Aerospace
400 aerospace and related support businesses; 180,000 local employees
View the Cincinnati USA Partnership's Aerospace Industry Profile
From the earliest days of commercial aviation 100 years ago, the Cincinnati-Dayton region has been a center for aerospace firms that appreciate the value of a skilled workforce, experienced professionals and significant technology strengths, including world-class research, development and commercialization talent.
The region is integrally linked to the highest levels of the industry, from parts critical to the NASA space missions, to the world's leading manufacturer of large jet engines.
Take a closer look at this driving force behind the worldwide aerospace industry:
An Experienced Workforce
- A stable and productive workforce of 1.5 million within 50 miles of Cincinnati USA
- More than 180,000 workers employed as engineers, mechanics and engine specialists, aircraft structure assemblers and specialists in precision production, craft and repair occupations
- 50,000 scientists and engineers within a 50-mile radius of Cincinnati USA
- 10,000 engineers and scientists at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base give the region one of the nation's greatest concentrations of aerospace engineering expertise
An International Leader in Aerospace
- Wright-Patterson leads the world in transferring new military technologies to the private sector through commercial development licensing
- The U.S. Air Force recently selected Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as the home for the National Center for Military Aerospace Medical Research, bringing several hundred new jobs to Southwestern Ohio
- The region hosts a concentration of turbine engine development, manufacturing, maintenance, and repair activities.
- The Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport serves the region's commercial airline needs; in addition, Lunken Airport provides a large regional aviation facility.
Supply Chain Support
- The Cincinnati-Dayton corridor ranks in the top 15 areas nationally for the number of establishments directly involved with aerospace products and parts manufacturing
- The Cincinnati-Dayton corridor has more than 400 aerospace and related support businesses, including aircraft and parts, aircraft engines and engine parts, fabricated metal products, instruments and related products
- Cincinnati-based TechSolve, an organization committed to increasing manufacturing competitiveness, has long been a partner and resource to the aerospace industry's original equipment manufacturers and its suppliers. TechSolve has been recognized for excellence by Boeing Co., Rockwell Collins, and the Manufacturing Technology Directories of the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Navy
- The Ohio Aerospace Institute builds Ohio's aerospace economy through research and technology development, education and training, and collaboration and information exchange.
Top Educational Support
The region's highly-regarded educational system supports lifetime learning. With five of the nation's top 50 universities for Aerospace Engineering within 200 miles of Cincinnati USA, the region is a hotbed for aerospace educational opportunities. Some of the area's top aerospace programs include:
- The University of Cincinnati's Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics program is ranked in the top 10 of all U.S. aerospace graduate programs by the National Research Council. UC also boasts the nation's first cooperative education program and continues to graduate 300 engineers each year.
- Wright State University, a research hub for aerospace research laboratories, has the longest-running, civilian-training program for physicians specializing in aerospace medicine. One of only a few in the United States, the Aerospace Medicine Program has provided NASA with a steady supply of flight surgeons over the years and has been acknowledged as an industry leader worldwide.
- Northern Kentucky University offers an associate degree in aviation administration.
- Cincinnati State Technical and Community College offers certificates and degrees in aviation-maintenance technology, including airframe, power plants, avionics, and flight technician.
- Sinclair Community College in Dayton offers associate degrees in aviation technology.
For more information about the region's aerospace cluster, please contact the Cincinnati USA Partnership at 513.579.3157 or info@cincinnatichamber.com. You can also contact the City of Cincinnati Economic Development Division at 513.352.2499 or edinfo@cincinnati-oh.gov