Mahoning Valley
The Youngstown–Warren, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, typically known as the Mahoning Valley, is a metropolitan area in Northeast Ohio with Youngstown, Ohio, at its center. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) includes Mahoning and Trumbull counties. As of the 2020 census, the region had a population of 541,243, making it the 107th largest metro area in the country. Taking its name from the Mahoning River, the area has a large commuter population that works in Cleveland and Pittsburgh and their metropolitan areas. It is located in the Rust Belt, the former industrial region of the northern United States. The Youngstown–Warren combined statistical area adds the Salem micropolitan area and Columbiana County, Ohio to the region, increasing the total population to 643,120. The Youngstown–Warren media market serves all three counties in the CSA, as well as the Mercer County, Pennsylvania and Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. Steel industry Although steel has been produced in the Mahoning Valley since the mid-1800s, after the Civil War, the valley was primarily known for its iron production. Conversion to steel manufacturing began during the economic depression of the 1890s. The Mahoning Valley is suitable for steel manufacture because of "its proximity to