The economy of Stark County continues to be dominated by the two industries of manufacturing and health care. There has been a recent and notable shift in the make up of the workforce; the number of manufacturing employees has been overtaken by the number of health and social assistance employees. Stark County and Northeast Ohio have been and still, to a lesser degree, are heavily dependent upon manufacturing. Some larger manufacturing companies have left the county or have downsized. Smaller companies have come in to fill the void. These small businesses can not employ the number of people that large companies are able to employ.

Year over year, from July of 2008 to July of 2009, Stark County lost approximately 2,700 jobs. This is part of a long term trend of job loss. From 2000 to 2009, Stark County has lost approximately 14,000 jobs. One of the particularly worrisome aspects of the Stark County economy is that traditionally jobs lost in recession do not return. Further hampering recovery from the recession has been a tightening of credit. Credit is needed both in the form of capital for business starts and operating expenses.

The development and use of technology is a critical factor in determining the future competitiveness of Stark County. Productivity will increase and labor costs will decrease as production technology improves. Stark County has been attracting “high technology” enterprises such as the Rolls Royce Fuel Cell Systems at Stark State College of Technology. The vision for the future of Stark County is one of a high tech/alternative energy economy.