FY 2026 Housing Needs Assessment Sections:

Jump to: Executive Summary | Table of Contents | Homeownership | Rental Housing | Home Energy & Utilities | Housing Instability & Homelessness | Housing Stock | Health | Income & Labor | Demographics | How Ohio Compares

Demographics

This section details the general population trends within Ohio, as well as specific segments of the population that are at particular risk for housing challenges or housing instability. Population changes shape the demand of housing and provide insight into what types of housing are most needed.

Section Highlights

  • While population growth remains well below the national average (+1.0% annually), Ohio's annual growth rate (+0.5%) is currently faster than it has been in decades. However, while overall the state's population may be growing, across many parts of Ohio population is in decline. From 2019 to 2024, 54 of Ohio's 88 counties lost population. Regionally Southeast Ohio has seen the most population loss since 2019 (-1.6%), compared with Central Ohio, which grew by 4.4% over this period.
  • Demographers predict the population aged 55 or over will peak between now and 2030. Central Ohio is the only region expected to experience an increase in the older adult population by 2030 (+8%) compared to a 2% decline statewide. While the 55-or-over population may be peaking this decade — as baby boomers continue to age — older population cohorts are expected to peak in the decades to come. By 2050, there will be 27% more Ohioans aged 85 or over than there are currently, which poses serious challenges to housing and caring for the elderly.
  • One in eight Ohioans under 18 (12%) live in a household spending at least 50% of its income on housing. This includes nearly 92,000 children living in households that are severely mortgage-burdened and over 219,000 living in severely rent-burdened housing.
  • Black Ohioans are more than twice as likely to experience housing instability as Ohio's white population. One in five Black Ohioans (20%) lives in a household spending at least half its income on housing, compared to 9% of white Ohioans.

Jump to: Population Change | Age & Sex | Children | Older Adults | Household & Family Type | Household Size & Overcrowding | Race/Ethnicity | Refugees | Limited English Proficiency | Veterans | Group Quarters & Institutionalization | Fair Housing | Downloadable Tables | Notes

Please be advised that the following maps and data visualizations are provided for informational purposes only. Load times will vary depending on your internet connection speed. To download the data for a specific map or data visualization, first click in the white space of the graphic, click the "Download" button below and then click "Data" in the menu that pops up. You may also access most of the data through the downloadable tables in Excel posted lower down on the page.


Population Change


Change in Population for the U.S. & Ohio

Source: Population and Housing Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau

Change in Population, 2019 to 2024

Source: Population and Housing Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau


Age & Sex



Population Distribution by Age & Sex

Source: Population and Housing Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau

Median Age for the U.S. & Ohio

Source: Population and Housing Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau

Population by Age Group

Source: Population and Housing Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau

Woman-Headed Households by Tenure

Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)


Median Age

Source: Population and Housing Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau

Woman-Headed Households by Region & Tenure

Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)


Children


Child Poverty Rates for the U.S. & Ohio by Age

Source: Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), U.S. Census Bureau

Child Housing Instability by Age

Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)


Share of Population Under 18

Source: Population and Housing Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau

Child Poverty Rate

Source: Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), U.S. Census Bureau

Child Housing Instability by Region

Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)


Older Adults



Projected Share of Population 55 or Over by Age

Source: Population Characteristics and Projections, Ohio Department of Development
(based on 2022 projections)

Older Adult Housing Instability by Age

Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)



Share of Population 55 or Over

Source: Population and Housing Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau

Projected Share of Population 55 or Over

Source: Population Characteristics and Projections, Ohio Department of Development (based on 2022 projections)

Projected Change in Population 55 or Over

Source: Population Characteristics and Projections, Ohio Department of Development (based on 2022 projections)

Older Adult Housing Instability by Region

Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)


Household & Family Type


Householders 65 or Over & Living Alone, U.S. & Ohio

Source: American Community Survey (ACS) One-Year Estimates, Table B11007


Families with Children as Share of Households

Source: American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates, ACS One-Year Estimates, Tables B25009 & B25115

Single Mothers with Children as Share of Renters

Source: American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates, ACS One-Year Estimates, Tables B25009 & B25115

Householders 65 or Over & Living Alone

Source: American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates, ACS One-Year Estimates, Table B11007


Household Size & Overcrowding



Average Household Size in the United States & Ohio

Source: American Community Survey (ACS) One-Year Estimates, Tables B17001 & B25003

Severe Overcrowding by Income and Tenure

Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)



Average Household Size

Source: American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates, ACS One-Year Estimates, Tables B17001 & B25003

