Ohio's poverty crisis

       If all of the children living in extreme poverty in Ohio lined up and held hands, the line of children would stretch all of the way from Cleveland to Columbus.

Living in extreme poverty means that your household income is at or below 50 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.  According to figures from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, more than nearly 275,000 children are living in extreme poverty in Ohio. That number is shocking and disappointing.

       But while many of the poverty figures in Ohio have been well-publicized in recent years, many people don’t have an understanding of just how large the problem is. Here are a few facts to help put the poverty crisis into perspective:

• The number of children living in extreme poverty is larger than all Ohio cities except Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus. The number of children in extreme poverty could more than fill up any other city in Ohio.
• The number of children ages 5 and younger who are living in extreme poverty is greater than the number of people living in the cities of Lancaster, Lima and Zanesville combined.  More than 112,000 children ages 5 and younger are living in extreme poverty.
• If all of the people of all ages living in extreme poverty in Ohio lined up and held hands, the line would more than stretch from Cincinnati to Cleveland and then back to Cincinnati again. More than 768,000 Ohio residents live in extreme poverty.
• A family of four living in extreme poverty is living at or below an annual income of $11,175, or just $932 per month. A family of two living in extreme poverty is living at or below an annual income of $7,355, or just $613 a month.
• The number of children ages five and younger living in extreme poverty in Ohio has increased from 62,298 in 1999 to more than 112,000 today, an increase of nearly 80%.
• The number of all Ohio residents living in extreme poverty has increased from 530,076 in 1999 to more than 768,000 today, an increase of nearly 45%.