Youngstown Warren, Ohio: a reflection of the boom and bust of the steel industry

Abstract

Reviews the economic characteristics of this metropolitan area midway between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, which was a world centre for basic steel production for almost 50 yr. The paper discusses the major socio-economic changes precipitated by the recent steel industry decline and structural transformations to the local economy. Data are presented on employment changes, companies which have gone against general trends, and earnings changes in both manufacturing and services. The author then considers location quotients and the use of shift-share analysis, and compares services and manufacturing sectors in terms of employment and industrial organisation, and the economics and politics of decline. -P.Hardiman