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Akron area's midsize cities, townships new to census report see declines in median household income over last eight years
By Paula Schleis and David Knox
Beacon Journal staff writers
Published on Tuesday, Dec 09, 2008
We're all in this together.
From bucolic Wooster to upscale Hudson to the super townships of Stark County, no corner has been left unscathed by the sluggish Ohio economy of recent years, according to census figures.
The report, released today, showed that over the last eight years, median household income declined in all 12 midsize cities and four large townships in the Akron-Canton area included for the first time in the American Community Survey.
The declines in median family income ranged from 2.1 percent in the city of Medina to nearly 20 percent in Wooster.
Previous versions of the survey included data on communities no smaller than 65,000 in population. Today's report is the first since the 2000 census to include detailed economic, housing and other information for cities and townships with as few as 20,000 residents. The median household income figures are three-year averages (2005-07).
The decline in household income wasn't a complete surprise. For several years, the survey has found that typical households in Akron, Canton and other large Ohio cities and counties were taking in fewer dollars, adjusted for inflation, than reported in the 2000 census.
The new report confirms that smaller cities and suburban communities in Ohio also have lost ground since 1999, the year incomes were earned and reported in the 2000 census.
Paula Suveges of Cuyahoga Falls said she didn't need the Census Bureau to tell her the local economy was slipping, even before this year's financial crisis.
''It just went from bad to really bad,'' she said.
Her husband, David, retired in 2000 as a supervisor with the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission. Since then, she said, the couple has relied on income from rental properties, but that's proved increasingly difficult.
Suveges, 60, said she's looking for a job and her husband, 62, already is back to work part time. He got a job driving a van for a company under contract with the county Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities after the couple attended a Senior Employment Center Mature Workers' Job Fair in September.
She said the problem is the economy failed to recover from the 2001 recession.
''Times never really got better,'' she said. ''We've just been holding our own.''
The census numbers show the median income declines in Cuyahoga Falls were typical for the area — a drop of 6.4 percent in family households to $60,982, and down 9.7 percent for all households, which include single people.
City officials in Wooster, which usually can be counted on as a statistical bright spot in the region, were shocked by the nearly 20 percent decline in its median household income, when adjusted for inflation, to $37,438.
Wooster also led the region in declining home values: 6.2 percent less than 2000. Just as surprising was a slight drop in the percentage of residents with a four-year college degree. All but one of the 15 other area communities listed in the report saw an increase in education.
''That's very hard to believe. I can't even attempt to explain that,'' said Rod Crider, president of the Wayne Economic Development Council. ''The only thing I can think of is, we've had our own version of urban sprawl, with some people moving into the township.''
Crider's explanation is plausible. The American Community Survey found the income decline in Wayne County as a whole to be much less than the city's and in line with the rest of the area.
Here are more snapshots from the 2007 survey: Hudson reported by far the highest household income at $112,740.
The college town of Kent fell nearly 16 percent to $31,063.
Blue-collar Barberton fell about 15 percent to $34,090.
The once fast-growing Stark County townships of Jackson, Lake and Plain (which includes North Canton) saw median household income dips ranging from 8.8 percent to 10 percent.
Medina's 1.4 percent decline in household income was by far the area's best showing. No other community reported less than a 6.6 drop.
Among the region's large cities, Akron's median household income dropped 15 percent to $33,672, and Canton's fell nearly 21 percent to $28,333.
Poverty up
Almost all of the area communities reported an increase in the poverty rate for individuals.
Barberton saw the largest hike, from 13.3 to 21.3 percent.
Medina, one of the more affluent cities in the area, reported the fourth worst increase, from 5.7 to 10.4 percent.
Education
We may be getting poorer, but we are getting a little smarter.
More than 23 percent of adults in Ohio had at least a bachelor's degree, a 2.2 percent increase from 2000 and comparable to national gains.
In this area, Stow and Green are getting a higher education the fastest, recording 6.9 and 5.2 percent increases since 2000.
Wooster and Alliance are the only two local cities that saw declines in residents with four-year degrees.
Housing
What housing bubble?
The report found growth in housing values in most communities slowing.
Median home values in Ohio rose 7.6 percent since 2000, and Summit County fared a little better, at 8.1 percent. That compares to a national average that jumped 26 percent in the same period.
A handful of communities ended up in the negative.
Again, Wooster suffered the biggest loss. Its median home value of $121,900 is 6.2 percent less than in 2000, when adjusted for inflation.
Other communities that saw values decline are Plain Township, Massillon, Medina and Wadsworth.
Hudson saw the largest gain in median home values, with a 7.4-percent inflation-adjusted increase to $306,200.
See a census chart on how the Akron area has fared in the last eight yearsPaula Schleis can be reached at 330-996-3741 or pschleis@thebeaconjournal.com. David Knox can be reached at 330-996-3532 or dknox@thebeaconjournal.com.
We're all in this together.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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akron, oh
Posted 09:30 AM, 12/09/2008
Summary:
The rich got richer and the poor got poorer.
Tepplin, DC
Posted 09:56 AM, 12/09/2008
Urban or suburban, we are all connected. But people still think this is an isolated problem. Fix Stow or North Canton's economy, they think, and everything else will be okay. Move to some far flung township in Portage or Wayne Counties and you can escape the problems of the city, they think.
This will all go on for a few more years, and the problems will not be resolved. Maybe when we finally see that the only way to survive is to address the region's problems as a whole and work together as a whole, then and only then will Northeast Ohio's fortunes turn around.
Tallmadge, OH
Posted 01:55 PM, 12/09/2008
Akron is the worst. That's because of all the lazy worthless in the city who live off welfare and medicade. You know who they are.
Posted 03:58 PM, 12/09/2008
OMG, let's not forget all the fatcats who got even fatter thanks to Sponge Don's reverse Robin Hood-ism.
Wooster, OH
Posted 06:27 PM, 12/09/2008
As a Wooster resident, I must say this is not the story local leaders are telling. In fact, according to Wayne County Auditor Jarra Underwood, property values have actually increased by just over 6%. In fact my house, has risen by 20% according to the 2008 property appraisal. So apparently someone is lying. Is it the Beacon or is it the Wayne County Auditor? How does one find out?
