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Remarkably Diverse People and Strengths, and Wrenching Transitions.
The City of Cleveland is in the northeast section of the state of Ohio, along the southern shore of Lake Erie. Cleveland has a land area of 77 square miles, and is surrounded by a necklace of state parks and one national park. Cleveland's population of about 452,000 makes it the largest city in Cuyahoga County. Cuyahoga County, with a population of 1.3 million, is the largest county in Ohio and the 28th largest county in the United States. The County's population is remarkably diverse, with people from 117 nations.
Employment and Population Trends.
Cleveland, along with all of Ohio, is undergoing a painful transition, as the region’s manufacturing sector, once the foundation of its economy, shrinks. Only three states in the nation have a projected rate of job growth during the next 25 years that is lower than Ohio’s (Exner, 2005). Between 2000 and 2004, Ohio lost more than 220,000 jobs. Seventy-one thousand of these lost jobs were in Cleveland. This loss has been described as "staggering," and places Cleveland in an "economic emergency." (George Zeller, Council for Economic Opportunity of Greater Cleveland, 2005). Equally staggering is Cleveland's decline in population during the past half-century. In 1950, Cleveland's population was more than 915,000. In 2003, it had declined by more than 50% to 424,948 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2003a). The decline has not abated. Between 2000 and 2004, Cuyahoga County lost nearly 43,000 residents, while Ohio’s overall population grew by less than 1 percent (The Plain Dealer, April 15, 2005).
Age, Race, and Ethnicity.
Based on the 2003 census report, the median age of Cleveland’s population is 33 years. Twenty-eight percent of Cleveland's residents are younger than 18 years, and twelve percent are 65 years or older. Thirty-nine percent are persons living alone, and 25% are married families. Cleveland has a much higher proportion of African-American residents than Cuyahoga County, or the nation as a whole. African-Americans comprise 12% of the nation's residents, 27% of all Cuyahoga County residents, and 51% of those in Cleveland (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001a). Those of Hispanic ethnicity comprise 7% of Cleveland residents. Cleveland’s ethnic and racial diversity was a key factor in its selection as the first U.S. host city for the International Children’s Games and Cultural Festival (2004) that were held in August, 2004.
Educational Achievement.
Residents of Cleveland have a mean level of educational achievement that is far lower than that of residents of other large Ohio cities, such as Columbus, Ohio (U.S. Census Bureau, 2003b). Adults older than 25 years who have earned a bachelor's degree comprise only 9% of Cleveland residents, compared with 22% of Columbus residents. Twenty seven percent of Cleveland adults do not have a high school diploma or its equivalent, compared with only 13% of adults in Columbus. Cleveland’s public schools are in crisis, and in 2005 faced major funding shortfalls and massive teacher layoffs (The Plain Dealer, April 26, 2005).
Income.
Cleveland suffers considerable economic distress. Average per-capita income in Cleveland in 1999 was $14,291, a figure that is 34% below the national average of $21,587 (Center for Community Solutions [CCS], 2003, pp. 98-99). More than one-fourth (26.3%) of all Cleveland residents had incomes below the federal poverty level in 2000. However, nearly half (48.2%) of Cleveland’s female-headed families with children had incomes below this level. Economic growth in Cuyahoga County has fallen well below national rates. From 1993 to 2000, the number of business establishments in the county rose by only 5.6%, compared with 10.4% for the United States as a whole (CCS, 2003, p. 163). From 2000 to 2003, Cuyahoga County lost 62,400 jobs (Bier, 2004).
Cleveland has been called the poorest large city in America. In a study conducted in 2003 of U.S. cities of more than 250,000, Cleveland had both the highest overall rate of poverty, and the highest rate of child poverty (U.S. Census Bureau, 2003). The median income of households in Cleveland is $22,978. Thirty one percent of the population lives in poverty. Most troubling, 47% of Cleveland’s children live in households with incomes below the poverty level. In contrast, only 23% of children in Columbus, Ohio, live below the poverty level.
References
Bier, T. (2004, May 23). Sink, swim and bail. Cleveland, OH: The Plain Dealer.
Center for Community Solutions. (2003). Social indicators 2003: Education, employment, and income. Cleveland, OH: Author.
Exner, R. (2005, June 30). Cleveland's population lowest since 1900. Cleveland, OH: The Plain Dealer, pp. A-1, A-13.
International Children’s Games and Cultural Festival. Greetings from the 2004 Festival. Retrieved 30 July 2004 from http://www.childrens-games.org./cleveland2004.html
U.S. Census Bureau. (2001a). DP-1. Profile of general demographic characteristics: Data set: Census 2000 summary file 1(SF1) 100-percent data. (Geographic areas: Cuyahoga County, Ohio, and Cleveland city, Ohio).
U.S. Census Bureau. (2007). Population Estimates for the 100 Largest U.S. Counties Based on July 1, 2006 Population Estimates: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006. Retrieved 6 April 2007 from http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/cb07-42tbl2.xls
U.S. Census Bureau. (2003a). American community survey 2003 Data Profile, Cleveland.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2003b). American Community Survey 2003 Data Profile, Columbus. Retrieved 29 April 2005 from
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Profiles/Single/ 2003/ACS/Tabular?160/16000US39180001.htm
U.S. Census Bureau (2005, December 22). Table 1: Annual Estimates of the Population for the United States and States, and for Puerto Rico: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005 (NST-EST2005-01).
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