Cincinnati-based company listed among the best for high school grads to start careers

Western & Southern Financial Group is among the top employers for high schools graduates to start their careers, according to a new analysis by the American Opportunity Index.

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Lowe's, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Foot Locker and PNC Financial Services Group claimed the top five spots in the ranking, titled the 2024 Best Places for High School Graduates to Start a Career. Cincinnati-based Western & Southern was No. 48 of the top 50 companies listed on the report.

Four hundred of the largest U.S. companies that file public financial statements were studied to curate the ranking.

In the index's general database beyond the Best Places for High School Graduates list, Western & Southern landed in the top 100 companies for pay (how well companies pay their employees and increase their compensation over time) and for promotion (how well companies move people up and prepare them for better jobs elsewhere).

Of the 37 insurance companies included in the index's general database – including State Farm Insurance and Nationwide – Western & Southern earned the second-highest overall score using five metrics: pay, promotion, hiring, parity and culture.

Methodology for the Best Places for High School Graduates list

The American Opportunity Index, a data-driven business index led by a Harvard Business School project called Managing the Future of Work, made the Best Places for High School Graduates list as a resource for young people. It also spotlights entry-level workers' career trajectories over the past five years.

Three metrics made up the rankings, including how effectively companies hire entry-level workers, promote those workers internally and prepare them for better opportunities when they leave.

As a research entity, the index conducts an independent analysis of the career trajectories of nearly 5 million people from 2018 to 2022, rather than rely on data provided or self-reported by companies. How entry-level workers reported changes in their work history on social-media platforms, any job-posting data and comprehensive salaries are all studied as part of determining career trajectory.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati-based company listed among the best for high school grads to start careers