New census report shows poverty hitting Ohio black and Latino populations hardest

9/22/2011

COLUMBUS — A new census report shows two out of the 10 poorest big cities in the U.S. are in Ohio.

The American Community Survey released Thursday shows Cleveland has a 34 percent poverty rate. That makes it the No. 3 poorest city with a population of 200,000 or more, behind Detroit and San Bernardino, Calif.

Cincinnati is seventh, with 30.6 percent of residents living in poverty.

The report uses 2010 data. It puts the state's overall poverty rate at 15.8 percent, though rates are much higher for minority populations. About 33 percent of Ohio blacks are in poverty as are 31.4 percent of the state's Latinos.

Professor John Powell with Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law tells The Columbus Dispatch the report illustrates how the economy "didn't tank evenly."