New census data show Ohio lags most states in median income and childhood poverty
Posted September 15, 2022 in Press Releases
Today, the U.S. Census Bureau released data from the American Community Survey (ACS), which provides state and local estimates on income, poverty, housing, and health insurance coverage, and the well-being of people nationwide. Today’s data release covers 2021.
The 2021 estimates show typical Ohioans are not faring as well as Americans as a whole when comparing median household income and childhood poverty levels. Ohio is doing better than the national average on health insurance coverage.
The following comments can be attributed to Policy Matters Ohio Researcher Will Petrik:
“Most Ohioans work hard for our families, and we want the best for our kids. New data released by the Census Bureau today show Ohio lags most other states in terms of median household income and childhood poverty. State lawmakers have not devoted the needed resources in Ohio’s budget to truly support families and build a bright future for all children. Policymakers have a lot of work to do if they want to make Ohio the best state for families.
“National data released earlier this week clearly showed that public programs that support the economic security of families work, and dramatically reduce child poverty. The evidence for how to improve the lives of children and families is clear. Now lawmakers need to act on the lessons we are learning.
“Ohio is doing better than most states in terms of health coverage. That’s a result of collective action to expand public healthcare coverage through the expansion of Medicaid.
“We must do more to make sure all kids and families in Ohio can thrive. We have an opportunity to improve the economic security of children and families in the next Ohio state budget by making sure the wealthy pay what they owe and kids get the support they need.”
Policy Matters Ohio includes more data and graphs below to show how Ohio compares to other states. Additional graphs also show Ohio’s median household income, childhood poverty, and health coverage over time.
- Ohio median household income ranked 38th among all 50 states. The median household income in Ohio was $62,262 in 2021; the national median household income was $69,717.
- Ohio’s median income in 2021 stayed flat compared to the last census release in 2019.
- Ohio’s median income dipped during the great recession. 2019 was the first year Ohio’s median income surpassed the state’s median income in 2007.
- Ohio ranked 37th among all 50 states in childhood poverty. An estimated 463,841 children, or 18.2% of all kids in Ohio, lived in poverty in 2021. Nationally, 16.9% of children lived in poverty in 2021.
- The percentage of children living in poverty was not statistically different than the percentage of kids in poverty in 2019.
Note: The ACS does not collect information on the value of tax credits such as the Child Tax Credit, stimulus payments, or benefits such as SNAP or housing assistance, among other items, so income and poverty estimates in the ACS do not reflect the impact of public programs. For national data on the impact of economic security programs on poverty, see the U.S. Census analysis of the Supplemental Poverty Measure for children and for all Americans.
- Ohio ranked 20th among 50 states for health insurance coverage. An estimated 6.5% of Ohioans were uninsured during 2021. 8.6% of Americans nationwide were uninsured in 2021.
- The percentage of uninsured Ohioans was not statistically different than the percentage in 2019.
- The uninsured population declined after 2010 as a result of state lawmakers’ decision to expand Medicaid.
