January 2014 Review



January 2014 review

This kind of post seems obligatory at this time of year. I thought about making just one big post, but there was so much that happened this year that I decided to break it up by month. This won’t include every single piece of news, of course, but rather just the highlights. First up is the January 2014 review.

Development
-The Columbus Zoo began to push for a permanent levy to help pay for upgrades at its existing facility, as well as for adding a new expansion attraction at the Scioto Peninsula Downtown http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/01/09/zoo-wants-vote-on-bigger-permanent-property-tax.html
-Redevelopment of the Barrett Middle School site in Merion Village began to make news. http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/home_and_garden/2014/01/12/caughtmiddle.html The project should begin sometime this spring, though the exact number of residential units and layout has changed some.
-Columbus adopted Complete Streets. http://www.columbusunderground.com/new-complete-streets-thoroughfare-plan-could-have-big-impact-bw1 This set of standards guides the development of the street layout and design throughout the city. This includes including multi-use and bike paths, as well as better signaling and access for pedestrians.
-A new 40-unit apartment complex was proposed for 122 Parsons Avenue in Olde Towne East. However, very little news has been heard about this project since, as it may be waiting for work on the Parsons section of the 70/71 rebuild to move along first. http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/new-ote-apartment-complex-proposal-parsons-gustavus-OSU announced plans to renovate several buildings in order to create a sort-of tech campus that partnered with IBM’s new analytics center in Dublin. http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2014/01/23/osu-in-line-for-53m-from-state.html
-And on the West Side, the huge apartment complex off Georgesville Road once known as Lincoln Park West, was announced to get a major makeover, with the demolition of a few hundred units while the rest would get a high-end renovation. This complex had long been very run down and the site of tragic arson fires, crime and high vacancy. http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2014/01/204-apartments-at-former-lincoln-park.html

Economy/Other
-Columbus was named one of the nation’s top Opportunity Cities. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/america-s-new-opportunity-cities-222209099.html
-Columbus was named one of the top 7 Intelligent Communities in the world. http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/top7-intelligent-communities-of-2014-aka-were-smart-again
-Columbus was predicted to have one of the nation’s best economic performances of 2014. http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2014/01/22/cities-face-a-good-but-not-great-economic-outlook-for-2014/ The numbers won’t be out for a few months on how the city/metro actually performed, however.
-A study came out detailing how future growth in Columbus would radically alter where people lived and in what type of home and environment they lived. The consensus? Young and urban. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/dlovaas/discovering_a_new_housing_futu.html
-The unemployment rate rose to 6% in January from December 2013, as it usually rises after seasonal employees are laid off. However, this was 1.1 percentage points lower than the previous January.

Weather
January 2014 continued what December 2013 had started. Snowfall was nearly 2x above normal and temperatures were almost 7 degrees below normal. The month tied for the 15th coldest January and the 16th snowiest. The coldest low was -11 and the low hit 0 or below 7 times, the most since 1994. The biggest snow event occurred on the 25th-26th with 8.3″. This was the 10th largest January snowstorm of all time. Snow depth reached at least 1″ on 19 days.



June 2013 Jobs Data




June 2013 jobs data Columbus, Ohio

These latest June 2013 jobs data numbers are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Columbus City
Unemployment Rate: 6.4%
Unemployment Rate Change since June 2012: -0.1
Unemployment Rate Change since January 2013: -0.4
Civilian Labor Force: 438,100
Civilian Labor Force Change since June 2012: +5,000
Civilian Labor Force Change since January 2013: +11,700
Employment: 409,900
Employment Change since June 2012: +5,100
Employment Change since January 2013: +12,600
Unemployment: 28,200
Unemployment Change since June 2012: -100
Unemployment Change since January 2013: -900

Franklin County
Unemployment Rate: 6.4%
Unemployment Rate Change since June 2012: -0.1
Unemployment Rate Change since January 2013: -0.4
Civilian Labor Force: 640,600
Civilian Labor Force Change since June 2012: +7,400
Civilian Labor Force Change since January 2013: +16,900
Employment: 599,600
Employment Change since June 2012: +7,500
Employment Change since January 2013: +18,600
Unemployment: 41,100
Unemployment Change since June 2012: +0
Unemployment Change since January 2013: -1,500

Columbus Metro Area
Unemployment Rate: 6.4%
Unemployment Rate Change since June 2012: +0
Unemployment Rate Change since January 2013: -0.6
Civilian Labor Force: 992,617
Civilian Labor Force Change since June 2012: +12,256
Civilian Labor Force Change since January 2013: +24,712
Employment: 929,158
Employment Change since June 2012: +11,636
Employment Change since January 2013: +28,702
Unemployment: 63,459
Unemployment Change since June 2012: +620
Unemployment Change since January 2013: -3,990

Ohio Overall
Unemployment Rate: 7.2%
Unemployment Rate Change since June 2012: -0.1
Unemployment Rate Change since January 2013 : +0.2
Civilian Labor Force: 5,756,192
Civilian Labor Force Change since June 2012: +9,844
Civilian Labor Force Change since January 2013: +15,900
Employment: 5,343,335
Employment Change since June 2012: +15,079
Employment Change since January 2013: +2,483
Unemployment: 412,857
Unemployment Change since June 2012: -5,235
Unemployment Change since January 2013: +13,417

Metro Non-Farm Jobs
Total: 972,400
Change from June 2012: +15,200
Change from January 2013: +28,800

By Industry
Mining/Logging/Construction Total: 31,900
Change from June 2012: +1,000
Change from January 2013: +5,000

Manufacturing Total: 67,800
Change from June 2012: +1,400
Change from January 2013: +2,800

Trade/Transportation/Utilities Total: 181,600
Change from June 2012: -700
Change from January 2013: -1,600

Information Total: 16,400
Change from June 2012: -400
Change from January 2013: -100

Financial Activities Total: 71,800
Change from June 2012: +0
Change from January 2013: +100

Professional and Business Services Total: 161,900
Change from June 2012: +3,400
Change from January 2013: +6,300

Education and Health Services Total: 142,800
Change from June 2012: +6,600
Change from January 2013: +3,300

Leisure and Hospitality Total: 102,100
Change from June 2012: +4,700
Change from January 2013: +13,600

Other Services Total: 36,600
Change from June 2012: -500
Change from January 2013: +400

Government Total: 159,500
Change from June 2012: -300
Change from January 2013: -1,000

Overall, June was a pretty good month for Columbus and the state. Unemployment rose, but mostly because the labor force had strong growth, which is a sign of more people entering a recovering job market. Most industries saw job growth both year-over-year and year-to-date.