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 insecurity. Population changes shape the demand of housing and provide insight into what types of housing are most needed.

Section Highlights

• After a decade of slow growth (+2.3% from 2010 to 2020), Ohio's population has started to decline. Peaking at 11,797,517 in 2020, the population had dropped to 11,756,058 by 2022, a decline of 0.4%. Over this period, all Ohio regions lost population, except for Central Ohio, which experienced 0.9% growth. Southeast Ohio had the greatest loss of population (–1.3%).
• Ohio's population is relatively old. In 2021 the median age in Ohio was 40 years, compared to the national median of 39. Ohio's older adult population also continues to grow, but the amount of growth is slowing down. From 2001 to 2019, Ohioans aged 55 years and over grew steadily from 22% of the population to 31%, where the population remains two years later.
• Demographers predict the population aged 55 and 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 (+8.0%), compared to a 2.0% decline statewide. While the 55-and-over population may be peaking this decade, as baby boomers continue to age, older population cohorts are expected to peak in decades to come. By 2050 the number of Ohioans aged 85 years and over will be nearly double in size to what it is now, which poses serious challenges to housing and caring for the elderly.
• Although the older adult population may no longer be growing, the number of older Ohioans who live alone is increasing. One of every eight Ohio households—or more than 613,000—houses a single adult aged 65 or over. Aging householders living alone face unique challenges when it comes to maintaining the cost and upkeep of a home, especially among those who wish to age in place.
• Ohio's children are more likely than adults to live in poverty; 18% of the population under 18 and 21% of children under 5 are living in households below the federal poverty level, compared to 13% of the overall population.
• More than 400,000 Ohioans of Color are housing insecure, meaning they live in a household spending at least 50% of its income on housing. Black Ohioans are the most likely racial group to be housing insecure (256,996 people, or 19% of the state's Black population). This includes 218,460 living in severely rent-burdened housing (27% of the Black population living in rental housing in Ohio).

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