The Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies (OACAA) released its 2021 State of Poverty in Ohio Report on earlier this month. The annually updated report analyzes credible data to determine trends in poverty, and highlights factors and barriers preventing low-income households from overcoming financial burdens.
Two areas of focus in the report include employment and housing. In the last year, over 50% of low-income households reported a loss of employment income, and twice as many low-income households had fallen behind on rent payments when compared to the year prior. Local Community Action Agencies in every Ohio county have processed an unprecedented amount of rent and mortgage assistance applications.
New to this year’s report is the Ohio Well-Being Dashboard which examines county-level indicators of poverty. Socioeconomic indicators include the county poverty rate, unemployment rate, percentage of students receiving Free and Reduced-Price school lunches, and four-year high school graduation rates. The county’s performance is compared to the previous year’s performance, as well as the state-wide performance. The factors equally contribute to the county’s score and determine the alert level.
In Adams County, the report shows that 47.8% of residents are below the federal poverty level. That equals 13,113 individuals. The number has increased since 2010.
The 2021 State of Poverty in Ohio Report can be viewed at oacaa.org
