STATE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR ANNOUNCES THAT LAWRENCE COUNTY IN OHIO’S APPALACHIAN REGION NO LONGER A DISTRESSED COUNTY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 25, 2004

Columbus, OH -- State Development Director Bruce Johnson today announced that Lawrence County has been removed from the Appalachian Regional Commission’s (ARC) Distressed Counties list for Fiscal Year 2005. The county has been upgraded to a transitional county.

“It’s very encouraging to know that we continue to make progress in Ohio’s Appalachian region,” said Johnson. “By continuing to create jobs and economic opportunities, I believe we can bring an even stronger economy to Ohio’s Appalachian region.”

Lawrence County was taken off the Distressed Counties list primarily due to a decline in unemployment rates. Some other factors that contributed to this improvement included: population and economic growth, increasing economic diversification of county economies, spillover effects from adjacent metropolitan counties and improvements in transportation and accessibility to markets.

In addition, Lawrence County has attracted a number of new companies, including the Liebert Corporation, Duke Energy and Muth Lumber, creating nearly 400 jobs in the region since 2000.

Five of the 29 Appalachian counties in Ohio remain distressed: Athens, Meigs, Pike, Scioto and Vinton counties. The ARC defines a distressed county as having poverty and unemployment rates that are at least 150 percent of the national averages and per capita market incomes that are no more than two-thirds of the national average. Counties are also considered distressed if they have poverty rates that are at least twice the national average and they qualify on either the unemployment or income indicator.

Transitional counties are those counties that are neither distressed, competitive or in attainment. Twenty-three counties are labeled transitional. Competitive counties have poverty and unemployment rates that are equal to or less than the national averages and they have per capita market incomes that are equal to or greater than 80 percent, but less than 100 percent, of the national average. None of Ohio’s Appalachian counties are currently labeled competitive. Counties in attainment have poverty rates, unemployment rates, and per capita market incomes that are at least equal to the national rate. Clermont County is currently the only county in attainment in Appalachia Ohio.

The Governor’s Office of Appalachia, within the Ohio Department of Development, facilitates economic and community development in the 29 Appalachian counties of Ohio. The Office, involved with both short- and long-term planning, also serves as an advocate for the region by developing policy and promoting specific projects and proposals that originate from the region's residents.