What is the poverty rate in Ohio?
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The poverty rate was about 12.4% of Ohio’s population as of 2025. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2025, 1.44 million people in Ohio were considered in poverty.
12.4%
of the population (2025)
1.44M
people living under the poverty line (2025)
The state's poverty rate was 12.4% in 2025, the lowest based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010. It was 0.3 percentage points lower than the previous year. Ohio's poverty rate hit a peak in 2011 of 16.4%.
In 2025, 12.4% of Ohio's population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate, 2010–2025
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2025, 1.44M people living in Ohio were in poverty — down 22.1% from the 2011 peak of 1.85M.
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In 2025, 1.44M people in Ohio were in poverty.
People living under poverty line, 2010–2025
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
What is the child poverty rate in Ohio?
From 2015 to 2025, the poverty rate for children under 18 in Ohio decreased from 21.3% to 16.4%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 14.3% to 11.5%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 7.6% to 10.7%.
In 2025, 16.4% of children in Ohio were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group, 2015–2025
How does poverty differ by race in Ohio?
Among racial or ethnic groups in Ohio during 2025, five had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: American Indian and Alaska Native; Black or African American; Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race); some other race; and two or more races
Two had a lower than average poverty rate: White, not Hispanic or Latino; and Asian.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the American Indian and Alaska Native population shifted the most, decreasing from 28.6% in 2015 to 14.6% in 2025.
In Ohio, the poverty rate for the American Indian and Alaska Native population decreased from 28.6% in 2015 to 14.6% in 2025.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity, 2015–2025
What counties in Ohio have the highest and lowest poverty rates?
In 2020–2024, the poverty rate among Ohio counties ranged from 4.7% in Delaware County to 21.8% in Meigs County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Franklin County — was 14.7%
In 2020-2024, the poverty rate among Ohio counties ranged from 4.7% to 21.8%.
Poverty rate
Poverty rate, by county (2024)
| 1. | Scioto County | 21.8% |
| 2. | Meigs County | 21.8% |
| 3. | Athens County | 21.5% |
| 4. | Pike County | 21.3% |
| 5. | Adams County | 20.2% |
| 6. | Brown County | 19.6% |
| 7. | Mahoning County | 18.9% |
| 8. | Coshocton County | 18.5% |
| 9. | Jackson County | 18.5% |
| 10. | Lawrence County | 17.7% |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
