Lawrence County, Pennsylvania is at the center of your business, and we love that spot. The Forward Lawrence Economic Development team works hard to be your central place for economic development activity. We are here for our current businesses and to welcome new owners into our community. We provide assistance with business attraction, expansion, and retention, site development, and workforce development by cultivating partnerships and a business-friendly environment that encourages the investments necessary to support new business opportunities.

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Why Lawrence County?

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Lawrence County, PA is located at the core of North America’s largest concentration of population and business markets. Strategically positioned at the intersection of Interstate 80, a major East/West interstate system, and Interstate 79, a major North/South system, your business will enjoy easy access to such metropolitan centers as New York City, Chicago, Toronto, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Youngstown, and more. Lawrence County is the ideal location for businesses seeking access to the largest business and consumer markets in North America.

In July 2023, Lawrence County was added to the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), the first time since 2003 that the Pittsburgh metro expanded its territory.  The Pittsburgh MSA now encompasses 10 counties, with Lawrence County representing ‘a trade epicenter with convenient access to major highways’, according to Matt Smith, Chief Growth Officer of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.

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Lawrence County, Pennsylvania is located centrally on the western edge of Pennsylvania, along the border with Ohio and north of the City of Pittsburgh. Our largest municipality is the City of New Castle located in the center of Lawrence County. In addition, Lawrence County is part of the Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton Combined Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).  The MSA is ranked #22 out of 366 MSAs throughout the U.S., based on population.

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Lawrence County is a great place to work and an even better place to live!  It doesn't take long to see why visitors and residents alike have made fond memories during their time here. Get to know the place we love, the place we promote and the place we call home. Lawrence County has 27 local governments and 8 independent school districts. Many of our school districts have been named to the top 10 performers on standardized tests, as well as, winning a national blue ribbon for high student achievement.  In addition, our County’s unique municipalities offer a diverse variety of lifestyle activities. For those individuals seeking adventure-packed activities like hiking and fishing, to those that boast a strong cultural influence from the arts and playhouse productions, to those that bring a simple lifestyle into the mix with their beautiful Amish countryside… Lawrence County is for you.

 

Besides being an outdoor paradise, Lawrence County is home to leading private employers, such as: UPMC Jameson Health System, Westminster College, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, Ellwood Group, Dairy Farmers of America, Bruce & Merrilees Electric Co., Steelite International USA, Refresh Dental Group, and several others.

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Business Support

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The Forward Lawrence Economic Development team model is founded on the idea of partnership. Our mission is to coordinate our efforts with other public sector agencies and private sector investment to strengthen Lawrence County’s economic advancement. Forward Lawrence often partners with organizations across our county and region that engage in a variety of missions, including business financing, assistance with entrepreneurial endeavors, workforce preparedness, product development, technology support, export assistance, and many other services your business may need along the way. We work with these champions of economic growth to ensure that our existing and new clients receive all of the assistance available for their particular projects.