ExecutivePulse
Official Federal Data

Licking County, Ohio

FIPS 39089 · Columbus, OH · Population 181,837
9 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
$84,426
Median Income
$80,734 national
4.4%
Unemployment
4% national
$11.1B
GDP
29.3%
Bachelor's+
35.7% national

Demographics & Population

Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates

Household Income

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$84,426
Per Capita
$42,609
Mean Household
$110,408
Poverty Rate
10.2%
Median Income Comparison
Licking County$84,426
Ohio$71,389
National$80,734

Population Profile

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
65+: 17.5% (31,778 residents) 55-64: 13.7% (24,828 residents) 35-54: 25.4% (46,188 residents) 18-34: 20.6% (37,538 residents) Under 18: 22.8% (41,505 residents) 40 Median Age
Cohorts
Under 18 · 22.8%
18-34 · 20.6%
35-54 · 25.4%
55-64 · 13.7%
65+ · 17.5%
Race & Ethnicity
White85.7%
Black or African American4.2%
Asian3.7%
Hispanic or Latino(any race)2.5%
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.

Educational Attainment

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
93.5%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +3.9 pts
29.3%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 6.4 pts
9.8%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 4.3 pts

Employment Overview

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
181,837
Population
91,868
Labor Force
Employed
88,722
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
4.4% ▲ +0.2 pts YoY
Mean Commute
26.6 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
15.8%
Key Takeaways
  • Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 6.4 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.

Economy & Industry

Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis

$11.1B
Gross Domestic Product · 2024
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis · CAGDP1 Regional GDP

Top Industries by Employment

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics · Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages 2025 Annual
Top industries by employment in Licking County, Ohio, with employment, share of top sectors, and average wage
IndustryEmploymentShare of Top 10Avg Wage
1Manufacturing
11,683 20.0%
$70,030
2Transportation and Warehousing
8,926 15.3%
$51,169
3Health Care and Social Assistance
7,991 13.7%
$59,925
4Retail Trade
7,811 13.4%
$39,485
5Accommodation and Food Services
5,879 10.1%
$21,813
6Construction
5,764 9.9%
$89,897
7Administrative and Support and Waste Management
3,391 5.8%
$43,465
8Other Services (except Public Administration)
2,399 4.1%
$62,528
9Finance and Insurance
2,333 4.0%
$82,949
10Wholesale Trade
2,243 3.8%
$74,100
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Key Takeaways
  • Largest sector: Manufacturing employs 11,683 workers (20% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $70,030.
  • Economic scale: Regional GDP of $11.1B (2024).
  • Wage stratification: Construction averages $89,897 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $21,813, a 4.1x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration

Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.

Location Quotient Analysis

Concentrated Industries
Source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector · Location Quotient vs. national employment share
Same source as the Top Industries table above, sub-sector view surfaces the specialization the supersector view masks (e.g., Plastics & Rubber Manufacturing inside the Manufacturing supersector).
Warehousing and Storage
7.21x
6,644
Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing
6.53x
2,218
Chemical Manufacturing
4.68x
2,027
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
4.61x
925
Animal Production and Aquaculture
4.40x
576
Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
3.48x
1,998
Wood Product Manufacturing
2.63x
513
Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Misc. Retailers
2.20x
1,579
Repair and Maintenance
1.97x
1,394
Paper Manufacturing
1.89x
322

Cluster Depth

Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Transportation & Warehousing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
6,644
Cluster Employment
7.21x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Warehousing and Storage
7.21x 6,644
Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing
6.53x 2,218
Chemical Manufacturing
4.68x 2,027
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
4.61x 925
Animal Production and Aquaculture
4.40x 576
Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
3.48x 1,998
Wood Product Manufacturing
2.63x 513
Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Misc. Retailers
2.20x 1,579
Repair and Maintenance
1.97x 1,394
Paper Manufacturing
1.89x 322

Attraction Opportunities

LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.13x
Publishing Industries and Telecommunications
57 employed
0.21x
Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation
58 employed
0.30x
Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers
166 employed
0.33x
Telecommunications
96 employed
0.36x
Furniture, Home Furnishings, and Other Retailers
134 employed
0.36x
Real Estate
316 employed
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: Warehousing and Storage concentrates at 7.21x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
  • Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
  • Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Licking County's Top Sectors by Workforce Share
Each rectangle's area is proportional to that sector's share of total private-sector employment across all NAICS supersectors. Hover for exact employment.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW 2025 Annual · Private sector, NAICS supersectors

Housing & Affordability

Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026

Housing Overview

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$275,200
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,078
Rent/Mo
73.7%
Owner-Occ
6.4%
Vacancy
3.3x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average

HUD Fair Market Rents

Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,111/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,194/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,430/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,715/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,927/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,111/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
  • In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.3x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
  • High home ownership: 73.7% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
  • Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,111/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.

Workforce Pipeline

Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition

Labor Market Overview

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
108,554
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute
26.6 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
15.8%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
82.2%
of prime-age population
Labor force participation rate: 65.5% of working-age population (18-64) 66% Participation
▼ vs 2019

Education & Talent Pipeline

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
29.3%
HS Diploma+
93.5%
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
61,261/yr
Ohio State University-Main Campus 16,872/yr
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus 12,161/yr
Sinclair Community College 10,362/yr
Ohio University-Main Campus 9,302/yr
Kent State University at Kent 6,840/yr
Miami University-Oxford 5,724/yr

Aging Workforce

Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
22.9%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.

Workforce by Occupation

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
39.7%
Service
15.7%
Sales & Office
21.2%
Construction / Maint.
9%
Production / Transport
14.4%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 88,722 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
  • Succession risk is real: 22.9% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
  • Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 39,395 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.

AI Insights

AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources

Sample AI Insight

Licking County shows strong potential for warehousing and storage attraction, with a 7.21x concentration and 6,644 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 22.9% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.

The interconnected base across warehousing and storage, plastics and rubber products manufacturing, and chemical manufacturing creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.

Industry Shift Analysis

Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100

Prospect Match Scores

Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example

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Data Sources

Updated from official federal government data.

Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23

Frequently Asked Questions

Key economic and demographic figures for Licking County, Ohio, from federal data sources.

What is the population of Licking County, Ohio?

181,837 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the median household income in Licking County, Ohio?

$84,426 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Licking County, Ohio?

4.4% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).

What is the GDP of Licking County, Ohio?

$11.1B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).