PantryPath Research · Rural & Persistent Poverty Atlas
Rural poverty in Ohio
1 persistent-poverty countyOhio has 1 persistent-poverty counties and 47 nonmetro counties — home to 61,573 residents living in counties with 30+ years of 20%-or-higher poverty. The state's all-ages poverty rate is 13.2% and child poverty is 18.0%.
1
Persistent-poverty counties
47
Nonmetro counties (RUCC 4–9)
62K
Residents in PPCs
88
Total counties
Ohio by county
← Back to national atlasToggle between the rural hunger risk score, all-ages poverty, child poverty, the Rural-Urban Continuum Code, and the binary persistent-poverty flag. Hover a county for its ERS typology and ACS poverty rate.
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Ohio at a glance
Poverty rate
13.2%
All ages, ACS S1701
Child poverty
18.0%
Under 18
PPC share
1.1%
Of counties in state
Nonmetro share
53.4%
RUCC 4–9
Pantries / 100K
2.18
PantryPath verified
Risk score (mean)
0.16
Composite 0–1
"Pantries / 100K" divides Ohio's 257 verified PantryPath pantries by the state population — a minimum-density indicator, not a saturated census. See methodology.
County-level hotspots
Top five counties across 88 in Ohio.
Highest rural hunger risk
Composite 0–1 score
- 1 Athens 0.50
- 2 Pike 0.38
- 3 Meigs 0.35
- 4 Noble 0.35
- 5 Adams 0.34
Highest poverty rate
ACS all-ages
- 1 Scioto 22.4%
- 2 Athens 22.1%
- 3 Meigs 22.0%
- 4 Adams 20.3%
- 5 Pike 19.9%
Persistent-poverty counties
PPCs ranked by current poverty
- 1 Athens 22.1%
Every county in Ohio
All 88 counties with RUCC, typology flags, and ACS poverty data.
| County | RUCC | PPC | Flags | Poverty | Child poverty | Population | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 8 | — | — | 20.3% | 31.4% | 27,510 | 0.34 |
| Allen | 3 | — | Pop. loss | 13.1% | 19.1% | 101,685 | 0.13 |
| Ashland | 6 | — | — | 13.8% | 23.2% | 52,296 | 0.24 |
| Ashtabula | 1 | — | Pop. loss | 18.3% | 26.0% | 97,343 | 0.07 |
| Athens | 4 | Yes | Housing | 22.1% | 14.3% | 61,573 | 0.50 |
| Auglaize | 4 | — | — | 7.5% | 9.7% | 46,209 | 0.14 |
| Belmont | 3 | — | — | 14.3% | 22.7% | 65,982 | 0.13 |
| Brown | 1 | — | — | 17.4% | 22.5% | 43,710 | 0.07 |
| Butler | 1 | — | — | 11.7% | 13.1% | 389,910 | 0.05 |
| Carroll | 2 | — | — | 12.5% | 22.9% | 26,731 | 0.09 |
| Champaign | 6 | — | — | 8.2% | 9.4% | 38,772 | 0.22 |
| Clark | 3 | — | Pop. loss | 15.6% | 22.3% | 135,445 | 0.14 |
| Clermont | 1 | — | — | 8.8% | 10.7% | 209,862 | 0.04 |
| Clinton | 6 | — | — | 14.8% | 20.8% | 42,014 | 0.25 |
| Columbiana | 4 | — | Pop. loss | 13.9% | 19.2% | 101,203 | 0.17 |
