of the Sandusky State Theatre, redevelopment at Battery Park and the potential for private development surrounding NASA's Armstrong Test Facility are just a few examples. Each will require the same kind of collaboration that has moved this region forward over the last decade. The Greater Sandusky Partnership is fortunate to work alongside the businesses, governments, economic development organizations, educators, developers and community leaders who have helped build this foundation. Our responsibility is to keep working together to create an environment where businesses choose to invest, people can build careers and communities have the confidence to keep moving forward. The rankings will change. What matters more is what we do with the momentum we have today and that we continue building a stronger, more resilient economy for the decade ahead. To view the Greater Sandusky Partnership Policy Center analysis, visit greatersandusky.com/sandusky-msa-ranks-third-in-nation-for-job-growth.