16 percent of Ohioans lived in poverty for all of last year, and nearly a third were under the federal poverty line for at least some of it. Those are among the findings in a from community groups that work on the front lines of the war on poverty in Ohio.
The numbers are similar to last year鈥檚. 1 in 3 poor Ohioans live in urban areas, but almost half of those living in poverty are in rural or suburban areas. Phil Cole with the lames income inequality and a lack of jobs and transportation where people are living.
鈥淭here are a lot of things that cause poverty, that get people into poverty. The challenge is getting out.鈥�
And there鈥檚 evidence that getting out is very hard. A little over 5 percent of Ohio kids who start out in the bottom fifth of income will end up in the top fifth by the time they鈥檙e adults, but more than 38% will stay among the poorest Ohioans.
