While much of the news focuses on declining population and vacant homes, Cleveland and Akron have quietly outperformed many other cities on quality of life.
"Cleveland and Akron are defying some stereotypes and doing pretty well — and better than their Midwestern peers, in some respects," writes Dan Shingler.
That information comes by way of a new report published by the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program in the "The State of the Heartland: Fact Book 2018." The report covers ground from Minnesota in the north to Georgia in the south, and east to west from Ohio to Nebraska, according to Shingler. That broad scope creates even more reason for optimism for Cleveland and Akron.
"Both cities scored above regional and national averages in terms of important indicators, including their poverty rates, median income levels, and the percentage of local residents between 20 and 64 with jobs — the employment rate, as opposed to an unemployment rate," according to Shingler's summary of the report's findings with regard to the two Ohio cities.
FULL STORY: Cleveland and Akron metros beat Midwest averages in some key areas
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UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research