COLUMBUS – Ohio has the dubious distinction of being the only state in the Union with two large cities ranked among the nation’s 10 most impoverished, and almost placed a third in the top 25, but Columbus fell just below the line.
According to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau released Thursday, Cleveland has taken over the No. 1 spot as the large city with the nation’s highest poverty rate, toppling Detroit from its far-from-lofty perch.
“For a number of years – really ever since we’ve been looking at this data – Detroit was always the worst and Cleveland was Number Two. But what it looks like is that, in 2019, things got better across the country, including in Cleveland, but Cleveland did not improve as quickly as other places,” says Emily Campbell, associate director of The Center for Community Solutions.
Cleveland’s poverty rate actually improved slightly, from 33.1% in 2018 to 30.8% in 2019 but Campbell blames an increasing share of older adults living in poverty for the change in ranking.
Cincinnati, with 23% of residents living in poverty, ranks sixth and Columbus is 26th with a poverty rate of 16%.
The Census Bureau defines living in poverty as earning less than $21,330 dollars a year for a family of three. Campbell says Ohio’s overall poverty rate is 13%.
“There are lots of people that live in other parts of Ohio that are also living in poverty and facing challenges. So, the data is really about the amount of money that people are able to earn – the quality of jobs, employment, and making sure that families have enough to make ends meet,” she said.