There is no doubt that commercial building is a sign of a thriving economy. That is why we can say that Licking County might be building its way to economic prosperity. This year Licking County has 12 building projects of at least $1 million and 21 projects costing $500,000 or more. Overall, commercial building is up 240 percent, compared with 2015.
The most surprising thing here is that the only economic indicator not showing improvement in the first half was the number of new car sales, down for the second year in a row after several years of significant increases. It's difficult to explain what is actually happening, but John Hinderer said that the most likely reason is that it's an election year. He considers that presidential events had the greatest impact on reducing the level of new car sales.
Hinderer is confident that the new car sales data is not that terrible but not up to their expectations. It has been claimed that the average vehicle on the road is 11 years old. Comparing the first half of the year, Licking County new car sales increased 75 percent from 2011 to 2014. Sales were down less than 1 percent in 2015, then down by 211 sales so far this year.
