Official Federal Data
Portage County, Ohio
FIPS 39133 · Akron, OH · Population 161,956
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$75,766 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
4.8% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$8.8B ▲
GDP
32.5% ▲
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
$75,766 ▲
Per Capita
$40,483 ▲
Mean Household
$97,106 ▲
Poverty Rate
11.7% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Portage County$75,766
Ohio$71,389
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 18.2%
18-34 · 26.7%
35-54 · 22.9%
55-64 · 13.8%
65+ · 18.3%
Race & Ethnicity
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+
92.9%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +3.3 pts
32.5%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 3.2 pts
12.7%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 1.4 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
161,956
Population
87,941
Labor Force
Employed
83,040
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
4.8% ▲ +0.4 pts YoY
Mean Commute 2 min below national avg
24.8 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
14.9%
Key Takeaways
- Broadly in line with U.S. norms across income, poverty, and education.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Manufacturing employs 10,310 workers (26.2% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $76,072.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $8.8B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $104,456 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $21,118, a 4.9x 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.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Manufacturing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
7,982
Cluster Employment
11.08x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing
11.08x 2,829
Machinery Manufacturing
3.76x 1,492
Electrical Equipment, Appliance Manufacturing
3.23x 509
Paper Manufacturing
3.06x 392
Printing and Related Support Activities
2.92x 367
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
2.55x 1,324
Chemical Manufacturing
2.00x 651
Truck Transportation
1.91x 1,028
Miscellaneous Manufacturing
1.88x 418
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods
1.77x 2,194
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.24x
Furniture, Home Furnishings, and Other Retailers
67 employed
0.29x
Publishing Industries and Telecommunications
95 employed
0.33x
Administrative and Support Services
1,020 employed
0.34x
Wood Product Manufacturing
50 employed
0.38x
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities
358 employed
0.44x
Support Activities for Transportation
132 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing concentrates at 11.08x 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: 6 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$227,000 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,064 ▲
Rent/Mo
70.1% ▲
Owner-Occ
8.5% ▼
Vacancy
3.0x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$904/mo
1 Bedroom
$985/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,268/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,547/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,681/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,894/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.0x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- High home ownership: 70.1% 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 (~$1,894/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
102,788 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 2 min below national avg
24.8 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
14.9%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
82.7%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
32.5% ▲
HS Diploma+
92.9% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
61,261/yr
16,872/yr
12,161/yr
10,362/yr
9,302/yr
6,840/yr
5,724/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
21.7%
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
38.2%
Service
17.7%
Sales & Office
19.2%
Construction / Maint.
8.5%
Production / Transport
16.5%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 83,040 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- 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
Portage County shows strong potential for plastics and rubber products manufacturing attraction, with a 11.08x concentration and 2,829 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
The interconnected base across plastics and rubber products manufacturing, machinery manufacturing, and electrical equipment, appliance 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
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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 Portage County, Ohio, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Portage County, Ohio?
161,956 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Portage County, Ohio?
$75,766 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Portage County, Ohio?
4.8% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Portage County, Ohio?
$8.8B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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