Cincinnati and Cleveland rank among the top cities in the U.S. in terms of manufacturing employment, according to the 2008 Ohio Manufacturers Directory, an industrial guide published annually by Manufacturers’ News Inc. MNI reports that Cincinnati ranks fifth and Cleveland 10th in the nation for number of manufacturing jobs.
MNI reports Cincinnati ranks above Dallas and Indianapolis for industrial jobs, and is slightly behind fourth-ranked Los Angeles while Cleveland ranks above Fort Worth, San Diego and Minneapolis. These two cities account for 17 percent of Ohio's 1,045,464 manufacturing jobs and 16 percent of the state's 19,960 manufacturers.
"Cincinnati has always been a major industrial force with Procter & Gamble, U.S. Playing Card and AK Steel headquartered there," says MNI president Tom Dubin. "Cleveland actually has more manufacturing plants, but those facilities, on average, employ fewer workers than those in Cincinnati."
According to the directory's newest data, Cincinnati is home to 1,455 manufacturers employing 97,601 workers, and accounts for 7.3 percent of Ohio's manufacturers and 9.3 percent of its industrial jobs. Cleveland accounts for 9.2 percent of Ohio's manufacturers and 7.6 percent of the state's industrial employment, with 1,770 plants and 77,943 jobs.
Manufacturers' News reports job losses and plant closings have plagued both cities over the past 12 months, with Cincinnati losing 9.2 percent of its manufacturers and 2.4 percent of its industrial employment and Cleveland posting a 2.1 percent manufacturing job loss and a 9.2 percent drop in its number of manufacturers.
Major industries in Cincinnati include chemicals and food products. The chemical products sector accounts for 22,866 jobs – nearly a quarter of Cincinnati's industrial employment. Soap and related products account for more than half of these jobs, or 15,886. The food industry accounts for another 12,412 jobs, or 13 percent of the city, with bread products as the largest sub-sector. MNI reports jobs in the chemical sector are up a half percent from a year ago while food products are down 4 percent.
The fabricated metal products sector is Cleveland's largest industry, accounting for 20 percent of the city's industrial employment and manufacturers, or 15,846 jobs and 357 plants. Fabricated metal jobs are down 1,184, or 6.9 percent, over the past 12 months and the number of manufacturers fell by 28.
MNI reports Columbus is home to another 930 manufacturers employing 51,489 workers, and over the past 12 months saw a 7.5 percent industrial employment loss and a 5.6 percent drop in companies. Dayton accounts for 753 companies employing 38,050, up 1.6 percent in jobs over the 12-month period but down 4.4 percent in the number of manufacturers. Akron accounts for 522 manufacturers employing 28,549 and posted no significant change since August 2006. MNI surveys both large and small manufacturers, including small companies with just a few employees.
Northeast Ohio accounts for the largest share of the state's manufacturing employment, with 390,063 jobs, or 37 percent of the state. Southwest Ohio accounts for the second most at 254,856 jobs, or 24 percent. North Central and South Central Ohio each account for 10 percent of the state's industrial employment, or 104,368 and 105,598 jobs, respectively, while Southeast Ohio represents 42,468, or 4 percent of the state.