Study Measures the Economic Impact of Public Transit in the Cleveland Region

"The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority's (RTA) overall economic impact to Cuyahoga County is $322 million annually," according to an article in Metro magazine that shares the findings of a recent report from the Cleveland State University Center for Economic Development.

"The number is comprised of RTA's direct spending in Cuyahoga County of $182 million, with $35 million added as a result of local businesses selling goods and services to RTA. An additional $104.6 million is a function of goods and services purchased by RTA and supplier employees residing in the county," according to the article.

The RTA is also responsible for another $485.8 million in impact on local employment. Another impact is the 3,000 Greater Clevelanders who rely on transit to access healthcare.

"Additionally, the study found that RTA's economic impact on Cuyahoga County property values is $2.2 billion in 2019 dollars, while the annual savings to passengers who choose to ride RTA rather than use their own transportation is $51.8 million," according to the article, which includes additional findings.