The West Chester advantage has arguably remained constant for 200 years – location and access.
Growth of our local economy is rooted in West Chester Township’s ideal location along major arteries of travel between metropolises Cincinnati and Dayton.
If combined, the Cincinnati-Dayton Metro Area accounts for a population of 3.07 million people, enough to rank our market the 19th largest Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in the United States. That’s larger than the Denver, St. Louis, Baltimore, Orlando and Charlotte metro areas.
Commerce is fed through the Interstate Highway System and an integrated network of connecting thoroughfares. The West Chester Township grid encompasses three interchanges along the centrally located I-75 corridor, plus Ohio State Route 747 to the west and U.S. Route 42 to the east, with ease of access to nearby Ohio State Route 129 to the north and the upper edge of the I-275 loop to the south.
Beginning in 1950, Union Township experienced incredible growth with population nearly doubling every decade for a period of 40 years, culminating in the remarkable commercial and residential boom of the 1990s. By the turn of the 21st century, about 55,000 residents called West Chester home.
Thankfully, development throughout those pivotal years was carefully guided by the intentional planning, stewardship and foresight of visionary civic leaders and elected officials.
On May 17, 1988, the West Chester (Union Township) Board of Trustees agreed to take control of planning and zoning by voting in favor of a resolution establishing township zoning under provisions of the Ohio Revised Code. Previously residents defaulted to the Butler County Zoning Resolution.
In December 2000, the West Chester Economic Development Department was formed with a full-time staff responsible for duties that previously fell to the West Chester Development Council, a non-profit advisory group formerly known as the Community Improvement Corporation.
By 2007, the Board of Trustees elected to merge the Economic Development Department with the Township’s Planning and Zoning Department, creating a new unified Community Development Department. Today, Community Development provides one-stop support for residents and businesses with questions related to zoning, permitting, property uses, maintenance code enforcement and economic development.
As of 2023, West Chester is home to nearly 3,700 businesses across six targeted industry sectors – Life Sciences, Information Technology, Advanced Manufacturing, Corporate Headquarters and Class A Office, Healthcare, and Consumer Marketing.
For more, visit the West Chester Economic Development Council website at www.WestChesterDevelopment.com.
Fun Facts
West Chester has the highest assessed valuation in the Greater Cincinnati region (behind the City of Cincinnati) at $2,450,558,050.
West Chester is home of 3,653 businesses and 192 (5.3%) are considered company headquarters.
West Chester businesses employee 58,852 people and 12,333 (21%) work at their company’s headquarters.
West Chester has access to a labor force of 1.88 million people ages 16 and older within a 30-mile radius of the township.
West Chester's unemployment rate is 2.1%, less than Butler County (3.1%), the State of Ohio (3.6%), and the United States (3.3%).
West Chester’s economy includes 50 international companies from 16 countries including Japan (36 percent), Germany (14 percent) and France (14 percent) among others.
A dozen Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Ohio have a presence in West Chester – Cardinal Health, Kroger, Procter & Gamble, Progressive Insurance, Sherwin Williams, Nationwide Insurance, Goodyear, Fifth Third Bank, Western Southern Life Insurance, Key Corp and Cintas.
New development opportunities still exist with 6% commercial land available and 18% residential land available.
“Foundations” is a series of stories recounting momentous occasions in West Chester, Ohio history. Subscribe to the COMMUNITY REPORT e-newsletter and visit www.WestChesterOH.org/200 to learn more about Township history as we celebrate our 200th birthday bicentennial anniversary.