Benchmarking report paints bright picture for Aiken

AIKEN — The City of Aiken is growing and on the verge of great things as the economy and interest in the local market picks up, said Aiken Mayor Rick N. Osbon after the release of a broad survey of Aiken County’s economy was released Tuesday.
“Every indicator shows our City is on a great path and is experiencing positive growth in population, retail sales and job creation,” Osbon said. “The report’s conclusion that education and infrastructure ¬¬¬¬– including public health and safety improvements — will be key to extending these good trend lines really confirms the top priorities of City Council now and over the last two years.”
The Regional Economic Benchmarking report released was commissioned by the Greater Aiken Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of Aiken, Edgefield and Saluda Counties and was prepared by the University of South Carolina Aiken. This 2017 edition was the third update of the initial report first released in 2014.
That 2014 report showed the City of Aiken had little growth in the period leading up to its release. Subsequent updates have demonstrated the stall in growth following the 2009 financial crisis was short lived.
“In my January State of the City Address, I said this is an exciting time in our City,” Osbon said. “This report proves that and reinforces the Council’s desire to address long-term infrastructure needs as quickly as possible while also making every effort to spur economic development and to attract new people from every age group, but especially young families, to live and work here.”