Ep. 6 | I Am Going To Live Through This Even if It Kills Me
Welcome to episode six of Brain Drain, a Midstory podcast that explores the city of Toledo through the eyes of the people who’ve left it behind. In this episode, we tackle the recurring and thorny matter of investing in a city that might not always love you back.
If you’ve ever seen the television show M*A*S*H, you’ll probably remember the show’s beloved Corporal Klinger, played by Toledo native Jamie Farr. Like the actor that played him, Klinger’s character was a proud Toledoan. The role and the TV show gave the city a sliver of the national spotlight during the ‘70s and ‘80s, an era when Toledo’s reputation had already begun to slip.
In one scene, Lieutenant Colonel Sherman Potter asks him to make a sacrifice for the good of the entire troop.
Klinger famously kept an audacious wardrobe, and Potter wants him to trade it all away to some local women so that the army can convert their home into a hospital.
While at first Klinger is outraged at the idea, in the end, Potter knows exactly what to say to get Klinger to give up his clothes.
Potter: “Cowboy — do it for your country.”
Klinger: “My country?”
Potter: “Do it for Toledo.”
Klinger: “Toledo … Ok, colonel.”
We’ve spent most of this season exploring some of the things that have led people away from Toledo — the lack of a vibrant social scene downtown, the pitfalls of a post-industrial economy and the appeal of more established cultural scenes in other cities have all caused young adults to pack their bags.
But this week, we’re going to spend time with some of Toledo’s Klingers. Their perspective is still shaped by the exodus unfolding around them, but that awareness only strengthens their resolve. It makes them want to dig deeper, to keep insisting on Toledo’s promise and to encourage their friends and neighbors to work harder on behalf of this city.
Still — how long can Toledo keep counting on its biggest advocates to swim upstream? And how long can love for a city last for those who feel that maybe the city isn’t loving them back?
Explore the gallery below to dig into some of the factors that keep and attract people to Toledo — as well as the realities the region will have to address if Toledo wants to combat population loss.
I Am Going To Live Through This Even if It Kills Me
Millennial In-Migration
Millennial In-Migration
How many new millennials has Toledo attracted?
In 2023, new millennials made up just 4% of Toledo’s total population, a smaller percentage than most major Midwest cities.
Toledo just barely attracts a greater proportion than Detroit and is far behind Minneapolis and Columbus, which top this list at 10% and 8.5%, respectively.
Top Occupations in Toledo
Top Occupations in Toledo
While younger people are generally more likely to live where they find job opportunities, what kinds of jobs are commonly found in Toledo?
Toledo’s top five occupational groups in 2024 that held the greatest number of employees were hospitality, logistics, back office, medical and production, representing 58% of Toledo’s workforce.
Occupations related to engineering, computers and math were comparatively fewer, creating a talent drain where skilled workers may seek opportunities elsewhere.
Growing Job Opportunities
Growing Job Opportunities
Occupations with the largest number of employees, however, do not necessarily mean these fields are growing and offering new job opportunities.
Many of Toledo’s top occupations, in fact, are actually experiencing a downward trend, while growth is being seen within many of the smaller, higher-skilled occupational groups like business, logistics, education, engineering and finance.
From 2019-2024, the business and logistics sectors each gained about 3,800 jobs.
In this same period, production and back office sectors — which are top occupations — lost more than that amount.
Workforce Pipeline
Workforce Pipeline
How do recent graduates in Northwest Ohio fit into the region’s workforce needs?
In 2023, nearly 4,400 degrees in a health care related field were awarded, yet according to the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 Talent Alignment Strategy, employment in the health care sector is at a plateau.
Meanwhile, degrees in business, education, engineering and finance can directly fill job demands, as these fields are growing in Toledo.
Educational Attainment
Educational Attainment
In general, the City of Toledo needs more graduates with degrees that both fill job demand and develop the local workforce.
When it comes to educational attainment, only one in five Toledoans hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, while more than a third of people in the U.S. do.
Median Household Income
Median Household Income
Household income is another indicator of a city’s economic health. In the City of Toledo, household income is 30% lower than the statewide median.
Toledo’s Employed Population
Toledo’s Employed Population
The total number of employed persons in Toledo has been increasing since losses from the COVID-19 pandemic, but has not yet fully bounced back.
As of December 2025, the employed population was 282,573 people, a 2.4% decrease over the past 10 years, equating to over 7,000 workers lost.
Projected Growth in Employment
Projected Growth in Employment
According to estimates from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the Toledo metro area is projected to have a 3.5% increase in employment by the year 2030 — the lowest compared to all major metro areas in Ohio, including those whose total population is smaller than Toledo’s, like Youngstown, Canton and Akron.
Commuting to Lucas County for Work
Commuting to Lucas County for Work
In 2025, almost 80,000 people commuted daily from other counties to Lucas County for work.
Wood County, just south of Lucas County, and Monroe County, just north of Lucas County in Michigan, provided the lion’s share of outside talent.
Among the top ten counties where commuting workers are from also included Cuyahoga County — where Cleveland is located — and Franklin County — where Columbus is located.
Commuting Outside Lucas County for Work
Commuting Outside Lucas County for Work
Over 63,000 residents in Lucas County commute outside of the county for work.
