Today the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission released Our Communities: The 2021 Data Book, the second in an annual series of data books providing insights into the communities that comprise Cuyahoga County.

The Data Book covers 39 metrics in five categories, with each metric mapped and displayed as a list by community. This resource can be used by local governments, community organizations and others interested in learning more about our communities. It can also be used as a resource in preparing grant applications, understanding community changes and identifying issues to address.

The five categories include:

1. Demographics—Covers benchmarks of the population, including its size and its racial and age composition. It also covers communities’ households and their size.
2. Economy—Presents metrics that measure the economic systems of our communities, including the location of job centers and the income, education and occupation of residents.
3. Housing—Covers metrics that describe living situations, including the type of housing, whether it is owned or rented, and how much it costs to live in communities.
4. Land Use—Describes generalized land use in communities, tree canopy coverage and change, and the availability of parkland and vacant land.
5. Transportation—Measures transportation networks, how we get to work, and the availability of vehicles and alternative transportation for residents.

“In the second iteration of the Data Book, we have updated our metrics with the most timely data available and expanded the number of data sets we are tracking for our communities,” said Mary Cierebiej, AICP, Executive Director of the Planning Commission.

“Our goal is to provide an up-to-date, easily understandable tool for use by our communities and residents, producing this report each year offers that service to our County.”

The 2021 Data Book contains three new data sets:

• Language Spoke at Home: Describes if a respondent speaks a language other than English at home.
• Internet Access: Highlights the presence of a computer and type of internet subscription for the population in households.
• Year Moved In: Describes what year a resident moved into their current home and could include those moving within the same community or from another community.

Information in the Data Book comes from a variety of sources, including U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates and the 5-Year American Community Survey, Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics, the Northern Ohio Data and Information Service, and the County Fiscal Office, among others.

“As the First Suburbs continue to play a very important part in the continued growth of Cuyahoga County, the importance of the Data Book shows the value and relevance of each community,” said Warrensville Heights Mayor and Northeast Ohio First Suburbs Consortium Board Chair Bradley D. Sellers. “The guide is easily used by both local government and current/future residents to provide an invaluable information metric to learn more about their communities.”