The COVID-19 pandemic radically altered the U.S. economy, with unemployment peaking at , according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). While jobs have been gaining since, millions of out-of-work Americans are still searching for jobs.
Before COVID-19 gutted the economy, the United States' economic landscape was , with health care, computer systems design, and scientific industries leading a push for more employment. On the flip side, industries like wired telecommunications, postal service, and textile production are showing a rapid decline. With the development of newer and more advanced technologies every day, the job landscape is shifting and so are the pay demands and prerequisite skills. There is a strong correlation between advanced education and a higher salary鈥攚orkers with higher education levels have higher wages and lower unemployment rates. Of course, it should be noted that obstacles remain for universal access to quality higher education.
compiled a list of industries with the highest employment in Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area using data from . Industries are ranked by number of employees as of 2019.
Keep reading to see which industries in Cleveland are the surest bets for employment.
You may also like: Top 25 songs in Cleveland on Shazam in the past week
1 / 19
#19. Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area
- Employed: 483 (0.0% of total employment)
- Change in employment from 2010 to 2019: -32.8%
National
- Employed: 799,011
- Percent of total employment: 0.5%
- #19 most common industry nationwide
2 / 19
#18. Management of companies and enterprises
Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area
- Employed: 1,505 (0.2% of total employment)
- Change in employment from 2010 to 2019: +88.8%
National
- Employed: 232,031
- Percent of total employment: 0.1%
- #20 most common industry nationwide
3 / 19
#17. Utilities
Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area
- Employed: 5,457 (0.5% of total employment)
- Change in employment from 2010 to 2019: -23.9%
National
- Employed: 1,272,369
- Percent of total employment: 0.8%
- #18 most common industry nationwide
4 / 19
#16. Information
Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area
- Employed: 15,275 (1.5% of total employment)
- Change in employment from 2010 to 2019: -16.0%
National
- Employed: 2,959,616
- Percent of total employment: 1.9%
- #16 most common industry nationwide
5 / 19
#15. Real estate and rental and leasing
Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area
- Employed: 15,917 (1.6% of total employment)
- Change in employment from 2010 to 2019: -4.1%
National
- Employed: 3,034,330
- Percent of total employment: 1.9%
- #15 most common industry nationwide
You may also like: Cleveland's 2025 housing market year in review
6 / 19
#14. Arts, entertainment, and recreation
Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area
- Employed: 23,444 (2.3% of total employment)
- Change in employment from 2010 to 2019: +39.9%
National
- Employed: 3,532,697
- Percent of total employment: 2.2%
- #14 most common industry nationwide
7 / 19
#13. Wholesale trade
Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area
- Employed: 27,182 (2.7% of total employment)
- Change in employment from 2010 to 2019: +1.5%
National
- Employed: 4,013,368
- Percent of total employment: 2.5%
- #13 most common industry nationwide
8 / 19
#12. Transportation and warehousing
Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area
- Employed: 36,566 (3.7% of total employment)
- Change in employment from 2010 to 2019: -1.5%
National
- Employed: 7,665,636
- Percent of total employment: 4.8%
- #8 most common industry nationwide
9 / 19
#11. Administrative and support and waste management services
Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area
- Employed: 40,402 (4.0% of total employment)
- Change in employment from 2010 to 2019: +8.2%
National
- Employed: 6,766,918
- Percent of total employment: 4.3%
- #12 most common industry nationwide
10 / 19
#10. Public administration
Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area
- Employed: 40,954 (4.1% of total employment)
- Change in employment from 2010 to 2019: +3.9%
National
- Employed: 7,140,292
- Percent of total employment: 4.5%
- #11 most common industry nationwide
You may also like: Highest-rated restaurants in Cleveland by diners
11 / 19
#9. Other services, except public administration
Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area
- Employed: 44,598 (4.5% of total employment)
- Change in employment from 2010 to 2019: +0.5%
National
- Employed: 7,584,054
- Percent of total employment: 4.8%
- #9 most common industry nationwide
12 / 19
#8. Construction
Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area
- Employed: 53,463 (5.3% of total employment)
- Change in employment from 2010 to 2019: +17.0%
National
- Employed: 11,036,894
- Percent of total employment: 7.0%
- #7 most common industry nationwide
13 / 19
#7. Finance and insurance
Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area
- Employed: 55,587 (5.6% of total employment)
- Change in employment from 2010 to 2019: +2.2%
National
- Employed: 7,263,440
- Percent of total employment: 4.6%
- #10 most common industry nationwide
14 / 19
#6. Professional, scientific, and technical services
Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area
- Employed: 67,082 (6.7% of total employment)
- Change in employment from 2010 to 2019: +15.6%
National
- Employed: 11,765,340
- Percent of total employment: 7.4%
- #6 most common industry nationwide
15 / 19
#5. Accommodation and food services
Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area
- Employed: 69,107 (6.9% of total employment)
- Change in employment from 2010 to 2019: +8.0%
National
- Employed: 11,801,878
- Percent of total employment: 7.4%
- #5 most common industry nationwide
You may also like: Best private K-12 schools in the Cleveland metro area
16 / 19
#4. Educational services
Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area
- Employed: 82,208 (8.2% of total employment)
- Change in employment from 2010 to 2019: +0.8%
National
- Employed: 14,839,461
- Percent of total employment: 9.3%
- #4 most common industry nationwide
17 / 19
#3. Retail trade
Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area
- Employed: 111,522 (11.1% of total employment)
- Change in employment from 2010 to 2019: +7.4%
National
- Employed: 17,216,634
- Percent of total employment: 10.8%
- #2 most common industry nationwide
18 / 19
#2. Manufacturing
Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area
- Employed: 138,284 (13.8% of total employment)
- Change in employment from 2010 to 2019: +2.6%
National
- Employed: 15,770,698
- Percent of total employment: 9.9%
- #3 most common industry nationwide
19 / 19
#1. Health care and social assistance
Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area
- Employed: 168,045 (16.8% of total employment)
- Change in employment from 2010 to 2019: +1.8%
National
- Employed: 22,131,751
- Percent of total employment: 13.9%
- #1 most common industry nationwide
