Analyst: Mahoning Valley leads Ohio in economic growth

Youngstown — The Mahoning Valley is growing faster economically than any other part of Ohio, according to a research analyst.

The Valley is the only part of the state that has seen decreases in the number of people filing for employment consistently for the last two months, said George Zeller, Cleveland-based economic research analyst.

Unemployment rates for Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties decreased from 9.7 percent in April 2011 to 7.9 percent in April this year.

The number of unemployed was down 4,900 to 20,800 and the area gained 2,100 jobs, according to Ohio labor market information provided by the Bureau of Labor Market Information. The labor force in the Valley decreased by 3,000 workers.

The local numbers though may be slightly skewed by issues with the state figures. Somehow the state’s unemployment rate decreased in a month when the state lost jobs, Zeller said.

“Those figures will be readjusted and some of the unusual aspects will go away,” he said.

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