Spending among Ohio consumers slows as gas threatens to go even higher
Exxon and Chevron warn oil could hit $150–$160 a barrel as diesel stocks hit a 40-year low, while U-M sentiment data shows consumers already cutting spending.
Poverty
Projected Social Security benefits cliff creeps up to 2032
A new SSA report shows the trust fund depletes a few months sooner than last year's estimate, which would cut benefits to 78% for 68 million recipients unless Congress acts.
The affordability crisis is getting worse in Ohio and the U.S., but it’s not new
A Brookings Institution analysis finds 40% of Ohio households can't make ends meet, a crisis dating to 2014 with steeper impacts on families of color and single parents.
Care for seniors is sucking wealth out of families — especially in Ohio
A Roosevelt Institute study shows long-term care costs force even wealthy families to spend down assets to Medicaid limits, while Trump's healthcare law threatens to cut another $150 billion from nursing home payments.
13,000 more Ohioans to lose food stamps for not meeting requirements under Trump law
The cuts follow 80,000 Ohioans losing SNAP benefits since July, with older adults ages 55-64 hit hardest after losing work requirement exemptions.
More on Poverty
Ohio’s most populous county sees 43% increase in unsheltered homelessness, according to report
Franklin County’s annual Point-in-Time Count identified 2,587 people experiencing homelessness — a 1.2% increase from 2025. Sheltered homelessness decreased by…
Under one Trump cut, Ohio families lose the most
A new analysis finds Ohio families could lose more than $15,000 a year in child care assistance after the Trump administration moved to scrap a Biden-era affordability cap — the largest projected loss of any state in the country.
Food pantries on Ohio college campuses help students experiencing food insecurity
About 40% of college students report experiencing food insecurity. A bipartisan Ohio House bill would create a statewide Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program, providing $625,000 annually to help schools expand food pantry services and earn a hunger-free designation.
SNAP work requirements don’t boost jobs, but drop participation, research finds
A new Brookings Institution analysis finds federal food stamp work requirements don't increase employment — and at least 2.5 million people have already lost SNAP benefits since the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was signed into law last summer.
Ohio’s nursing homes are dumping patients at homeless shelters
Long-term care facilities in Ohio are increasingly discharging their residents to homeless shelters, according to federal inspection reports, resident advocates, and the industry itself.
Report shows 616,700 Ohio workers would benefit from minimum wage increasing to $15 an hour by 2030
A new Policy Matters Ohio report finds that Ohio's $11-an-hour minimum wage isn't enough to cover basic living costs in any of the state's 88 counties — and under current law, workers won't see a $15 wage until 2034.
As Ohio summer meal programs see increased use, federal cuts make it harder to fight child hunger
Ohio served more than 2.6 million summer lunches in 2024 — a 3-year participation high — but researchers warn federal SNAP cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will increase child food insecurity and shrink program eligibility just as demand grows.
2.5 million Americans lost food aid in months after passage of GOP megabill, study finds
A new study found at least 2.5 million people lost SNAP benefits in the 6 months after the One Big Beautiful Bill became law — without any improvement in economic conditions to explain the drop.
Ohio House approves food stamp funding that will leave big shortfalls in urban counties
The Ohio House passed a $12.5 million SNAP stopgap that splits funds equally across all 88 counties — leaving Cuyahoga County facing a $7.5 million shortfall while smaller counties are made whole — after Democrats' needs-based amendment was voted down.
Report: As food cuts phase in, Ohioans will die prematurely
New work requirements under Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill are projected to cause at least 900 premature deaths in Ohio by 2040 — rising to 23,000 if Ohio abandons SNAP entirely under a nearly $400 million cost burden the law imposes on states.
Nearly half of Ohioans don’t make enough to be economically secure, report says
Urban Institute data shows many Ohio families can’t meet basic costs despite incomes above poverty, with parents and minority households hit hardest.
Huge numbers in Ohio and other states are one big expense away from poverty
An Ohio-based analysis finds many U.S. families—especially those earning near the median income—are just one major unexpected expense away from falling into poverty.
Federal funding for people in poverty heading to anti-abortion centers instead
A national investigation finds millions in federal TANF and other grants flowing to crisis pregnancy centers, raising concerns about oversight and use of public funds.
‘Everyone deserves a warm bed.’ Ohio’s only LGBTQ+ adult homeless shelter is opening in Youngstown
Full Spectrum Rainbow House opens March 16 in Youngstown as Ohio’s only LGBTQ+ adult homeless shelter, addressing housing gaps and discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ residents.
Food deserts are growing in Ohio and other states. See where they are
A new map highlights food deserts across Ohio, with a report arguing weakened antitrust enforcement since the 1980s fueled grocery consolidation, higher prices, and reduced access to fresh food.