| Coshocton | 7 | — | — | 18.8% | 26.1% | 36,679 | 0.30 |
| Crawford | 4 | — | Pop. loss | 13.2% | 18.4% | 41,767 | 0.17 |
| Cuyahoga | 1 | — | Pop. loss, Housing | 16.2% | 23.2% | 1,249,418 | 0.06 |
| Darke | 6 | — | Pop. loss | 11.2% | 13.2% | 51,655 | 0.23 |
| Defiance | 6 | — | Pop. loss | 10.0% | 12.1% | 38,258 | 0.23 |
| Delaware | 1 | — | — | 5.0% | 6.2% | 221,160 | 0.02 |
| Erie | 3 | — | Pop. loss | 12.5% | 20.5% | 74,938 | 0.13 |
| Fairfield | 1 | — | — | 8.2% | 10.2% | 161,289 | 0.03 |
| Fayette | 6 | — | Low ed. | 16.0% | 21.5% | 28,880 | 0.25 |
| Franklin | 1 | — | Housing | 14.5% | 20.1% | 1,321,635 | 0.06 |
| Fulton | 2 | — | — | 8.7% | 12.3% | 42,434 | 0.07 |
| Gallia | 6 | — | Pop. loss | 14.8% | 16.9% | 29,162 | 0.25 |
| Geauga | 1 | — | — | 5.8% | 5.2% | 95,479 | 0.02 |
| Greene | 2 | — | — | 9.8% | 11.0% | 168,531 | 0.08 |
| Guernsey | 6 | — | Pop. loss | 15.8% | 22.8% | 38,283 | 0.25 |
| Hamilton | 1 | — | Housing | 14.9% | 20.1% | 827,878 | 0.06 |
| Hancock | 4 | — | — | 10.3% | 10.7% | 74,885 | 0.15 |
| Hardin | 6 | — | — | 18.2% | 30.8% | 30,527 | 0.26 |
| Harrison | 8 | — | Low ed. | 14.6% | 20.0% | 14,408 | 0.32 |
| Henry | 6 | — | Pop. loss | 8.4% | 13.2% | 27,581 | 0.22 |
| Highland | 6 | — | — | 14.4% | 18.9% | 43,403 | 0.25 |
| Hocking | 1 | — | — | 17.1% | 23.8% | 27,938 | 0.07 |
| Holmes | 9 | — | Low ed. | 8.8% | 12.6% | 44,312 | 0.34 |
| Huron | 4 | — | — | 12.0% | 15.9% | 58,412 | 0.16 |
| Jackson | 7 | — | — | 17.7% | 21.6% | 32,588 | 0.30 |
| Jefferson | 3 | — | Pop. loss | 16.9% | 24.8% | 64,855 | 0.14 |
| Knox | 6 | — | — | 11.0% | 14.5% | 62,888 | 0.23 |
| Lake | 1 | — | — | 8.2% | 11.5% | 232,101 | 0.03 |
| Lawrence | 2 | — | — | 17.5% | 21.2% | 57,385 | 0.11 |
| Licking | 1 | — | — | 10.1% | 13.3% | 180,311 | 0.04 |
| Logan | 4 | — | — | 11.3% | 14.9% | 46,140 | 0.16 |
| Lorain | 1 | — | — | 12.8% | 18.8% | 314,588 | 0.05 |
| Lucas | 2 | — | Pop. loss | 17.8% | 25.7% | 428,748 | 0.11 |
| Madison | 1 | — | — | 9.7% | 13.9% | 44,126 | 0.04 |
| Mahoning | 2 | — | Pop. loss | 18.3% | 27.0% | 227,063 | 0.11 |
| Marion | 4 | — | — | 15.3% | 18.3% | 65,145 | 0.17 |
| Medina | 1 | — | — | 6.1% | 7.4% | 183,049 | 0.02 |
| Meigs | 8 | — | — | 22.0% | 28.3% | 22,072 | 0.35 |
| Mercer | 7 | — | — | 6.1% | 6.4% | 42,438 | 0.25 |
| Miami | 2 | — | — | 8.6% | 10.1% | 109,549 | 0.07 |
| Monroe | 8 | — | Pop. loss | 15.1% | 21.9% | 13,308 | 0.32 |
| Montgomery | 2 | — | — | 14.9% | 22.0% | 535,528 | 0.10 |
| Morgan | 8 | — | — | 14.3% | 13.7% | 13,758 | 0.32 |
| Morrow | 1 | — | — | 10.9% | 12.1% | 35,214 | 0.04 |
