Canton/Stark County is Strategically Located
We’re at the crossroads of the Eastern and Midwestern U.S. markets.
Stark County, Ohio is a cost-competitive, logistics-accessible location within the Northeast Ohio industrial corridor, positioned to support manufacturing, distribution, and advanced industry operations.
Located in Northeast Ohio, Canton/Stark County advantages start with the right location, which brings many other benefits. Our network of highways provides easy access to other major Ohio cities and to the larger cities and markets of the Midwest and East Coast including Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianapolis, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, and Washington, D.C.
Our strategic location provides exceptional access. Within 500 miles of the Stark County regional market, your business can reach:
The pathway to promoting business.
Stark County advantages can take you places. Among the interstate highways providing access to the U.S. include I-77; U.S. Route 30, that links to I-71; Interstate 76 near Akron; and the Ohio Turnpike, that links to I-76 and to I-80 to the East Coast. Additionally, the Akron-Canton Airport (CAK), located just west of I-77 between Canton and Akron, offers the lowest average airline fares in Ohio. CAK provides nonstop air service to 24 cities in the U.S. and access to the world with only one stop.
Akron-Canton Airport is “a better way to go” – for you. Over the last 10 years, CAK has been redesigned and updated to better serve the public and provide the best experience possible. Improvements include gate modernization and expansion, ticket wing and visitors’ information center renovations, upgraded entrance road, and a new covered parking lot.
Historic, yes — but pointed toward the future in every way.
Canton is the home to the birthplace of professional football and its Hall of Fame Museum. This asset attracts the biggest names in sports and entertainment to the community and has a $1.37B economic development impact. The adjacent $900M Hall of Fame Village Entertainment Complex, an ongoing in-progress expansion, already helps drive this increase in tourism.
Stark County advantages are also responsible for record growth in the expansion and attraction of companies to the community. The Stark Economic Development Board completed 65 expansion or attraction projects since 2021. Last year, Stark County was second only to Cleveland in the number of JobsOhio projects successfully completed in Northeast Ohio.
Key advantages include:
- Central access to major customer and supplier markets
- Established industrial base with recent project execution
- Alignment with state and regional economic development partners
Existing companies like Hendrickson Suspension, Metallus Steel, and Patriot Software, together with new companies like IML Containers and the largest Tractor Supply distribution center in the U.S., call Stark County home.
All this and more is why an April 24, 2024 Wall Street Journal/Realtor.Com article listed Canton as the second hottest housing market in the U.S. W.E. UpJohn Institute for Employment Research listed our hometown a 21st Century Booming American City.
Stark County also provides a favorable operating environment.
Stark County’s cost structure supports both business operations and workforce retention. The region offers:
- Lower housing and overall cost-of-living relative to peer markets
- Proximity to a major metro area without the typical associated cost pressures
- Stable communities with access to recreation, healthcare, and education
This environment promotes employee recruitment and long term retention, particularly for skilled trades and mid-career technical talent.
Major employers have been attracted by Stark County advantages.
Stark County was established in 1808, and named in honor of what had been the oldest surviving general of the Revolutionary War, General John Stark. As of 2016, Stark County has an estimated population of 373,612 people and a land area of 576 square miles or 371,193 acres. The U.S. Census ranks Stark County as the 8th largest out of 88 counties in Ohio.
Located just 60 miles south of Cleveland, Stark County offers most of the amenities of a large city with the advantages of a smaller one. Our lower cost of living provides significant advantages to businesses and their employees, such as more affordable housing.
The Canton-Massillon-Alliance area hosts excellent schools and hospital facilities; recreation opportunities like access to U.S. National Parks and large lakes for fishing and boating; together with a myriad of cultural/entertainment events and shopping venues.