September is an exciting month for the researchers at The Center for Community Solutions. Each fall the U.S. Census Bureau releases updated data on a host of indicators that we watch closely. While the full data set we use most often for our analysis won’t be released until December, we get quite a bit of updated information that can begin to answer some of our questions. Here are three things that we’ll look for in the data.
Have we improved or will Ohio still be the only state that has more than one city on the list of the 10 poorest in the country?
- Demographic Age Shift. Ohio’s population is rapidly aging, thanks to the fact that people are living longer, healthier lives in their communities, and the Baby Boomers reaching retirement age. There are already several counties across the state where the number of older adults ages 60 and older outnumber children under age 18. The “silver tsunami” is here, a name we don’t like to use because it’s not unexpected and it need not be destructive if communities prepare. Will any more counties join that graying list this year? [bctt tweet="What can we expect from the soon-to-be-released @uscensusbureau data?" username="CommunitySols"]
- Poverty Rankings. For years Cleveland has been the second poorest large city in the United States, behind Detroit, and we are dead last for child poverty. Have we improved or will Ohio still be the only state that has more than one city on the list of the 10 poorest in the country? Watch our Twitter feed on September 26 for up-to-the-minute information.
- Health Insurance. Since Medicaid expansion went into effect in 2014, the uninsured rate in Ohio has been cut in half. But we are seeing now, through other data sources, that there are early indicators fewer people are accessing Medicaid. Some of the fall off can be attributed to low unemployment, but certainly not all. Will insurance coverage get worse for the first time in 5 years?
But there’s one thing that the Census data definitely won’t answer: whether we are heading toward a recession, or if we are already there.
But there’s one thing that the Census data definitely won’t answer: whether we are heading toward a recession, or if we are already there. This data was collected in 2018, so there is a greater lag than in labor market information from other sources.
Keep an eye on 5 Things and Community Solutions’ social media this month for the latest.
We will work hard to sift through the new data to identify nuggets that tell us something important about conditions in our communities. Keep an eye on 5 Things and Community Solutions’ social media this month for the latest.
