This month, Brookings Metro released the 2025 version of the Metro Monitor, a tool that tracks economic performance over the past decade in 54 of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas- those with populations over 1 million. Out of these, Cincinnati ranked 27^th in overall growth, a positive indicator for the region’s future.

Cincinnati ranked 34^th in both job growth (+16.4%) and employment rate increase (+5.5%), demonstrating steady growth of the workforce. Additionally, wages are on the rise. Cincinnati saw a 4.1% increase in average annual wages and a 23.3% increase in median earnings, earning 37^th and 15^th place rankings respectively.

Cincinnati also saw a 1.1% decrease in the relative regional poverty rate, placing the region 50^th in this metric. While this ranking shows that there’s still work to do the decrease reflects our region’s ongoing efforts to close the poverty gap. The monitor dives further into each of these metrics and displays a breakdown across demographic and geographic factors, providing an in-depth look at how our region performs across various population segments.

We are proud to be working with Brookings as one of eight member cities in the Regional Inclusive Growth Network, collaborating with our network cities to continue to improve for our region's benefit. A key priority of the Cincinnati Chamber is to use data to inform decision-making broadly and at the Workforce Innovation Center, we know that data is critical to our work with employers and workforce partners.  Our colleagues at the Cincinnati Chamber’s Center for Research and Data provide a regional data dashboard and local economic reporting, such as the State of the Region Report. These accessible resources help track and drive progress for the Greater Cincinnati Region.  

Explore these resources about how we’re doing in the Cincinnati region and consider how else we might work together to advance our community further.

UPCOMING EVENT

Create a Successful Intern Experience!

Internships have the potential to create meaningful skill-development experiences for interns, provide valuable work to further employers’ goals, and the opportunity to help college and university students build relationships and knowledge that will impact their professional trajectory. As the Cincinnati Chamber works to help our region grow, we know that attracting and keeping university talent in the region is a top priority. Employers, and the opportunities they provide through internships and jobs, directly influence university talent to stay in our region.

Join us in April to:

• Learn more about this population of Gen Z,

• Hear from college and university career professionals about their work to prepare young people for the workplace,

• Work with an HR professional to create a successful internship experience for you and your interns

• Ensure your interns connect with the assets and vibrancy of the Cincinnati region as they build relationships with other interns through CINC (Cincinnati Intern Network Connection) 

• Walk away with practical strategies and plans to help your interns succeed and help us create a thriving Cincinnati region where everyone belongs

To read more about the importance of Gen-Z's involvement in our region's workforce, explore our Gen Z white paper and read our latest blog post to learn more about these members of our community.

Gen-Z Survey - Looking for Additional Feedback!

After hosting several focus groups in 2024, we are still looking to gather perspectives from Gen Z for our new white paper. Please share this survey with the Gen Z people in your networks who chose not to go to college, also called STARs (Skilled Through Alternative Routes) so we might capture more of their insights for our next report. 

A key purpose of these papers is to help local employers better understand, attract, and retain talent from our workforce’s rising generation.

If you know of any Gen-Z individuals that fit this description, please share this survey with them. All responses will be kept 100% confidential, and we are offering $25 visa gift cards to four lucky respondents!

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

Women's Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation

Closing the Gap: The Self-Sufficiency Simulator

What does it take to make ends meet in Greater Cincinnati? The Self-Sufficiency Simulator, developed by the Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, is an interactive tool that sheds light on the true cost of living across Ohio. Unlike federal poverty measures, the Self-Sufficiency Standard accounts for real-world expenses like child care, housing, food, and transportation - offering a more accurate picture of what families need to be financially stable.

The Women’s Fund advances women's economic mobility through research, advocacy, and systemic change. We created the Self-Sufficiency Simulator to help employers, policymakers, and community leaders better understand how wages stack up against basic living costs. This tool offers valuable insight into the challenges workers face and can help inform decisions about wages, benefits, and workplace policies that support employee retention and financial stability.

In addition to the simulator, the Women's Fund provides additional resources tailored for business leaders, policymakers, and community organizations to help translate this data into action. Explore the Self-Sufficiency Simulator and access these resources below 

Employer Tours: Showcase Your Workplace!

In 2025, we are continuing the successful Employer Tours program we launched in 2024! Designed to connect local employers with Cincinnati’s workforce organizations, these tours provide host employers the chance to showcase their workplaces and share an inside look at host companies, their facilities, jobs, benefits, and culture, helping workforce organizations better match their clients to job opportunities and helping employers to fill their open roles.

We are recapping all Employer Tours on the Workforce Innovation Center blog, where we can share this information with job seekers, educational institutions, and workforce partners across the region.

Read our first four blog posts featuring UC Health, Metalworking Group, Hollaender Manufacturing Co., and Monti Inc. at the Workforce Innovation Center blog!

If you are interested in hosting a tour of your workplace, please fill out this form and we will contact you shortly about arranging your tour. 

If you’re interested in participating in future events in the Employer Tours program as a tour attendee, click here to register. Be sure to check in with this form regularly for updates as we add new tours to the schedule.

This program is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number 21.027 awarded to Hamilton County, Ohio by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. We are grateful to the support of the Hamilton County Commissioners in funding this program.

PROGRAM UPDATE

Women of Color in Tech

Alena O'Donnell - Project Director

In Q1 of this year, the Women of Color in Tech (WOCIT) initiative celebrated 104 graduates across three of our partner organizations: The Brighton Center (BC), Community Action Agency of Cincinnati-Hamilton County (CAA), and The Urban League of Greater Southwest Ohio. To say it was not easy is an understatement.   

As Jonika Green, Assistant Director of Workforce Development at Brighton Center said in her opening remarks to graduates “These women are not just graduates. They are wives, partners, mothers, daughters, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, and nieces.” Women of color are the driving force behind nearly 90% of new women-owned businesses in this country. Though we make up just 39% of the total female population in the U.S., we account for 89% of next net women-owned enterprises.” This is a sobering reminder that the support for women who are vigorously preparing for their “next” is vital.

We want to thank 4BIS who has not only hired one of the participants but has made it a priority to reach out to seek potential candidates for their workforce. As I always say, we are linking arms and partnering across the region to make our workforce stronger. If you are looking to volunteer your talents in coaching or mentoring these women into your next candidate pool, please contact me. 

We’re transforming lives by disrupting tech.  

The Workforce Innovation Center - At a Glance

The Workforce Innovation Center offers a wealth of services and resources to help companies improve their business practices, create a more connected regional workforce ecosystem, and strengthen the economic prosperity of the Greater Cincinnati Region. From customized consulting services to tours of quality local employers, our services and resources are designed to assist you in addressing your workforce and talent needs, whatever they may be. Click a section below to learn more!

NEWS OF INTEREST

New York Could Give Monthly Payments to People Getting Out of Prison - Rolling Stone

Workers fear more companies will mandate office returns in 2025 - Cincinnati Business Courier

These Nine Companies Have Worker-Focused Policies That Help Women Thrive — JUST Capital

Preserving Workplace Harmony amid Layoffs and RTO - SHRM

Recruiting Focus May Shift to Emphasis on Employee Engagement - SHRM

As Power Shifts Back to Employers, They Need to Avoid 3 Pitfalls – Harvard Business Review

Metro Monitor 2025: Growth and affordability trends in US metro areas over the past decade - Brookings