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Housing growth in Cuyahoga County one of lowest in the nation Ohio growth rate behind national average U.S. Census Bureau data on housing growth rates for counties across the country show that most Ohio counties with a major city experienced slow to moderate housing growth from 2000 to 2005. Housing growth rates in urban counties range from 0.6% in Cuyahoga Co. to 8.4% in Franklin Co. However, growth rates in urban counties remain miniscule in comparison to housing growth in exurb counties across the state. While Ohio ranks seventh in the nation for number of total existing housing units, over the past year the state has only experienced a 0.8% growth rate, approximately half of the national average. Chart of all Ohio counties Throughout the state, Delaware Co. outside of Columbus remained the fastest growing county with a 34.5% growth rate since 2000, the 18 th fastest rate in the country. Warren Co. outside of Cincinnati recorded the second largest growth rate at 21% over the five-year period. Cuyahoga Co. had one of the lowest housing growth rates in the nation from 2000-2005. While Cuyahoga, with 620,564 units, has the most housing units of any county in Ohio, the number of units only grew by 3,608, a 0.6% increase. In comparison, the counties surrounding Cuyahoga all experienced higher housing growth, with numbers ranging from 3.9% in Lake Co. to 13% in Medina Co. Chart of NE Ohio growth Several factors could be contributing to the low growth rate experienced by much of the state. Recently released Census Bureau data detailed the population departure that is occurring across Ohio, with all of the cities except Columbus experiencing population loss. Also contributing to the housing decline in urban areas like Cuyahoga Co. is the growth of exurbs and “collar counties.” As the urban population relocates to surrounding counties, cities like Cleveland and Cincinnati are subject to further economic decline, perpetuating the cycle of diminishing urban centers and growing suburban counties. The population and housing unit results reported by the Census Bureau are indicative of some of the social and economic issues facing the state of Ohio. Also, a significant barrier to growth in built-out urban counties is the cost of brownfields redevelopment, which is higher relative to a comparable development project on a greenfields site because of the additional steps and associated time necessary to redevelop brownfields. For more information, see this 2001 report from the Great Lakes Commission. Housing growth stories from around the state: |
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