Measuring the Regional Economic Impact of the Port of Cleveland's Maritime Operations

This study investigates the Port of Cleveland's economic impact on Northeast Ohio economy. The Port of Cleveland includes the Cleveland-Cuyahoga Port Authority's facilities as well as various private shipping dock facilities along the Cuyahoga River. The Port of Cleveland is a destination port, where most of the cargo is used by industries located in northeast Ohio. Thus, the dominant cargoes through the Port of Cleveland reflect major regional industries. For example, Ohio is the second-largest steel-producing state in the U.S. and steel is very important to Cleveland. As a result, iron ore constituted 56 percent of the total interlake tonnage handled by the Port in 1996, and steel constituted over 80 percent of the international cargo handled by the Port in 1996.