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Ohioans paying attention to national reports and rankings of the state are on a bit of a roller coaster ride lately, as hot on the heels of CNBC naming the state the best in the country for business, U.S. News and World Report says it's actually one of the worst in the country for everything else.
According to a report by WCMH, Ohio is doing better than only West Virginia and Michigan among its neighbors, and is ranked 42nd overall in the country in a survey that looked at education (29th), health care (36th), economy (38th), infrastructure (31st), opportunity (a bright spot at 18th), fiscal stability (28th), natural environment (43rd), and crime and corrections (37th).
The overall ranking is an unsettling drop from 36th place in the same survey last year. Utah is best; Louisiana is worst, in this reckoning.
U.S. News and World Report notes the manufacturing industry is the key driver of its economy; and that companies such as Cardinal Health, Nationwide, Marathon Petroleum, Procter and Gamble, Progressive Insurance and Kroger do call it home. But it also notes the "modern political turmoil" that continues to shape the state and the wellbeing of its residents.
With a population of nearly 12 million people (and shrinking), the median HOUSEHOLD income in Ohio is just $72,212. That puts it at 39th in the country.
And taking a look only at the category in which Ohio ranked most poorly, data points going into the natural environment ranking show frightening numbers such as the 2,115 pounds/square mile of industrial toxins here compared with a national average of 930; or 160 days per year of unhealthy air quality when the national average is 152. We've come a long way since the days of the Cuyahoga River catching fire, but there is a LONG way to go before Ohio is doing as well for the quality of life of its people (and flora and fauna) as it is for businesses.
It is, by the way, possible to do both. Lawmakers must not rest on being patted on the back for their work to improve conditions for one while they enthusiastically ignore the rest.
A thorough look at BOTH studies provides the full picture our elected officials and other public servants must have in mind when they aim to do better for Ohio.