| Muskingum | 4 | — | — | 15.6% | 21.0% | 86,382 | 0.17 |
| Noble | 9 | — | Low emp., Low ed. | 11.7% | 9.2% | 14,252 | 0.35 |
| Ottawa | 3 | — | — | 8.4% | 12.0% | 40,161 | 0.11 |
| Paulding | 8 | — | Pop. loss | 9.6% | 11.8% | 18,800 | 0.30 |
| Perry | 1 | — | — | 14.7% | 18.8% | 35,474 | 0.06 |
| Pickaway | 1 | — | — | 12.1% | 17.8% | 59,407 | 0.05 |
| Pike | 9 | — | Low ed. | 19.9% | 21.6% | 27,080 | 0.38 |
| Portage | 2 | — | — | 11.4% | 13.4% | 161,421 | 0.08 |
| Preble | 6 | — | Pop. loss | 11.2% | 17.3% | 40,802 | 0.23 |
| Putnam | 6 | — | Pop. loss | 7.1% | 8.0% | 34,352 | 0.22 |
| Richland | 3 | — | — | 13.9% | 20.6% | 125,138 | 0.13 |
| Ross | 4 | — | — | 16.8% | 25.4% | 76,748 | 0.18 |
| Sandusky | 4 | — | Pop. loss | 13.2% | 17.9% | 58,770 | 0.17 |
| Scioto | 4 | — | Low emp. | 22.4% | 28.8% | 73,118 | 0.20 |
| Seneca | 4 | — | Pop. loss | 11.9% | 16.2% | 54,861 | 0.16 |
| Shelby | 4 | — | — | 11.1% | 16.3% | 48,007 | 0.16 |
| Stark | 2 | — | Pop. loss | 12.7% | 18.4% | 373,764 | 0.09 |
| Summit | 2 | — | Pop. loss | 12.6% | 17.9% | 538,087 | 0.09 |
| Trumbull | 2 | — | Pop. loss | 16.8% | 27.5% | 201,367 | 0.10 |
| Tuscarawas | 4 | — | — | 13.0% | 16.6% | 92,585 | 0.16 |
| Union | 1 | — | — | 5.1% | 5.5% | 65,293 | 0.02 |
| Van Wert | 6 | — | — | 9.5% | 12.3% | 28,824 | 0.23 |
| Vinton | 8 | — | Low ed. | 16.7% | 17.5% | 12,686 | 0.33 |
| Warren | 1 | — | — | 5.4% | 5.9% | 246,364 | 0.02 |
| Washington | 4 | — | Pop. loss | 12.9% | 18.8% | 59,318 | 0.16 |
| Wayne | 4 | — | — | 8.7% | 10.1% | 116,618 | 0.15 |
| Williams | 7 | — | Pop. loss | 11.9% | 18.0% | 36,862 | 0.27 |
| Wood | 2 | — | — | 12.0% | 9.3% | 131,795 | 0.09 |
| Wyandot | 7 | — | Pop. loss | 7.5% | 5.8% | 21,699 | 0.26 |
Find a food pantry in Ohio
Search Ohio's 257 verified pantries, food banks, and meal programs — filtered by city, open-now status, and service type.
Ohio pantry directoryOhio SNAP
Income limits, application steps, and EBT card details for residents of persistent-poverty counties and beyond.
Ohio SNAP guideEmergency food help
National hotlines, 211 referrals, and same-day food options — critical in rural counties where the nearest pantry may be 30+ miles away.
Emergency foodFood deserts atlas
Rural poverty and low food access often overlap. Compare persistent-poverty counties to USDA's low-income / low-access food desert designations.
Ohio food desertsMethodology
How we combined USDA ERS typology codes, the Rural-Urban Continuum, ACS poverty data, and PantryPath's own pantry directory — plus the risk-score formula.
Full methodology