Portland Responsible for 80% of Maine’s Job Creation Since Recession
The vast majority of job growth in the state of Maine since the end of the recession has come in the Portland metro area.
The Portland Press Herald reports that nearly four out of five jobs added in the state since January 2010 have come in the region surrounding the state’s largest city. While the Portland area has reached pre-recession job levels by adding about 9,000 jobs, the rest of the state has added only 3,500 during that time with all but 700 coming in the state’s two other main metro areas—Bangor and Lewiston-Auburn. The entire state remains 2.5 percent below pre-recession job levels, with rural areas still trailing by nearly 4.5 percent.
While that might look like good news for Portland, at least, the city doesn’t necessarily see it that way, Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce CEO Chris Hall told the Press Herald.
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In 2012, the Bangor Daily News reported that Portland was responsible for more than 50 percent of the state’s economic activity. Citing the imbalance as a lack of economic diversity, that figure was also seen as cause for statewide concern.
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Bonus trivia, just for fun: Portland is the only city name that marks the largest city in two separate states.
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