COLUMBUS – While the economic well-being of children in the Buckeye State has improved, new data shows child poverty is still stubbornly high in Ohio.
According to new research from the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 70,000 fewer children are living in poverty in Ohio since 2015 but one in five Ohio kids lives in poverty, 10 percent live in extreme poverty, and poverty rates are highest for children younger than age six.
Advocates say the findings highlight the need for policies that support struggling families, such as the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program.
“All of those things go a long way to keeping families stable, keeping families working, bridging people out of poverty – and if we begin to turn away from those investments, we’re going to see these numbers flip,” says Brandi Slaughter with Voices for Ohio’s Children.
Overall, Ohio ranks 33rd among states in child poverty, and 19th for total poverty.
For a family of four, poverty is defined as a yearly income below about $24,500.
New Census figures also show median income in Ohio is about $52000 dollars a year, while the national median is about $57,000.