Income Inequality Ohio: Study Predicts State Policies Will Worsen Disparities
Research by Scioto Analysis, a Columbus-based data research and public policy firm, examined how the state’s income inequality plays out in housing costs, home ownership and the ability to survive a financial emergency.
“For too long lawmakers have not focused on making life better for working people which has exacerbated the wealth gap in Ohio,” said Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga. "This is a major issue, one that will shape the Ohio race for Governor, and why after careful consideration the Ohio AFL-CIO has endorsed Dr. Amy Acton."
The study, released this month, determined that Ohio’s Gini coefficient — the standard measure of income inequality — is 46.6, compared to 48.6 for the United States as a whole.
The Gini is essentially a single number that captures how evenly income is spread across a population: zero would mean everyone earns the same, 100 would mean one person earns everything. A 46.6 puts Ohio in the same range as Honduras (45.7), Costa Rica (45.8), or Nicaragua (46.2), according to World Bank data cited in the report.