WORKING

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A-to-Z Guide to Greater Cincinnati:
"Best Place to Live in North America"

Bringing home the bacon, minus the pig

There was a time when bringing home the bacon in Cincinnati was a literal term.

But more than 100 years and countless hams after a wit coined it Porkopolis, this city has evolved into one rich in work force diversity. Only slaughtering jobs have grown harder to come by.

That's good. Cincinnati's balanced mix of manufacturing, service, retail and wholesale, finance and affiliated industries insulates it from economic extremes. While sector-specific cities -- those heavy in production of steel, rubber or pork, for instance -- are subject to industrial peaks and valleys, Cincinnati's mixed corporate landscape equals balance.

Some may point out that this almost eliminates the fun of major boom periods, but Cincinnati at least is stable. Perfect for a conservative city.

According to the Ohio Bureau of Employment Services, of the more than 800,000 non-agriculture positions in the area, 18 percent are in manufacturing; 27 percent fall under services, more than a quarter of which are in the health services industry; and 26 percent are in retail and wholesale businesses. Construction, real estate, finance, transportation, government and public utilities make up the remainder.

According to the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, more than 56 percent of all area jobs are white collar; upward of 25 percent are blue collar; and more than 18 percent are service-oriented. Hamilton County ranks 14th nationally for manufacturing shipments.

In a region of almost 1 million workers, this translates to good job prospects for the up-and-at-'em. Hamilton County has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state: 4 percent. The counties in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana that comprise the Tristate have an average unemployment rate of 4.6 percent -- below the national average of 5.4 percent.

Where to apply? Workers here collect paychecks from some of the smallest and largest companies in the country, or at least in their industry. Cincinnati's corporate portfolio includes Procter & Gamble Co., The Kroger Co., GE Aircraft Engines, Cincinnati Gas & Electric Co., Cincinnati Milacron Inc. and Delta Air Lines. Additionally, there are more than 200 banks and lending institutions and more than 200 law firms. Strangely, there are few comedy clubs, despite the surplus of lawyer jokes.

Maybe that's because Cincinnati is a city of pride; it loves to admire itself. How else can you explain a city that retains two daily newspapers in an era of one-newspaper towns?

It is a place where gatherers talk not about where they went to college, but where they went to high school. And it is a city many see fit to return to after tossing their mortarboards, if they don't choose to attend one of the 13 colleges and universities nearby. The Great Oaks Technical Institute of Technology and Career Development, for instance, is considered one of the best vocational schools in the country, turning out skilled laborers who will head off the aging blue-collar worker trend.

That doesn't mean there aren't opportunities for out-of-towners. Many of the more than 80,000 enrolled students at Greater Cincinnati colleges come from afar. Several major corporations, such as Toyota Manufacturing USA, Meijer Inc. stores and International Paper Co., have pegged the Queen City as home for stores or a regional headquarters, and are or will likely expand here.

After all, with an average age of just under 33, Cincinnatians make for a promising, long-term work force.

With such a job menu, why settle for a ham sandwich?

Did you know?

• 53 percent of the nation's manufacturing establishments are within 600 miles of Greater Cincinnati.

• In Greater Cincinnati, the percentage of union membership is 15.8 percent, two percentage points less than the U.S. average (17.8 percent).

• Average hourly salary in manufacturing is $13.98; in general merchandise stores, it is $8.69.

• The highest-paid area workers are in motor vehicle and equipment manufacturing, at $21.90 an hour.