Site Selector Tools
Research resources for evaluating a Wapakoneta location: demographics, workforce, employers, transportation, utilities, education, taxation, and incentives.
These Blocks preserve the legacy EDC research library in a format staff can update, reorder, or split into dedicated pages as current reports and project materials are approved.
Demographics
The former site compares the City of Wapakoneta, Auglaize County, and the West Central Ohio region across population, age, household, income, and education measures.
Legacy demographic data note: The source page does not identify a current vintage. The values below are preserved for migration review and should be replaced with a dated current report before indexing.
Population
| Area | Population | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Wapakoneta | 9,776 | 4,830 | 4,946 |
| Auglaize County | 46,141 | 22,880 | 23,722 |
| West Central Ohio | 648,615 | 319,486 | 329,129 |
Age profile
| Age range | Wapakoneta | Auglaize County | West Central Ohio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 615 | 3,164 | 80,728 |
| 5–14 | 1,336 | 7,388 | 98,399 |
| 15–24 | 1,349 | 5,952 | 87,972 |
| 25–34 | 1,289 | 5,777 | 80,728 |
| 35–44 | 1,400 | 7,373 | 100,680 |
| 45–54 | 1,169 | 6,360 | 88,541 |
| 55–64 | 742 | 3,905 | 59,222 |
| 65–74 | 673 | 3,253 | 45,642 |
| 75–84 | 535 | 2,492 | 32,177 |
| 85 and over | 270 | 947 | 11,312 |
Households and income
| Measure | Wapakoneta | Auglaize County | West Central Ohio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 4,057 | 18,470 | 264,678 |
| Households | 3,803 | 17,376 | 245,826 |
| Average household size | 2.43 | 2.62 | 2.59 |
| Median home value | $79,300 | $90,600 | $90,950 |
| Per-capita income | $18,826 | $19,593 | $19,076 |
| Median family income | $45,456 | $50,024 | $48,694 |
Educational attainment
| Measure, age 25+ | Wapakoneta | Auglaize County | West Central Ohio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 6,151 | 30,093 | 418,301 |
| High school graduate only | 2,833 | 14,317 | 190,878 |
| Some college, no degree | 1,062 | 4,912 | 72,768 |
| Associate degree | 410 | 2,506 | 28,770 |
| Bachelor’s degree | 515 | 2,658 | 37,854 |
| Graduate degree | 247 | 1,389 | 20,303 |
Workforce Data and Resources
The legacy resource library combines labor-market reference data with state, regional, education, and staffing resources.
The source describes Wapakoneta as part of a West Central Ohio workforce supported by a manufacturing tradition, strong attendance, teamwork, and regional commuting access.
Legacy workforce reference
| Area | Labor force | Mean commute |
|---|---|---|
| Wapakoneta | 4,894 | 17.1 minutes |
| Auglaize County | 26,900 | 18.1 minutes |
| West Central Ohio | 346,700 | 20.3 minutes |
The former page also includes older educational-attainment and median-family-income comparisons. Retain the page as a library of topics, but obtain a dated labor-market report for any live project discussion.
Workforce development
- Ohio Jobs & Family Services / local workforce one-stop services
- OhioMeansJobs employment resources
- Incumbent-worker training programs
- West Central Ohio Manufacturers Consortium and Manufacturing Pathways
- Hometown Opportunity career-awareness resources
Legacy local staffing references
- Custom Staffing, Wapakoneta
- Minute Men Staffing Services, Wapakoneta
- Spherion, St. Marys
- Westaff, St. Marys
Program eligibility, reimbursement amounts, provider locations, and contact details must be verified before publication as current information.
Leading Companies
A diverse manufacturing and service base gives prospective companies an established regional peer network.
The legacy EDC material describes Auglaize County as a manufacturing center with firms ranging from independent machine shops to international companies. It highlights a culture of innovation, craftsmanship, collaboration, and workforce problem-solving through organizations such as the West Central Ohio Manufacturers Consortium.
Legacy largest-employer reference
| Employer | Community | Industry | Legacy employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crown Equipment Corporation | New Bremen | Forklifts and material handling | 2,918 |
| Grand Lake Health System | St. Marys | Regional healthcare | 650 |
| Nidec-Minster Machine | Minster | Industrial stamping presses | 550 |
| KSM / Kosei St. Marys | St. Marys | Aluminum cast wheels | 520 |
| Setex | St. Marys | Automotive seating | 500 |
| General Aluminum Manufacturing | Wapakoneta | Automotive aluminum parts | 450 |
| Loc Performance | St. Marys | Rubber track products | 430 |
| The Dannon Company | Minster | Yogurt products | 410 |
| St. Marys Foundry | St. Marys | Iron and alloy castings | 160 |
| American Trim | Wapakoneta | Appliance parts and panels | 125 |
| Washington Penn Plastics | Wapakoneta | Polyolefin compounds | 90 |
| Ametek Westchester Plastics | Wapakoneta | Plastic compounds and toll compounding | 85 |
Other major regional employers named by the former site include Honda of America in Marysville, the Honda Engine Plant in Anna, Joint Systems Manufacturing Center in Lima, and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Employer names, locations, ownership, and headcounts require confirmation before publication as current data.
Highway Transportation
I-75 and U.S. 33 provide the core highway connection for West Central Ohio and the Wapakoneta industrial area.
The previous site notes three I-75 interchanges within the City and identifies the West Central Ohio Industrial Center at the southwest quadrant of the I-75/U.S. 33 interchange. U.S. 33 provides an east-west connection toward Columbus and southeastern Ohio, while I-75 connects north and south through the Midwest.
