I released my year-end report on the health of our local economy this morning, and the news was overwhelmingly positive.

The local economy improved significantly in 2014, and in fact it was stronger than it was in 2013 on virtually every category I measured.  Unemployment fell drastically in both Toledo (from 8.0% to 5.4%) and Lucas County (from 7.4% to 5.0%) from December 2013 to December 2014.  New car sales were up, sales tax collections were higher, and growing consumer confidence helped fuel the economy.The news on the national economy was equally encouraging.  The US added 3.1 million jobs in 2014, which made last year the best for job creation since 1999.  Even more impressive, nearly 1 million of those new jobs were added in the 4th Quarter of 2014 alone.

While some trouble spots remain — local construction of new homes, for example, fell by 10% — all signs point toward continued growth in 2015.

If you would like to read the full report, please click here.  A one-page summary can be found here.