03/22/2021
GREATER CLEVELAND
LinkedIn study looked at members who changed location on profile
The Cleveland region saw one of the biggest gains in net new residents during the pandemic, according to a new study, adding more proof that the virus is altering migration patterns.
The study, by professional-networking website LinkedIn, looked at members who changed the location on their LinkedIn profile between April 2020 and February 2021. Researchers then calculated an inflow-outflow ratio for 38 major U.S. metro areas.
Cleveland ranked fifth, with a 6% growth in members who listed the city as their location. The four cities that did better: Salt Lake City; Jacksonville, Florida; Richmond, Virginia; and Sacramento, California.
Ashley Basile Oeken, the president of Engage! Cleveland, was thrilled with the news. Her organization launched a campaign last year, in the middle of the pandemic, to draw young professionals to Cleveland, promoting its affordability, cultural attractions and accessible public spaces.
Engage! Cleveland recently expanded the campaign, targeting young professionals in four more cities — Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Los Angeles and Detroit, in addition to Columbus, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Chicago and New York.
The campaign is attempting to take advantage of an emerging trend amid the pandemic: that residents of congested, expensive cities are looking for alternative places to establish roots. Cleveland fits all the boxes of what many mobile young professionals are looking for, she said. ''People are looking for space, indoor and outdoor, nature, hiking trails, a low cost of living,'' she said. ''All of that really gives us a great stepping stone to attracting these folks.''
The LinkedIn study comes on the heels of a recent survey from U-Haul, which found that Ohio ranked fourth in one-way trucks crossing into the state, another early metric of population gain. Only Tennessee, Texas and Florida registered more incoming one-way rentals in 2020, according to U-Haul.
POPULATION
George Anders, who wrote about the study for LinkedIn, noted that the cities with the biggest gains shared some traits: manageable housing prices, overall affordability and spacious geography. ''That sense of space became a huge asset in 2020, making it possible to get out and about even with all the health-related restrictions brought on by the pandemic,'' he writes.
Not unexpectedly, he notes, several cities in the Sun Belt made the list of biggest gainers, including Jacksonville, Tampa (No. 6) and Miami-Fort Lauderdale (No. 9).
More surprising, perhaps: Several Midwest cities also made the list, including Cleveland, Milwaukee (No. 7) and Kansas City (No. 8).
Writes Anders: ''Some heartland cities, such as Cleveland, Milwaukee and Kansas City, aren't yet migration magnets, but the movement of people in and out of these cities in the past year has been much more favorable than in prior years.''
As for the biggest net losers in residents, according to LinkedIn: Chicago; Washington, D.C.; Boston; Los Angeles; San Francisco; and New York.
The LinkedIn study comes as Ohio lawmakers consider a proposal from Gov. Mike DeWine to spend $50 million for a marketing campaign to pitch the state to prospective new residents. The campaign is part of a $1 billion plan to help the state recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
Oeken, with Engage! Cleveland, said that even though the pandemic may be waning, the migration patterns that it yielded will likely be around for years to come. She said her organization plans to continue to pitch the city to young professionals across the country into the foreseeable future.
''Moving forward, companies will have to look at balancing the needs of the company with the needs of their workforce,'' she said. ''I don't think this is going to go away any time soon.''
