Seneca County ranks 10th nationally for economic development

Tiffin, Ohio — Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership (TSEP) and the Fostoria Economic Development Corp. (FEDC) announced Tuesday that Seneca County has placed number 10 nationally in Site Selection magazine’s rankings for large, private economic development projects.

This places Seneca County in the top two percent of the 581 micropolitans in the U.S.

Site Selection has been annually ranking states and cities since 1978 and top micropolitians since 2004.

Tiffin Mayor Aaron Montz was excited to hear the news: “Our economy continues to grow year after year, and we are proud to again be recognized by Site Selection Magazine.”

This is the 11th year in a row that the Tiffin-Seneca micropolitan area has been ranked in the top 100 nationally, and the seventh time it has placed in the top 10. In 2021, Seneca County was ranked No. 4. Qualifying projects must involve a capital investment of at least $1 million, create at least 20 new jobs or add at least 20,000 sq. ft. of new floor area. In this year’s award, Site Selection’s proprietary database tracked 7 projects meeting the criteria for Seneca County in 2021.

Fostoria Mayor Eric Keckler agreed, saying, “I’m pleased that Fostoria again placed among the top communities in the nation for growth.”

Seneca County Commission President Tony Paradiso added, “I’m proud that Seneca County has achieved yet another Top 10 national ranking and congratulate everyone who contributed toward this great success.”

This year, Ohio placed second nationally for its capital investment activity in 2020, and the entire Northwest Ohio region posted strong numbers, with Findlay taking the number one micropolitan slot, Tiffin and Fremont tying for tenth, Van Wert placing 27th and Defiance 39th. Lima tied for 3rd place for metropolitans with less than 200,000 population and Toledo was ranked 7th for mid-sized metropolitans.

“Northwest Ohio continues to shine not only in the state but nationally, and the economic development of communities like Tiffin, Fostoria, and Seneca County are a key reason why. We truly appreciate our strong partnership with TSEP and FEDC and look forward to strong continued growth,” said Dean Monske, president and CEO of the Regional Growth Partnership.

Sandusky County Economic Development Corporation and TSEP hosted a joint press conference today at Terra State Community College. Mike Jay, Director of Strategic Networks from Regional Growth Partnership, the regional economic development organization for Northwest Ohio, made the announcement. Making remarks at the event were State Sen. Bill Reineke, State Rep. Gary Click, Sandusky County Commissioner Chris Shay, Seneca County Commissioner Tony Paradiso, Clyde Vice Mayor Chris Shay, and Tiffin Mayor Aaron Montz.

More information can be found at siteselection.com.