In 2010, the regional economic development group known as Columbus 2020 set out with some ambitious goals, one of which was to add 150,000 net new jobs to the 11-county area surrounding Columbus. Today, the group announced that they’ve achieved that goal, two years ahead of schedule.
“We selected the 150,000 net new jobs goal because it surpasses anything we’ve done in our history as a metropolitan region,” stated Kenny McDonald, president and CEO of Columbus 2020. “And we stressed that it be a net number so that we continued to focus on the success and expansion of existing companies and not just the recruitment of new companies to the area.”
To put that number in another perspective, it amounts to a total of 18,750 new jobs per year over the last eight years. Or, the addition of approximately 51 new jobs per day. The rapid pace of job growth mimics the population increases that the region has seen over the past decade as well, which averages approximately 24,000 new residents per year, or 65 new residents per day.
Representatives from Columbus 2020 are touting this decade as the strongest level of job growth in the entire history of Columbus, pointing out that the prior decade from 2000-2010 only saw a net increase of 3,073 jobs, largely due to the national economic recession.
“When regional economic goals were set in 2010, at the tail end of a rough recession, many could not imagine the achievement of such a bold jobs goal,” stated Alex Fischer, president and CEO of The Columbus Partnership — one of the main partners in the Columbus 2020 Regional Growth Strategy. “Companies within the Columbus Region have met the challenge, and our economic development outlook is now stronger than ever.”
The Columbus 2020 plan also set out to attract $8 billion in capital investments — a goal that has already been achieved — and has a goal to raise per capita income levels by 30 percent, which the group says is on track to be exceeded in the next two years.
The Central Ohio region includes the counties of Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Knox, Licking, Logan, Madison, Marion, Morrow, Pickaway and Union.
For more information, visit ColumbusRegion.com.