Severe Overcrowding by Region

Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)


Race/Ethnicity



Housing Instability by Race/Ethnicity

Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)




Black or African American Population

Source: American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates, ACS One-Year Estimates, Table B01003, B02009

Hispanic or Latino Population

Source: American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates, ACS One-Year Estimates, Table B01003, B03003

Asian or Pacific Islander Population

Source: American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates, ACS One-Year Estimates, Table B01003, B02011, B02012

Native American Population by Region

Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)

Middle Eastern/North African Population by Region

Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)

Housing Instability for Black Ohioans by Region

Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)

Housing Instability for Hispanic Ohioans by Region

Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)


Refugees

Refugee Arrivals to the U.S. & Ohio per Million

Source: Worldwide Refugee Admissions Processing System, U.S. Bureau of Population,
Refugees, and Migration

Refugee Arrivals by World Region of Origin

Source: Worldwide Refugee Admissions Processing System, U.S. Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration


Limited English Proficiency


Languages Spoken at Home by the LEP Population

Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)

LEP Housing Instability, Top 5 Languages

Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)


LEP Individuals as Share of Pop. 5+ by Region

Source: American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates, ACS One-Year Estimates, Table C16001

Housing Instability for LEP Individuals by Region

Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)


Veterans


Veterans by Period of Service

Source: American Community Survey (ACS) One-Year Estimates, Table B21002

Veteran Housing Instability by Age

Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)


Veterans as Share of Civilian Adults

Source: American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates, ACS One-Year Estimates, Table B21001

Veteran Housing Instability by Region

Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)


Group Quarters & Institutionalization



Group Quarters Population by Type

Source: Decennial Census

Institutionalization Rate by Age

Source: American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates, Table B26101

Institutionalization Rate by Race/Ethnicity

Source: American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates, Tables B26103, B26103A/B/D/I





Institutionalization Rate by Region

Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)


Fair Housing

Fair Housing Discrimination Cases Closed by Basis

Source: Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (public data request)

Cases Closed per 100,000 Households by Region

Source: Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (public data request)

Downloadable Tables

  • Demographics Tables – Coming Soon

Notes

HUD defines severely overcrowded housing as having more than 1.5 persons per room. Rooms must be separated by built-in archways or walls that extend out at least 6 inches and go from floor to ceiling. Bathrooms, porches, balconies, foyers, halls, and unfinished basements are not counted.

The Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) category has been constructed using both first and second response to the ancestry question in the ACS. MENA ancestries include Algerian, Assyrian, Bahraini, Bedouin, Berber, Egyptian, Emirati (United Arab Emirates), Iranian, Iraqi, Israeli, Jordanian, Kurdish, Kuwaiti, Lebanese, Libyan, Moroccan, Omani, Palestinian, Qatari, Saudi Arabian, Syrian, Tunisian, and Yemeni, as well as the more broadly-defined Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African.

According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees, refugees are people who have fled their country of origin to escape a war or due to a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, social status, or politics, and have been awarded special protective status. Only a small fraction of the world's refugee population is considered for final resettlement in the United States. The U.S. Department of State then helps match refugees with local resettlement agencies around the country. Refugee arrivals count the number of refugees initially resettled by the State Department and do not reflect secondary migration.

Limited English Proficient (LEP) refers to any person aged 5 years and over who is reported to speak English less than "very well" as classified by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Bases of discrimination are defined in Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (a.k.a., the Fair Housing Act). "Familial status" refers to discrimination based on the presence of children under 18 years of age. "Sex" includes discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity or sexual orientation. "Retaliation" is defined as punishment by a landlord–such as non-renewal of a lease or threats of eviction–in response to a previously filed fair housing complaint. Individual cases can have more than one basis of discrimination.

World Regions are defined by the U.S. Department of State at the country level.

For time series based on American Community Survey (ACS) or the ACS Public Use Microdata Sample, a gap is shown for the year 2020. Due to the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic in the data collection process, the level of nonresponse bias did not meet the Census Bureau's quality standards for a reliable release of standard one-year estimates for 2020. While experimental one-year estimates were released for that year using weighting methods to address the nonresponse bias, the Census Bureau has advised against comparing these to one-year estimates from other years.

Ohio Regions are defined at the county level by TourismOhio, part of the Ohio Department of Development. Regional estimates of IPUMS USA data are calculated using a geographic correspondence file from the Missouri Census Data Center at the University of Missouri to "crosswalk" the data from Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) to counties.

Data Sources