2008 Woodie Awards
Cincinnati ranks 3rd in poverty among major cities nationwide
Chau Nguyen
Issue date: 9/7/07 Section: Community
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With a stated poverty level of 27.8 percent, Cincinnati ranked third-behind Detroit and Buffalo, N.Y.-according to federal data released by the U.S. Census Bureau Aug. 28.
Although Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory acknowledges the data, he believes it can be misleading. Because of a 2.4 margin of error in the bureau's poverty data, Cincinnati technically could be ranked as high as second and as low as eighth.
"We have illustrated the methodology used by the Census Bureau to determine poverty and population were questionable," Mallory said. "However, we certainly acknowledge the data and are working to reverse those conditions for those people affected."
Even so, the data confirms a certain state of living for some within the city.
"(The data) says that things are pretty bad for people living within city limits," said James Brock, an economics professor at Miami University.
According to Brock, nearby areas such as Mason, Blue Ash, Anderson Township and Indian Hill are considered a part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area, but may have been excluded from the calculation.
"I think it's getting worse because people who have higher incomes are moving outside of the city limits and moving into these surrounding suburban areas," Brock said.
According to Brock, factors that may have led to this ranking include crime, poor schooling, racial tension and unemployment.
Even so, Lucy Crane of United Way of Greater Cincinnati (UWGC) believes that it is not only the unemployed who are suffering in the city, but the working people as well.
According to Crane, United Way has seen a growing demand for services within the city from unemployed and working people alike.
Crane believes the inability to find a job that pays enough money is a part of the problem.
"A lot of working people are working at the poverty level and aren't making enough to sustain themselves and their families," said Crane, the manager of community impact at UWGC.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
K.D.
posted 4/22/08 @ 5:17 PM EST
With news like this why are the city's leaders tring to spend 1.2 million on a trolly car system. Seem like that money could be better spend somewhere else. (Continued…)
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