COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio has secured the third spot nationally for total economic development projects and projects per capita in Site Selection’s 2025 Governor’s Cup rankings, marking its consistent presence in the top five over the past seven years.
In 2024, JobsOhio, the state’s private economic development corporation, reported nearly 600 completed deals, $20 billion in capital investments, and thousands of new jobs committed statewide. Governor Mike DeWine lauded these achievements, highlighting the sustained excellence and momentum across the state.
Key Highlights from the 2025 Governor’s Cup:
- Ohio maintained its No. 3 overall ranking and improved to No. 3 in per-capita rankings.
- Ranked No. 2 in both cumulative and per-capita rankings for the East North Central region.
- The only state to rank in the top five nationally for total project completions and per capita deals annually since 2019.
- Twenty Ohio communities featured among Site Selection’s top 100, with six of the top seven nationally located in Ohio.
Lt. Governor Jim Tressel emphasized the state’s alignment of talent, preparation, and execution, highlighting Ohio’s robust pipeline for talent and capital.
Major Project Wins:
- Anduril Industries: Plans for a 4,000-job hyperscale manufacturing campus.
- Cenovus Energy: Nearly $1.5 billion investment for its new U.S. regional headquarters.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS): $10 billion planned data center infrastructure expansion across greater Ohio, aiming to create hundreds of new, well-paying jobs by 2030.
However, JobsOhio has faced scrutiny over its transparency and accountability. Established in 2011 as a private nonprofit corporation, JobsOhio operates outside the purview of public records laws, leading to concerns about its use of public funds. Critics argue that this structure limits public oversight of its financial activities.
Recently, the Ohio Controlling Board approved a 15-year extension of JobsOhio’s control over state liquor profits, a deal estimated to be worth between $10 billion and $22 billion. This extension has been contentious, with State Representative Tristan Rader expressing concerns over the lack of transparency. Attorney General Dave Yost also sought to delay this extension, labeling it a “one-sided” deal that requires nothing in return from JobsOhio.
Despite these concerns, JobsOhio maintains that its approach is yielding tangible benefits for the state. President and CEO J.P. Nauseef highlighted the formation of economic clusters in various sectors, all supported by Ohio’s workforce.
As Ohio continues to attract significant investments and projects, the debate over JobsOhio’s transparency underscores the ongoing tension between private economic development initiatives and public accountability.