Growth & Jobs

When Mayor Benjamin took office in 2010, Columbia was facing incredible challenges. Downtown was languishing, businesses were closing their doors and Metro Unemployment was close to double digits.

Thanks to his leadership, however, today our city is booming. Downtown is thriving with well over a billion dollars in new investment, our Commercial Revolving Loan program is generating $17 in private investment for every $1 in city funds invested and we’ve helped create more than 60,000 new jobs cutting Metro Unemployment by more than 60%.

Where unemployment was 9.5% in 2010, today it’s 4.2% outpacing the state and national averages.

But Mayor Benjamin knows that helping to create new jobs only goes so far. That’s why he’s committed to a bold new program that will raise wages for working families, create new growth in economically depressed communities and provide new opportunities for budding entrepreneurs and small business owners.