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Cincinnati now has the largest metro economy in Ohio, according to recent numbers from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Metro Cincinnati's gross domestic product for 2016 grew by 4.3% compared with the previous year to about $132B, edging past the GDP of both Columbus and Cleveland.
Last year Cincinnati had the 28th-largest metro economy in the country. Columbus came in at 29th, with $130.75B, and Cleveland was 30th, at $129.44B. The metro Columbus economy likewise grew 4.3% for the year, while metro Cleveland saw 2.1% growth.
None of those three metros enjoyed the fastest 2016 growth rate in Ohio. That distinction belonged to Akron, which had year-over-year growth of 5.5%, putting it up two spots to the 75th-largest metro economy nationwide, with $37.3B in GDP.
The BEA said the Cincinnati area's GDP growth was driven mainly by non-durable goods manufacturing. Construction, trade and information tech also added to the area's expansion.
