A Cleveland-based research group is examining the impact of so-called big city problems on small Ohio towns.
A new report by the Center for Community Solutions finds that smaller towns depend more on shrinking “old-economy jobs” than their urban counterparts.
John Begala authored the study.
“Ohio has more manufacturing jobs than the nation as whole as a state, and an awful lot of those are concentrated in small towns. Very importantly, the proportion of manufacturing-related jobs in small towns is nearly double that of the eight major urban areas in Ohio.”
Begala says that smaller towns do not receive the same attention because their economies, commerce and culture are overshadowed by larger tcities.
The report finds that these small towns have a lower percentage of people either working or actively seeking work, lower per-pupil spending and higher teen pregnancy rates.
