Ohio Moms

A recent survey of Central Ohioans by JPMorgan Chase & Co. and nonprofit credit counseling service Apprisen is showing that Ohioans are doing better financially today than they were a few years ago. The survey also suggests that the vast majority of Ohioans (74%) believe that their local economies are stable. If you add those results with the fact that home sales in central Ohio are up a whopping twelve percent and climbing higher. It all seems to suggest that Ohio is climbing out of the recession faster than the rest of the nation with national rates hovering around 67% of people believing their local economy is stable or upwardly mobile. The rate of homes selling hasn't been this high since 2007 (Before the Great Recession). Jobs are on the rise and the unemployment rate is on a steady decline (down from 9% to 7.2% in the last year). Many experts are optimistic that these are signs of long term recovery.
I have wondered when we will officially see an end to the Great Recession. I wonder what year we will look back and say to our kids, " ___ was the year it all got better". I think because we are in the middle of it, it's hard to see the forest for the trees. My family is still struggling but we are better off than we were just last year or the year before. It's not easy right now by any stretch. But I was encouraged today when I saw these articles on Ohio and how we Ohioans are pulling ourselves up by the bootstraps.
What about you? Are you feeling any relief yet? Are you better off today than you were in 2008?
© iStockphoto.com/[Catherine Yeulet]