Out of all age groups, children are the most likely to live in poverty. Research shows that children who live in poverty during their childhood- especially those who live in persistent poverty- are likely to struggle with poor educational, economic and health outcomes well into adulthood.
With the release of the new 2017, 1-Year American Community Survey Estimates, it is clear that not much has changed in our community when it comes to child poverty. Over the last decade in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, child poverty was highest in 2014. Since these are 1-year estimates, it is possible that 2014 was an overestimate, or a blip in the data. Between 2016 and 2017, child poverty went down slightly in the city of Cleveland, and up slightly in Cuyahoga County, however neither change was statistically significant. The child poverty rates are essentially the same as they were in 2009, just after the Great Recession.
Of the five largest cities in Ohio, Cleveland and Cincinnati have the most startling child poverty rates, 49 and 46 percent respectively. When comparing central cities to the counties in which they are located, Summit County and Akron have the highest disparity. Akron’s child poverty rate is nearly double that of Summit County.
If you’re interested in child poverty rates for your community, and you don’t see them represented here in this blog, be sure to check out our Community Fact Sheets.
