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Study: Black-Owned Businesses Continue to Grow in Cincinnati

When the study first started in 2021, researchers found that Black-owned businesses supported more than $1.4 billion in economic activity; now it's $2.8 billion.

Aug 20, 2024 at 1:27 pm

Bringing New Orleans-style flair and fare to Over-the-Rhine, Nolia in Over-the-Rhine offers diners an upscale, yet approachable, experience. Photo: Sean M. Peters

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An updated study conducted by the Alpaugh Family Economics Center at the University of Cincinnati shows that Black-owned businesses are steadily increasing, bringing billions in economic activity to the region.

In partnership with UC, the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce (AACC) conducted a study in an eight-county region of Greater Cincinnati to examine the economic and fiscal impact of Black-owned businesses in 2023. The report was a continuation of a 2021 study released in 2022 that was the nation's first study to quantify Chamber of Commerce data about Black-owned businesses.

"Business ownership provides an opportunity to build wealth for Black or African American individuals," the latest study report reads. "Such an opportunity is particularly significant for Black or African American families, whose median net worth of $24,100 was 7.8 times lower than the median net worth of white families in 2019."

Study: Black-Owned Businesses Contribute Billions to Greater Cincinnati Economy: Black business activity has nearly doubled since the study was launched a year ago.

Data was collected from several online Black-owned business directories as well as through survey data collection to develop a database of 1,417 Black-owned businesses in Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky.

According to the study, in 2023, Black-owned businesses in the Cincinnati region:

Created a total of $2.8 billion in sales, supporting 16,472 jobs with $635.1 million in earnings
Generated $1.5 billion of direct sales and employed 9,024 individuals with earnings of $341.2 million
Supported an additional $1.4 billion of indirect sales, which indirectly supported an additional 7,448 jobs with earnings of $293.8 million
Generated $34.3 million in earnings and sales tax revenue for state and local jurisdictions

These numbers are up from those published in the previous study. When the study first started in 2021, researchers found that Black-owned businesses supported more than $1.4 billion in economic activity, then $2.1 billion in 2022.

The study found that industries containing the most Black-owned businesses were the "Other Services" industry; the "Professional, Scientific and Technical Services" industry; and the "Retail Trade" industry. Collectively, these industries represented 47.4% of the Black-owned businesses in the eight-county region covered in the analysis.

Slideshow

32 Black-Owned Greater Cincinnati Restaurants You Need to Try ASAP

Pata Roja Taqueria52 E. Court St., DowntownTaqueria Pata Roja got its start in 2019 as a food truck that could typically be found behind Bar Saeso in Pendleton. From there it grew in popularity, becoming known for its authentic street tacos and Mexican dishes. With this success, owner Derrick Braziel decided to put down roots in downtown Cincinnati. In February, Braziel opened Pata Roja in its new brick-and-mortar spot in Court Street Plaza. Pata Roja’s new space is modeled after the iconic taquerias of Mexico City, with colorful tiles and a central focus of the trompo, a meat rotisserie that’s front and center in the kitchen, which will be used to roast pork for the authentic tacos al pastor. On the menu, guests will find a variety of street tacos, including the al pastor and the popular campechano, which combines several meats into one taco, as well as frozen margaritas and fresh salsas.

Nolia Kitchen1405 Clay St., Over-the-RhineBringing New Orleans-style flair and fare to Over-the-Rhine, Nolia offers diners an upscale, yet approachable, experience. The exposed brick and bold floral wallpaper add a bright and airy feeling to the intimate setting, and the menu features delectable Southern-inspired dishes like the River Catfish, served with grits, meunière and crawfish, or the Pork Shank. And while you shouldn’t expect Nolia to play zydeco music or serve hurricane cocktails in novelty cups, the restaurant’s drink menu will truly laissez les bon temps rouler, non?

Sewovi Foods607 Shepherd Drive, LocklandSewovi Foods is a new ghost kitchen (meaning you can only order for carryout or delivery) that specializes in West African dishes, specifically those from the country Togo. Founder Etse Sewovi wanted to use his kitchen to bridge his love of food from his homeland with the opportunity to also aid Togolese farmers who are struggling to sell their produce by connecting them with U.S. buyers. Their produce is featured in Sewovi’s dishes, like the Ademe Dessi (a soup featuring meat or fish with jute leaves), Nugbagba (tomato stew) and the Poisson Frit (locally sourced tilapia marinated, spiced and deep-fried). For dessert, try a the Zowey, a West African treat of spicy peanuts and corn, rolled into a ball and sweetened with date sugar.

Big Jays Place930 Hempstead Drive, FinneytownBig Jays Place in Finneytown offers a menu bursting with flavor from its Caribbean comfort food dishes, like the Soul Food Plate, featuring jerk chicken, macaroni and cheese, collard greens and cilantro rice, or the half-pound Jerk Burrito, which comes with a choice of shrimp, jerk chicken or salmon. But what Big Jays is best known for is its oxtail, which Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives host Guy Fieri got to try on his recent visit there, saying, “If you don’t like oxtail, then come on down here to the oxtail conversion program.”

Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey9039 US-42, UnionBoomtown Biscuits & Whiskey is inspired by the trappings of the American frontier and California's 19th-century gold rush. The restaurant is helmed by chef Christian Gill, who has appeared on several cooking competition shows. At Boomtown, the true delight comes plated. The signature biscuit isn't a run-of-the-mill, thousand-layer, flaked baked good: it's a buttery, soft disk with a close crumb and a browned, lightly bubbled top that no breakfast chain can compete with. Order the Gold Shoes to get this delightful biscuit topped with delicious sawmill, peppercorn, mushroom, Creole or goetta gravy.

Soul Secrets1434 Vine St., Over-the-RhineThis OTR spot doesn’t just offer soul food – their recipes tell the story of owner Candice Holloway’s family. "Our recipes – that's what we bring to the table. They're historic, they're traditional, they are original, they're from scratch, they are made with love,” Holloway told CityBeat. A look at the menu shows entrees that, in a lot of the South, would just be called good ol’ home cooking, like fried chicken, its seasonal (and vegan) chicken pot pie, fried whiting and catfish. On the side, there’s mac and cheese, collard greens, sweet potatoes and cornbread — the kinds of dishes prepared for the family and that you’d hope for when someone offers to “fix you a plate.”

Ollie’s Trolley1607 Central Ave., West EndLocated in a bright yellow and red trolley car, Ollie’s Trolley is a soul food staple in Cincinnati. This little trolley serves a variety of smoked meats, including ribs, turkey tips and pulled pork, plus metts and burgers. They also offer plenty of sides, like collard greens, buttered corn and potato salad. For dessert, get a slice of their lemon pound cake or chess pie, or take a whole pie or cake home to share.

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About The Author

Madeline Fening

Madeline Fening is CityBeat’s investigative news reporter. Proudly born and raised in Middletown, she attended Bowling Green State University before moving to Austin, Texas where she dabbled in documentary filmmaking, digital news and bartending. Madeline then moved to Cincinnati to work for WCPO 9 News as an...