The Uneven Rebound of Manufacturing

Admittedly, I only read today’s piece because of the photograph on the Washington Post’s homepage. It featured a giant banner saying Lordstown (Ohio) was the home of the (Chevy) Cruze. Every single time I drove between Philadelphia and Chicago I would see that sign. It was also near the halfway point, so whichever way I was headed I only had about six or so hours to go.

But the article itself is about the trials of people working in the area where that plant is located, near Youngstown, Ohio. GM, who owns Chevy, is shutting down the plant as it moves away from the manufacture of cars and focuses on trucks and SUVs. The story is about the people, but it did have this nice little map.

Quite a few locales in the Northeast haven't rebounded
Quite a few locales in the Northeast haven’t rebounded

It does a nice job of showing that while manufacturing has, in fact, rebounded since the Great Recession in 2009, that rebound has been uneven. There are some areas of the country, like Youngstown, that have seen manufacturing continue to disappear.

Credit for the piece goes to Kate Rabinowitz.

Author: Brendan Barry

I am a graphic designer who focuses on information design. My day job? Well, they asked me not to say. But to be clear, this blog is my something I do on my own time and does not represent the views of…my employers. I think what I can say is that given my interest in information design—be it in the shape of clear charts, maps, diagrams, or wayfinding systems—I am fortunate that my day job focuses on data visualisation. Outside of work, I try to stay busy with personal design work. Away from the world of design, I have become an amateur genealogist and family historian. You will sometimes see that area of work bleed into my posts.

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