Employment now exceeds prepandemic levels in half the metro areas served by the Cleveland Fed

Nine of the 18 metro areas served by the Cleveland Fed have recovered all jobs lost since the start of the pandemic, but their recovery lagged well behind other US metros, according to a new report from the Cleveland Fed.

Employment in Fourth District metros grew by 0.7 percent from February 2020 through March 2024, compared with 3.8 percent for all US metro areas during the same period.

Pittsburgh's 2.1 percent decline ranked second to last among large metro areas nationally, while Cleveland's 1.0 percent decrease also was in the bottom 10.

Akron, Toledo, and Dayton were in the bottom 10 nationally for midsize metros; Lexington posted a 5.5 percent increase but didn't make the top 10.

Employment Change, Large and Midsize Metros, February 2020 through March 2024:

• Lexington: +5.5%
• Columbus: +3.7%
• Cincinnati: +2.3%
• Dayton: +0.3%
• Akron: -0.7%
• Toledo: -0.7%
• Cleveland: -1.0%
• Pittsburgh: -2.1%

The full report contains data for many more metro areas nationally, including 10 smaller metros within the District.

Read the District Data Brief: Postpandemic Employment Recovery in Fourth District Metro Areas

Related research: Many Major District Metro Areas Have Yet to Recover to Their Prepandemic Employment Levels