C. William Swank Program in Rural-Urban Policy at The Ohio State University

Economic insights for Ohio’s changing communities

Research and outreach on pressing policy issues connecting Ohio’s rural and urban communities.

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Rural and urban Ohio landscape

The C. William Swank Program in Rural-Urban Policy brings together researchers, extension educators, and stakeholders to address critical questions about land use, agriculture, energy, environment, and economic development across Ohio’s rural-urban landscape.

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For local officials

Policy facts, local data tools, and charts you can use in public meetings.

Policy facts & briefs → Data & tools →

For journalists

Recent Ohio policy facts, citable statistics, charts, and an expert to call.

Citable farmland-loss stats → Media contact →

For residents

See how your community is changing through plain-language maps and explainers.

Is my area urbanizing? → Housing affordability →

For researchers

Working papers, publications, data sources, and the research agenda.

Research → People →

Interactive · Data & tools

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Ohio Tax Explainer

How Ohio taxes work — in plain language.

Open → Interactive map

Ohio Urbanization Explorer

Where the rural–urban fringe is expanding, county by county.

Open → Dashboard

Hilliard Housing Tracker

Housing affordability in a fast-growing Columbus suburb.

Agricultural Land Loss

Citable statistics on farmland loss, from NLCD.

Latest outreach

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What Kinds of Taxes Do We Pay in Ohio?

July 2026 Recent media

USDA Funds Collaboration To Study, Support Rural Well-Water Users

Iowa State University CALS News · July 2026 Policy facts

Data Centers in Ohio: Growth, Tax Treatment, and Local Impacts

June 2026 Presentation

Ohio's Historic Property Tax Reforms: An Economist's Perspective