Center for Research & Data | Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber

RACIAL DIVERSITY IN THE CINCINNATI REGION

The Cincinnati region is not as diverse as the nation as a whole. However, our racial and ethnic diversity is growing. Asian, Hispanic, and multiracial populations account for more than 100% of the region’s population growth over the last decade.

Cincinnati REGION POPULATION BREAKDOWN

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2021 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates

TOTAL POPULATION

WHITE ALONE

BLACK ALONE

ASIAN ALONE

OTHER RACE
ALONE

TWO OR MORE RACES

HISPANIC OR LATINO, ANY RACE

 POPULATION PERCENTAGE BREAKDOWN | PEER REGION COMPARISON

C-Suite Diversity in the Cincinnati Region

There is a lack of diversity in C-Suites and other top management positions in both the Cincinnati region and the United States as a whole. The percentage of non-white people and women in these roles has increased over the past couple of decades, but only slightly. There is still much work to be done to bring equity to leadership positions.

 Percentage OF ALL TOP EXECUTIVES BY GENDER/RACE | UNITED STATES COMPARISON

PERCENTAGE OF CHIEF EXECUTIVES BY GENDER/RACE | UNITED STATES COMPARISON

FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION

The Cincinnati region has a lower percentage of foreign-born residents than the country as a whole, but is similar to Ohio. The Cincinnati region has a much higher percentage of foreign-born population from Asia and Africa than the country as a whole.

Foreign-Born Population Percentage

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2021 American Community Survey 1 Year Estimate

%

Cincinnati MSA

%

OHIO

%

UNITED STATES

Foreign-Born Population Area of origin percentage in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the United States

The LGBTQ+ Community in the Cincinnati Region

While the Cincinnati region's LGBTQ population is smaller than many peer cities, the City of Cincinnati and the City of Covington have a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign's Municipal Equality Index (MEI). The MEI is a measure of ways that cities can support the LGBTQ population, even when states and the federal government have not. Categories on the MEI scorecard include non-discrimination laws and municipal services.

PERCENTAGE OF LGBTQ+ IN THE CINCINNATI REGION

Source: The Williams Institute (December 2020)

%

PERCENT LGBTQ+ WITH CHILDREN

%

PERCENT BLACK LGBTQ+

%

PERCENT WHITE LGBTQ+

%

OTHER RACE PERCENT LGBTQ+

LGBTQ+ PEER CITY COMPARISON

Percentage of Population in LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY

HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN MUNICIPAL EQUITY INDEX



RACIAL INCOME GAP IN CINCINNATI & PEER REGIONS

Among 10 other peer cities, the Cincinnati region has the largest Black-White income gap. The median white family in our region has about twice the annual income of the median Black family.

AVerage salary by race | PEER CITY COMPARISON

WHITE/BLACK INCOME Gap | PEER CITY COMPARISON

WHITE/BLACK INCOME RATIO | PEER CITY COMPARISON

RACIAL UNEMPLOYMENT GAP IN CINCINNATI & PEER REGIONS

The Cincinnati region has the fourth lowest Black-White unemployment gap among the peer regions. However, there is still a tremendous amount of work to be done with the white unemployment rate being almost half that of the Black unemployment rate.

Unemployment percentage by race |  PEER CITY COMPARISON

WHITE/BLACK UnEMPLOYMENT Gap PERCENTAGE |  PEER CITY COMPARISON

WHITE/BLACK UNEMPLOYMENT RATIO | PEER CITY COMPARISON

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Minority Business Ownership in Cincinnati & Peer Regions

Despite inequities in our region, the Cincinnati region does have a strong minority business environment. Our ratio of minority-owned businesses to minority population is 0.4, which is the fourth highest among the peer regions.

RATIO OF MINORITY BUSINESSES TO MINORITY POPULATION | Peer City Comparison

Source: Smartest Dollar analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data, Annual Business Survey and American Community Survey (2022)

  • St. Louis: 0.48
  • Pittsburgh 0.42
  • Columbus 0.41
  • Cincinnati: 0.40
  • Indianapolis: 0.39
  • Nashville: 0.37
  • Louisville: 0.36
  • Kansas City: 0.33
  • Denver: 0.32
  • Cleveland: 0.30

PERCENTAGE of Minority Owned Business and Minority Population Share |  PEER CITY COMPARISON

Source: Smartest Dollar analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data, Annual Business Survey and American Community Survey (2022)

PERCENTAGE Of Total Employment and Total Payroll at Minority Businesses  | PEER CITY COMPARISON

Source: Smartest Dollar analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data, Annual Business Survey and American Community Survey (2022)

Racial Poverty Gap in the Cincinnati Region

The Hispanic poverty rate is more than twice as high as the non-Hispanic white poverty rate in the Cincinnati region, while the Black poverty rate is more than three times as high.

Poverty Rate

Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates (2021)

%

Non-Hispanic White

%

Black

%

Asian

%

Hispanic

%

Overall

BLACK WORKER SHARE IN CINCINNATI REGION BY OCCUPATION

The five occupations with the highest share of Black workers in the Cincinnati region average $31,016 in median annual earnings, while the five occupations with the lowest share of Black workers average more than twice that.

Highest Black Worker Share in the Cincinnati Region by Occupation

Source: Lightcast (2021), minimum 10,000 jobs per occupation

%

Nursing Assistants - Median Earnings: $30,416

%

Home Health and Personal Care Aides - Median Earings: $24,703

%

Cooks, Restaurant - Median Earnings: $28,975

%

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers - Median Earnings: $33,871

%

Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators - Median Earnings: $37,113

Lowest Black Worker Share in the Cincinnati Region by Occupation

Source: Lightcast (2021), minimum 10,000 jobs per occupation

%

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing - Median Earnings: $65,272

%

General and Operations Managers - Median Earings: $95,484

%

Postsecondary Teachers - Median Earnings: $80,444

%

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive - Median Earnings: $38,045

%

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks - Median Earnings: $39,243

Bachelor's Degree or Higher by Race/Ethnicity in Cincinnati and Peer Regions

White people in the Cincinnati region are 1.78 times more likely to have a Bachelor's degree than Black people. This falls in the middle of the pack among peer regions.

bachelor's degree or higher by race | PEER CITY COMPARISON

White/Black Education attainment ratio | PEER CITY COMPARISON

Housing Ratio by Race/Ethnicity in the Cincinnati Region

Among Black residents in the Cincinnati region, about 36% own their own home, while 64% rent. In the region overall, those percentages are flipped, with about 69% owning their home and 31% renting.

PERCENTAGE OF OWNERS VS. RENTERS BY RACE IN THE CINCINNATI REGION