AreaProfile

Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN

Metro Area Profile

2,270,706 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metropolitan area.

80
Area Score
Top 5% of 99 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
OpportunityTop 20% of 99 published metros77
GrowthTop 36% of 99 published metros59
Housing affordabilityTop 12% of 99 published metros98
Climate52nd of 99 published metros69
Physical resilienceTop 16% of 99 published metros82
AccessTop 14% of 99 published metros98
Economic stabilityTop 38% of 99 published metros79
The quick read

Cincinnati ranks in the top 20% of published metro profiles for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 3.9% and median household income of $81,120.

Housing is more affordable relative to local incomes than in most published city profiles, with rent taking 16% of median household income.

Natural-hazard exposure is lower than in most comparable published metro profiles, placing Cincinnati in the top 16% for physical resilience.

At a glance

Population
2,270,706
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$81,120
Top 17% nationally
Density
518/sq mi
4385.2 sq mi of land
Median age
38.2
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Metro area
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
Nearest major airport
CVG
11 mi · Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Intl
Median home value
$258,600
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.9% is lower than 69% of the 99 measured US metros.

Employment grew 0.6% over the past year, to 1,145,931 employed residents.

37% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 85% of measured US metros.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$823$81,120Top 17%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$348$44,674Top 14%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate11.8%Bottom 32%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute26.4 minTop 26%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher37.1%Top 15%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment1,145,931Top 31%June 2026
Employment change (3 years)1.2%Top 40%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)0.6%Top 10%June 2026
Labor force1,191,910Top 31%June 2026
Labor force participation65.4%Top 17%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$67,370Top 38%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$50,170Top 42%2025 OEWS
Metro employment1,101,030Top 32%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)-0.8%Bottom 4%June 2026
Unemployment rate3.9%Bottom 31%June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032026/012026/065.43.0
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.9% in June 2026.
Largest occupations — Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Fast Food and Counter Workers30,950$29,720
General and Operations Managers29,330$100,670
Retail Salespersons28,670$30,810
Registered Nurses28,520$83,650
Stockers and Order Fillers26,870$37,810
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand22,910$40,240

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,105 takes 16% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 3.2 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
16.3%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.2×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,105
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$258,600
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income3.19Bottom 47%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate68.3%Bottom 41%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±355967,188Top 3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$10$1,105Top 31%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$2,075$258,600Top 34%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income16.3%Bottom 23%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate6.3%Bottom 10%2024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
59/ 100
Top 36% of 99 published city profiles
Permitting is increasing, measured from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 2% since 2020, reaching 2,302,815 in 2024.

At 4.0 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US metros.

Units permitted
9,051
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
4.0
Bottom 46% nationally
Year over year
+31%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
46.1%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
202020212022202320242303k2252k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population.

Weather & climate

6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 87°F and January a low of 24°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 43.4 inches.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station CINCINNATI LUNKEN AP, 2.9 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND4.7"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation43.4"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low24°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high87°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months61991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing44°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

82 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are tornado, strong wind and earthquake.

TornadoElevated
Strong windModerate
EarthquakeModerate

Low or minimal exposure: lightning, cold wave, inland flooding, ice storm, heat wave, winter weather, landslide, hail, wildfire, drought, hurricane.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Taxes

AreaProfile does not yet publish tax comparisons. No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, methodology transparency and update cadence, and the product rule is to omit a dimension rather than estimate it. The Area Score is calculated without a tax component and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Nothing on AreaProfile is individualized tax advice.

Access

5 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 11 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky IntlCVG11 mi10,000 ft
Wilmington Air ParkILN43 mi10,701 ft
James M Cox Dayton IntlDAY58 mi8,502 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
80
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)

Profile recalculated August 29, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.

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