Today, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), in partnership with the Department of Labor, released job and unemployment indicators for September, showing Ohio employers shed 5,000 jobs. Ohio’s unemployment rate ticked up from 3.3% in August to 3.4% in September (+0.1 percentage points). Inflation rose to 3.7%
Today, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), in partnership with the Department of Labor, released job and unemployment indicators for August, showing Ohio employers added just 2,100 jobs. Ohio’s unemployment rate ticked down from 3.4% in July to 3.3% in August (-0.1 percentage points), as another 10,000
Today, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), in partnership with the Department of Labor, released job and unemployment indicators for July, showing Ohio employers added 5,100 jobs. The number of Ohioans in the labor force fell by 15,000 in July, on trend with the last year, driving
Today, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), in partnership with the Department of Labor, released job and unemployment indicators for June, showing Ohio employers added 5,500 jobs. State and national unemployment rates both ticked down 0.1 percentage points in February, to 3.6% in Ohio and 4.3% nationwide,
PJM announcement underscores need for clean energy solutions to power data centers The energy grid operator PJM has announced auction results projected to add $6.3 billion in costs to ratepayers in its service area, which includes Ohio. The company’s announcement cites rapidly growing demand from data centers as the driving
Without support for renewables, they may reverse progress Data centers’ unique, substantial energy needs play a major role in reinforcing our fossil fuel reliance, slowing or reversing progress toward the clean energy transition. Since data centers use electricity 24/7 to maintain service availability,[1] they often rely on “baseload” or “dispatchable”
Hyperscale data centers are massive facilities that consume far more electricity than earlier generations of data centers. Their size and energy demands are driven by the rapid expansion of Artificial Intelligence. Hyperscale facilities are typically defined as having a minimum capacity of 40 MW or 50 MW. They require a
Testimony on Ordinance No. 556-2026 to the Cleveland City Council Utilities Committee Policy Matters Ohio has been receiving requests for support from residents across the state who have expressed concerns about planned data center projects coming to their communities. Leading concerns for Ohio communities include data centers’ impacts on water
Today, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), in partnership with the Department of Labor, released job and unemployment indicators for May. Ohio employers shed 2,400 jobs that month, following two consecutive months of job gains (+8,100 in April, and +10,100 in March). Ohio’s unemployment rate continued to
Legislators still have opportunities to make improvements In a series of hearings beginning today, June 9, the Senate Energy Committee is considering substitute House Bill 646. As introduced, H.B. 646 would have established the Data Center Study Commission to explore the implications and impacts of data center growth in Ohio.
Testimony to the Senate Energy Committee on HB 646 Chair Chavez, Ranking Member Smith and members of the Senate Energy Committee. My name is Molly Bryden and I am climate and sustainability researcher for Policy Matters Ohio, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute working to build a more vibrant, equitable, diverse,
Lame duck is an opportunity for legislators to act on data centers (and more)
This piece was originally published on Cleveland.com on November 1, 2026. In small towns, suburbs and urban centers throughout the state, everyday Ohioans have formed grassroots campaigns to raise concerns about the rapid growth of hyperscale data centers — and often to oppose data center development in their communities. And