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The Right Formula For Growth

Chemical companies supply, scale, and succeed in Ohio.

Ohio is the third-largest chemical-producing state in the country, home to 600+ manufacturing sites producing advanced polymers, coatings and adhesives, high-purity and specialty chemicals, and industrial chemicals at volume. Automotive, aerospace and defense, biomanufacturing, semiconductor, and consumer goods manufacturers are already operating here, giving your company prime access to a large and diversified customer base.

Sitting on the Utica and Marcellus shale, Ohio offers some of the most affordable and accessible natural gas and natural gas liquids in the industrialized world, at a fraction of what producers pay in Europe or Asia. From wells and pipelines to fractionators, oil refineries, and power generation, the full value chain is already in place, backed by more than $114 billion in investment. And by being closer to the wellhead, you get a lower delivered cost on the ethane, propane, and natural gas your company runs on, plus the power to process it.

Success Stories

Made in Ohio. Used Everywhere.

lubrizol looking at chemical compound

Lubrizol

chooses to reinvest in northeast Ohio
Sherwin-Williams Headquarters

Sherwin-Williams

builds the workforce of the future

PPG

picks Ohio for $280M expansion

Procter & Gamble

chooses Lima, Ohio for scent bead manufacturing

Why Chemical Companies Succeed in Ohio

#1 in polymer and plastics output
#3 largest chemical manufacturing state in the U.S.
#3 in the nation in chemical engineering bachelor's degree graduates
700 annual chemical engineering degree graduates
31% growth in chemical related degrees from 2010 to 2024
5% of U.S. natural gas production and national reserves sit in Ohio
Sherwin-Williams logo
Dupont logo
Sherwin-Williams logo
Dupont logo
Sherwin-Williams logo
Dupont logo

Cut Plastic Costs in Ohio

With a strategic location and abundant natural gas, Ohio has become a leader in U.S. plastic manufacturing. For decades, businesses leaned heavily on overseas plastics production. However, times have changed. In 2022, the Shale Crescent report released a study titled "Global Economic Factors Align Favoring U.S. Plastic Product Manufacturing over China-Based Operations."

Still think China is your business's competitive advantage? Think again. The results of the study were eye-opening. To put it simply, it’s no longer cheaper to import plastic-based manufactured goods. Now, Ohio gives your business the proximity, people, and planning it needs to not only compete with the best but be the best.

The Supply Chain You Need

  • Sherwin-Williams

  • Lubrizol

  • PPG

  • Dupont

  • INEOS

  • Saint-Gobain

  • Akzo

  • AmSty

  • mitsui chemicals

  • Kraton

The Right Skilled Workforce

A chemical plant is only as good as the workforce that runs it. Backed by the #1 manufacturing workforce in the Midwest (#3 largest in the U.S.), 38,000 annual STEM degree and certificate completions, and JobsOhio Technician Path, Ohio’s research pipeline includes the world's top-ranked polymer program at the University of Akron. And when it is time to hire, JobsOhio helps with the recruiting and workforce development you need to get your operation running smoothly.

The Right Sites

JobsOhio helps you find the right site. Our team of site experts pre-screens for what your process needs, including acreage, power, water, wastewater, rail, pipeline, and river or lake access. This ensures that you can move quickly and smoothly, without any unwanted setbacks or surprises. It’s just one of the many ways we help you meet your project goals and beat your project timelines.

Ohio's Oil and Gas Advantage

For chemical companies, three factors determine the cost of making a product: raw materials, power, and permitting timelines. Ohio wins on all three. Ohio has an abundance of natural gas thanks to the Utica and Marcellus shale formations — complete with four refineries and more than 30 gas-fired power plants, backed by over $114 billion in investment. That surplus helps keep prices down: gas here has averaged roughly $2.91 per MMBtu, compared with about $10.06 per MMBtu in Asia and $13.61 per MMBtu in Europe.

Proximity and speed matter, too. Nearly 80% of U.S. and Canadian polyethylene demand sits within 700 miles of Ohio, and Ohio alone uses about a million metric tons a year. State law requires the Ohio EPA to act on a complete permit application within 180 days, and the agency has a track record of meeting or beating company timelines. Affordable materials, customers next door, and a permitting process built for speed — all in one place.

You Ask. We Answer.

Ohio is the third-largest chemical-producing state in the U.S., with 628 manufacturing sites and more than $4.2 billion in annual industry payroll. You get low-cost shale feedstock on one side and the manufacturers who buy your product on the other. Moreover, chemical companies in Ohio reinvest heavily — roughly $850 million in capital expenditure a year.

From wells to natural gas and liquids pipelines, fractionators, storage, refineries, and gas-fired generation, Ohio has the entire oil and gas value chain within its borders. Fewer handoffs mean shorter hauls, lower delivered cost, and less exposure when something upstream goes wrong.

Feedstock, customers, and speed. Ohio offers access to some of the most affordable hydrocarbons in the industrialized world, a customer base of manufacturers already operating in the state, and an environmental agency required to act on a complete permit application within 180 days. It is also a lower-risk region for earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes.

Ohio produces advanced polymers, coatings, adhesives, high-purity chemicals, specialty chemicals, and industrial chemicals. The state is home to Sherwin-Williams, Lubrizol, DuPont, PPG, Avient, INEOS, Nutrien, Mitsui Chemicals, and dozens more, as well as four oil refineries and a full bench of midstream processors serving the petrochemical industry.

More than 41,000 Ohioans work directly in chemical manufacturing, earning an average of over $104,000 a year. The pipeline behind them is extensive — Ohio State, Case Western Reserve, and the University of Cincinnati all feed engineering and chemistry graduates into the industry.

Yes, and often in combination. Ohio sites are served by Class I rail, the interstate system, natural gas and HGL pipelines, and ports on the Ohio River and Lake Erie. Tell us what your process needs — acreage, power, water, wastewater, and the right mix of access — and our team will point you to the properties that already have it.

Ohio ranks first in the nation for polymer and plastics output and is the Midwest's largest consumer of polyolefin. The state uses roughly 1 million metric tons of polyethylene annually on its own, and demand across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic is sufficient to support additional world-scale capacity. Cheap natural gas is what makes the economics work.

Incentives in Ohio are built around the project, not a preset list of locations. JobsOhio offers grants, loans, and workforce funding statewide, evaluated on job creation, payroll, and capital investment — including a $100 million Energy Opportunity Initiative for natural gas and nuclear power projects. Tell us the project, and we will tell you what it qualifies for.

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