Holiday shoppers expected to spend more across region
Strong job and wage growth boost Ohio retail outlook for the holiday season
Brad Evans, executive director of research at the Alpaugh Family Economics Center at the University of Cincinnati, weighed in on a news segment on holiday retail sales in Ohio — projected to rise by more than 3 percent this year.
Covered by WHIOTV, Evans says a forecast by The Ohio Council of Retail Merchants reflects Ohio’s sustained economic strength: a job‑growth rate of 1.5 percent and wage growth of 4.8 percent that both surpass national averages.
With six out of Ohio’s nine metro areas expected to see gains, the state’s retail sector appears poised for a healthy holiday season; driven by fundamentals such as below‑national‑average cost of living and easing inflation pressures.
Evans’s expertise in an economics‑research leadership role at UC lends weight to the projection and highlights the broader context of Ohio’s economy heading into the holidays.
The Alpaugh Family Economics Center, established at UC in the late 1970s and supported by the Alpaugh Family Foundation, provides economic research and education programs for students and teachers while producing regional economic analyses that guide public and private decision‑making.
Featured image of full shopping cart: iStock Photo.
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