Thanks for doing the homework. It seems like all of ohio is in the Cleveland federal reserve bank district. Pittsburgh and environs too. As if it made a difference. How many people watch it that closely? I honestly don't know. When you're on the street, in the cafe, the bar, it's always NYT or WSJ or CNN figures, which aren't generally broken out that way. However, clevelanders and pittsburghers are a fairly well-read lot, so it may be significant.
It's not that the number will influence the race. The quantity that the number represents will decide the race: if the OH and West PA region isn't gaining manufacturing jobs still in November, Kerry wins. If the number is up it indicates a situation in which Bush wins.