According to the Ohio Poverty Report from June 2020, an estimated 284,000, or 9.7 percent, of Ohio families were poor, and the corresponding U.S. rate was 9.3 percent. The report also notes that 48 of Ohio’s 88 counties had poverty rates below the national average of 14.1 percent, while 40 were above the average based on the 2014-2018 five-year data set. An alternative poverty measure estimated Ohio’s poverty rate at 10.4 percent.
A more recent article from Axios Columbus reports that the percentage of Ohioans living in poverty increased year-over-year for the first time in more than a decade, from 12.7% in 2020 to 13.4% in 2021.
The U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts provides additional information on Ohios income and poverty levels. The median household income in Ohio from 2017-2021 was $61,938, and the per capita income in the past 12 months (in 2021 dollars) was $34,526. The poverty rate in Ohio was 13.4% .
It is important to note that poverty levels can be measured in different ways. The Federal Poverty Level (FPL) is a measure of income issued every year by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and is used to determine eligibility for certain programs and benefits, including savings on Marketplace health insurance, and Medicaid and CHIP coverage. The 2023 FPL income numbers for Ohio are as follows: for individuals, $14,580; for a family of two, $19,720; for a family of three, $24,860; for a family of four, $30,000; for a family of five, $35,140; for a family of six, $40,280; for a family of seven, $45,420; for a family of eight, $50,560. Federal Poverty Level amounts are higher in Alaska and Hawaii.
