Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Wheeling Area Economic Outlook: 2022-2026, John Deskins, Brian Lego

Bureau of Business & Economic Research

The Wheeling Area has experienced major episodes of economic volatility in recent years. Indeed, the region has swung between periods natural gas pipeline construction activity adding thousands of jobs locally, only to be followed by unprecedented job losses in just two months due to the COVID-19 recession. In this report, we present a detailed discussion of the Wheeling Area economy and an economic forecast of the region covering the next five years.

Greater Wheeling Regional Plan: Economic Profile, Eric Bowen, Christiadi, Brian Lego, Cody Adams

Bureau of Business & Economic Research

The Greater Wheeling region, defined in this report as consisting of Brooke, Hancock, Marshall and Ohio counties in West Virginia, and Belmont, Jefferson, and Monroe counties in Ohio, has experienced a volatile economy over the past decade with significant swings in employment across multiple sectors.

In this report, we make a detailed examination of the recent economic indicators in the Greater Wheeling region. This report is part of a series from West Virginia University researchers at the Bureau of Business and Economic Research and the WVU Extension Service that evaluate the Wheeling Metropolitan Area’ economy with the goal of providing …

Greater Wheeling Regional Plan: Workforce And Education Assessment, Christiadi, Eric Bowen

Bureau of Business & Economic Research

Human capital is a crucial element of any regional economic growth plan, as companies looking to locate or grow in a region require a skilled workforce to meet the demands of their businesses. In this report, we examine human capital in the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area, focusing on occupational and educational requirements to support the region’s growth over the next five years.

Greater Wheeling Regional Plan: Action Plan For Economic Development, Michael J. Dougherty, Eric Bowen, Christiadi

Bureau of Business & Economic Research

The Wheeling Region has a long and rich history. However, the passage of time and the change that it has brought has not always been beneficial to the region. As a result, leaders in the region have begun a process to reevaluate and reinvent the Wheeling area and improve the regional economy. In this report, we discuss these strategies and recommend actions to further the Wheeling region’s economic development.

Greater Wheeling Regional Plan: Industrial Cluster Analysis, Eric Bowen

Bureau of Business & Economic Research

One of the most prominent strategies followed by economic development officials is to identify what the region already does well and work to enhance these strengths. Improving on a region’s competitive advantage has been the focus of Porter’s work on economic clusters, which he defines as network of companies that forms within a geographic location based on supplier relationships. In this report, we identify the industry clusters that are present in the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and provide tools to assess the most promising clusters for economic development targeting. This type of cluster analysis has become an increasingly important …

Greater Wheeling Regional Plan: Survey Results, Michael J. Dougherty, Cody Adams

Bureau of Business & Economic Research

The Wheeling Area Strategic Plan included a process for public involvement. Originally, it was to have involved holding open forums and in-person stakeholder meetings. The sessions had been scheduled for early Spring, but they were delayed and eventually cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, we conducted a web-based survey to gather ideas and opinions from people from across the region.

Wheeling Area Economic Outlook: 2021-2025, Brian Lego, John Deskins

Bureau of Business & Economic Research

The Wheeling Area economy has seen large swings in economic activity over the past several years. Surging energy production and massive increases in pipeline construction activity fueled strong economic growth during 2017 and 2018. By contrast, the completion of pipeline projects and two large hospital closures weighed on area payrolls in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic dealt the regional economy a major blow in early-2020. In this report, we present a detailed discussion of the Wheeling Area economy along with our forecast for regional economic conditions for the next five years.