Poverty in Cincinnati

The city of Cincinnati has been regarded as a very livable city.  In the 1990’s, Cincinnati experienced strong economic growth, low unemployment, and high per capita income.  Despite the city’s growth, Cincinnati has since then ranked with the 9^th lowest home ownership rate at 35% and the 9^th lowest median household income of $21,006.  (1)  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 170,000 jobs have been reported lost throughout the state of Ohio since April, 2000.  As a result, unemployment rate rose from 5 percent to nearly 8 percent by the end of 2003.  Within Cincinnati, the unemployment rate is nearly 11 percent, with over 16,000 people looking for work within the city.  As a result, over 12,000 families live below the poverty line.  (2)