Along with the unimaginable death of hundreds of thousands, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused economic hardship for many more millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of businesses, large and small. After experiencing the longest economic expansion in U.S. history, we are now faced with an unprecedented contraction in modern times as workers see their hours reduced – or jobs eliminated – and businesses scale down operations or close their doors altogether. As part of its effort to aid in responding to Ohio’s economic downturn resulting from the pandemic, the Center for Economic Development (Center) is tracking the overall economic vitality of counties in Ohio. A first step in commencing this research is to establish a baseline evaluation of performance prior to the pandemic’s start as a benchmark measurement to compare against post-pandemic. This brief illustrates 2019 baseline data and will be updated annually as economic stimuli, policy responses to the pandemic, and their economic impacts progress.