In 2000, the United States Census Bureau counted 594,746 people in our three-county area, while an estimate the bureau put out in 2008 showed a 6.3-percent drop; 37,578 fewer people than that earlier count.
Many factors can contribute to that drop in population, but possibly the biggest is the job market. In the past decade, companies like General Motors and Delphi have undergone significant downsizing.
But Tom Humphries, president of the Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber, said GM has also invested in their Lordstown plant.
"We saw huge, hundreds of millions of dollars invested in our manufacturing systems here," Humphries said. "The good news was they spent the money here. The bad news is, when you re-engineer those systems, you do away with manual labor."
The days of one business employing 10,000 people are likely behind us. Humphries said the focus has shifted to picking up hundreds, instead of thousands, of jobs and more emphasis will be placed on education.
"We believe that you have to do it through education," Humphries said. "You have got to have an educated population to be able to attract and retain good people."
Jobs, whether in manufacturing or some other business, need a more skilled labor force. Things like the rise in enrollment at Youngstown State University and better performances from local schools are good signs.
"If you look at the kids that are graduating high school now, and you look at the fact that their achievement tests have improved significantly, then you compare the fact the enrollment has gone up, it makes a significant statement," Humphries said.