While the majority head just a little ways south to Wood County, more than 11,000 workers commute to Franklin County — where Columbus is — and over 5,000 commute to Cuyahoga County — where Cleveland is.
This pattern raises critical questions: What kind of jobs can Toledo create and retain, and will these distant commutes eventually become permanent relocations?
Economic Development
Economic Development
Where is Toledo funding economic development?
Toledo’s Vibrancy Initiative established in 2021 and the Toledo Community Improvement Corporation established in 2025, are examples of two new initiatives to support funding towards redevelopment, job creation, new housing and commercial and vacant building renovations.
In the past five years, Toledo’s budgeted expenditures for economic development have been between $2.7 million and $3.8 million.
I Am Going To Live Through This Even if It Kills Me
Millennial In-Migration
Millennial In-Migration
How many new millennials has Toledo attracted?
In 2023, new millennials made up just 4% of Toledo’s total population, a smaller percentage than most major Midwest cities.
Toledo just barely attracts a greater proportion than Detroit and is far behind Minneapolis and Columbus, which top this list at 10% and 8.5%, respectively.
Top Occupations in Toledo
Top Occupations in Toledo
While younger people are generally more likely to live where they find job opportunities, what kinds of jobs are commonly found in Toledo?
Toledo’s top five occupational groups in 2024 that held the greatest number of employees were hospitality, logistics, back office, medical and production, representing 58% of Toledo’s workforce.
Occupations related to engineering, computers and math were comparatively fewer, creating a talent drain where skilled workers may seek opportunities elsewhere.
Growing Job Opportunities
Growing Job Opportunities
Occupations with the largest number of employees, however, do not necessarily mean these fields are growing and offering new job opportunities.
Many of Toledo’s top occupations, in fact, are actually experiencing a downward trend, while growth is being seen within many of the smaller, higher-skilled occupational groups like business, logistics, education, engineering and finance.
From 2019-2024, the business and logistics sectors each gained about 3,800 jobs.
In this same period, production and back office sectors — which are top occupations — lost more than that amount.
Workforce Pipeline
Workforce Pipeline
How do recent graduates in Northwest Ohio fit into the region’s workforce needs?
In 2023, nearly 4,400 degrees in a health care related field were awarded, yet according to the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 Talent Alignment Strategy, employment in the health care sector is at a plateau.
Meanwhile, degrees in business, education, engineering and finance can directly fill job demands, as these fields are growing in Toledo.
Educational Attainment
Educational Attainment
In general, the City of Toledo needs more graduates with degrees that both fill job demand and develop the local workforce.
When it comes to educational attainment, only one in five Toledoans hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, while more than a third of people in the U.S. do.
Median Household Income
Median Household Income
Household income is another indicator of a city’s economic health. In the City of Toledo, household income is 30% lower than the statewide median.
Toledo’s Employed Population
Toledo’s Employed Population
The total number of employed persons in Toledo has been increasing since losses from the COVID-19 pandemic, but has not yet fully bounced back.
As of December 2025, the employed population was 282,573 people, a 2.4% decrease over the past 10 years, equating to over 7,000 workers lost.
Projected Growth in Employment
Projected Growth in Employment
According to estimates from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the Toledo metro area is projected to have a 3.5% increase in employment by the year 2030 — the lowest compared to all major metro areas in Ohio, including those whose total population is smaller than Toledo’s, like Youngstown, Canton and Akron.
Commuting to Lucas County for Work
Commuting to Lucas County for Work
In 2025, almost 80,000 people commuted daily from other counties to Lucas County for work.
Wood County, just south of Lucas County, and Monroe County, just north of Lucas County in Michigan, provided the lion’s share of outside talent.
Among the top ten counties where commuting workers are from also included Cuyahoga County — where Cleveland is located — and Franklin County — where Columbus is located.
Commuting Outside Lucas County for Work
Commuting Outside Lucas County for Work
Over 63,000 residents in Lucas County commute outside of the county for work.
While the majority head just a little ways south to Wood County, more than 11,000 workers commute to Franklin County — where Columbus is — and over 5,000 commute to Cuyahoga County — where Cleveland is.
This pattern raises critical questions: What kind of jobs can Toledo create and retain, and will these distant commutes eventually become permanent relocations?
Economic Development
Economic Development
Where is Toledo funding economic development?
Toledo’s Vibrancy Initiative established in 2021 and the Toledo Community Improvement Corporation established in 2025, are examples of two new initiatives to support funding towards redevelopment, job creation, new housing and commercial and vacant building renovations.
In the past five years, Toledo’s budgeted expenditures for economic development have been between $2.7 million and $3.8 million.
Stay tuned for more deep dives in our following episodes.
I’ve admired these episodes– good job, Mid-story. I’m guessing it was tricky to navigate the green zone between booster and hipster. It’s the same dilemma the entire country is split by, now– trying to recognize that critical thinking doesn’t short-circuit devotion (or vv). I think your producers were thoughtful and brave, and I salute the Toledoans who dug deep and shared their sincere perspectives.
I’ve admired these episodes– good job, Mid-story. I’m guessing it was tricky to navigate the green zone between booster and hipster. It’s the same dilemma the entire country is split by, now– trying to recognize that critical thinking doesn’t short-circuit devotion (or vv). I think your producers were thoughtful and brave, and I salute the Toledoans who dug deep and shared their sincere perspectives.