Legacy distance reference
| City | Miles from Wapakoneta |
|---|---|
| Dayton | 59 |
| Fort Wayne | 80 |
| Columbus | 89 |
| Toledo | 94 |
| Detroit | 153 |
| Indianapolis | 160 |
| Cleveland | 195 |
| Chicago | 237 |
| Washington, D.C. | 375 |
| Atlanta | 573 |
| New York | 608 |
The source also contains historical ODOT and local traffic-count figures. These should be replaced with current transportation data before an external decision package is issued.
Rail, Logistics, and Air Transportation
The legacy library describes access to CSX rail, local logistics capacity, regional commercial airports, and Neil Armstrong Airport.
Rail and logistics
The legacy page identifies CSX mainline rail adjacent to the West Central Ohio Industrial Center and direct rail access at the Ohio Job Ready Site. It describes CSX rail, intermodal, and transload connections as part of a broad eastern U.S. network.
It also identifies AIP Logistics’ West Central Ohio Rail Campus in Wapakoneta as a local rail-served logistics and warehousing resource, with public and contract warehousing, transportation, rail logistics, inventory management, and a reported 450,000 square feet of warehouse space.
Air access
- Dayton International Airport — approximately 60 miles south via I-75
- John Glenn Columbus International Airport — approximately 90 miles east via U.S. 33
- Toledo Express Airport — approximately 60 miles north via I-75
- Neil Armstrong Airport — approximately 7 miles west on State Route 219, supporting general aviation, corporate travel, and air freight
The legacy Neil Armstrong Airport description cites a 5,000-foot by 100-foot runway and precision instrument approach capability.
Carrier rosters, intermodal service, warehouse capacity, airport distances, and runway specifications require current confirmation.
Phone and Utilities
The legacy site documents telecommunications, public power, natural gas, water, wastewater, and solid-waste contacts for a project team’s initial reference.
Telecommunications
The source attributes local broadband, fiber, Ethernet, voice, data, video, and hosted-phone capabilities to TSC and describes regional carrier and cable connections. It identifies fiber service and a local telecommunications presence as assets for companies needing reliable communications.
Electricity
Wapakoneta is described as a public-power community in which local customers own the electric utility. The legacy page notes City service to the West Central Ohio Industrial Center and lists two historic delivery-capacity references: a 6.5 MW 69,000V/12.470 substation and a 10 MW 69,000V transmission line.
Natural gas, water, wastewater, and solid waste
The source lists Dominion for natural gas and City of Wapakoneta departments for water, wastewater, and refuse/recycling. It includes historic excess-capacity references of 1.16 MGD for water and 1.4 MGD for wastewater.
Provider names, contacts, service boundaries, broadband products, available capacity, voltage, and utility rates require direct confirmation for every project.
Education
Public schools, regional career training, and nearby higher-education institutions support the talent pipeline described by the former EDC site.
The legacy content describes Wapakoneta City Schools as a technology-enabled district serving the City and the villages of Buckland, Cridersville, St. Johns, and Uniopolis. It highlights academics, arts, music, athletics, and a community emphasis on hard work and excellence.
Legacy school reference
| Measure | Legacy value |
|---|---|
| Enrollment | 3,074 |
| Student attendance | 96.1% |
| Graduation rate | 93.5% |
| Student-teacher ratio | 20:1 |
| Full-time teachers | 163 |
| Average teacher experience | 17 years |
Higher-education and technical partners named by the source
Ohio Northern University, The Ohio State University at Lima, Bluffton University, University of Northwestern Ohio, University of Findlay, Franklin University/Urbana, Rhodes State College, Wright State University–Lake Campus, Edison State Community College, Owens Community College, and Hobart Institute of Welding.
The original page also references six four-year universities, five two-year or technical colleges, and five regional career centers serving West Central Ohio.
School and postsecondary statistics, campus offerings, and distances must be refreshed from the institutions before publication as current data.
Taxation
The prior Site Selector page explains Ohio tax reform and the operating-cost factors a business should evaluate.
The legacy taxation page describes Ohio’s business-tax changes as eliminating or reducing taxes on inventory, corporate profit, equipment investment, certain out-of-state sales, and initial gross receipts. It presents the underlying message that a business-friendly tax environment can reduce operating costs and support growth.
It also includes historical Ernst & Young comparisons and detailed local rate tables. Those figures are not reliable current guidance and are not duplicated as live rates here. A project-specific review should cover state taxes, local income tax, sales/use tax, real-property treatment, school-district considerations, and any applicable exemption or abatement.
Use current guidance from the Ohio Department of Taxation, City, County Treasurer, and qualified advisors before relying on tax information.
Incentives
Ohio and local partners can combine credits, financing, training, and property-based tools around a qualifying project.
The legacy EDC page presents Ohio and local communities as partners in helping companies reduce risk and encourage investment. It references the Ohio Tax Credit Authority and a mix of state and local incentives.
Programs preserved from the legacy resource list
- Ohio Job Creation Tax Credit
- Research and Development Investment Loan
- Innovation Ohio Loan Fund
- 166 Direct Loan
- Ohio Enterprise Bond Fund
- Ohio Incumbent Workforce Training Voucher Program
- Targeted Investment Program
- Technology Investment Tax Credit
- Community Reinvestment Area program
- Enterprise Zone tax abatement
- Port Authority financing through the Lima/Allen County Port Authority partnership
The legacy descriptions include historic percentages, dollar limits, loan terms, and eligibility rules for these programs. Those details change and should be confirmed with the Ohio Department of Development, JobsOhio, the City, and the appropriate financing or tax partners before being presented as available incentives.
Request project support
Use the EDC’s research library as a starting point, then request information tailored to your operation, timing, site needs, and workforce requirements.
Contact the Chamber to begin a confidential location, expansion, utility, workforce, or incentives conversation.