ExecutivePulse
Official Federal Data

Summit County, Ohio

FIPS 39153 · Akron, OH · Population 537,864
9 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
$71,622
Median Income
$80,734 national
4.9%
Unemployment
4% national
$40.3B
GDP
35.8%
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
$71,622
Per Capita
$43,061
Mean Household
$99,066
Poverty Rate
12.8%
Median Income Comparison
Summit County$71,622
Ohio$71,389
National$80,734

Population Profile

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
65+: 19.4% (104,607 residents) 55-64: 13.9% (74,606 residents) 35-54: 24.5% (131,773 residents) 18-34: 21.5% (115,584 residents) Under 18: 20.7% (111,294 residents) 41 Median Age
Cohorts
Under 18 · 20.7%
18-34 · 21.5%
35-54 · 24.5%
55-64 · 13.9%
65+ · 19.4%
Race & Ethnicity
White74%
Black or African American13.9%
Asian4.4%
Hispanic or Latino(any race)2.7%
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+
92.8%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +3.2 pts
35.8%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +0.1 pts
13.4%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 0.7 pts

Employment Overview

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
537,864
Population
283,122
Labor Force
Employed
268,452
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
4.9% ▲ +0.4 pts YoY
Mean Commute 3 min below national avg
23.2 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
14.8%
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

$40.3B
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 Summit County, Ohio, with employment, share of top sectors, and average wage
IndustryEmploymentShare of Top 10Avg Wage
1Health Care and Social Assistance
49,077 24.5%
$66,866
2Retail Trade
26,446 13.2%
$40,954
3Manufacturing
26,152 13.0%
$72,346
4Accommodation and Food Services
22,110 11.0%
$23,281
5Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
14,588 7.3%
$95,801
6Administrative and Support and Waste Management
14,311 7.1%
$48,054
7Transportation and Warehousing
13,106 6.5%
$52,233
8Construction
12,857 6.4%
$83,874
9Wholesale Trade
12,542 6.3%
$83,274
10Finance and Insurance
9,390 4.7%
$115,252
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Key Takeaways
  • Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 49,077 workers (24.5% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $66,866.
  • Economic scale: Regional GDP of $40.3B (2024).
  • Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $115,252 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $23,281, a 5.0x 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).
Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing
3.27x
3,824
Primary Metal Manufacturing
2.46x
1,488
Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing
2.40x
1,314
Management of Companies and Enterprises
2.11x
9,192
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
2.03x
4,832
Warehousing and Storage
1.93x
6,113
Hospitals
1.92x
17,878
Printing and Related Support Activities
1.90x
1,094
Chemical Manufacturing
1.88x
2,806
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar
1.83x
550

Cluster Depth

Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Health Care & Social Assistance Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
17,878
Cluster Employment
1.92x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing
3.27x 3,824
Primary Metal Manufacturing
2.46x 1,488
Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing
2.40x 1,314
Management of Companies and Enterprises
2.11x 9,192
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
2.03x 4,832
Warehousing and Storage
1.93x 6,113
Hospitals
1.92x 17,878
Printing and Related Support Activities
1.90x 1,094
Chemical Manufacturing
1.88x 2,806
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar
1.83x 550

Attraction Opportunities

LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.10x
Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry
63 employed
0.22x
Wood Product Manufacturing
145 employed
0.27x
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
154 employed
0.35x
Accommodation
1,110 employed
0.37x
Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing
207 employed
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing concentrates at 3.27x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy and supports supply-chain attraction strategy.
  • 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: 7 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Summit 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
$208,700
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,026
Rent/Mo
67.5%
Owner-Occ
6.7%
Vacancy
2.9x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
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 (~$1,791/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
  • Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.9x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
  • Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,791/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
321,963
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 3 min below national avg
23.2 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
14.8%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
83.4%
of prime-age population
Labor force participation rate: 66.4% of working-age population (18-64) 66% Participation
▲ vs 2019

Education & Talent Pipeline

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
35.8%
HS Diploma+
92.8%
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
23.2%
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
42.5%
Service
15.8%
Sales & Office
20.3%
Construction / Maint.
6.7%
Production / Transport
14.6%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 268,452 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
  • Succession risk is real: 23.2% 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

Summit County shows meaningful potential for plastics and rubber products manufacturing attraction, with a 3.27x concentration and 3,824 jobs in this sub-sector. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 23.2% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.

The interconnected base across plastics and rubber products manufacturing, primary metal manufacturing, and beverage and tobacco product 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 Summit County, Ohio, from federal data sources.

What is the population of Summit County, Ohio?

537,864 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

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

$71,622 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Summit County, Ohio?

4.9% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).

What is the GDP of Summit County, Ohio?

$40.3B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).