OHIO — A lot has happened in the last 50 years, the time between America’s 200th and 250th anniversary.
The fall of the Berlin Wall, the advent of the internet, the Tiananmen Square protests, the Challenger Disaster, 9/11 and more. As time marches forward, America changes with it, and Ohio is no exception.
The national population has skyrocketed with a roughly 63% increase between 1970 and 2020 (two censuses close to the anniversaries), from 203,211,926 to 331,449,281.
In Ohio, the change is much less drastic, though an increase nonetheless. The Buckeye State’s population increased to 11,799,448 in 2020, from 10,652,017 in 1970. That’s an increase of just under 11%.
The total number of households in the state have increased as well, up to about 4.9 million in 2024, up from about 3.3 million in 1970.
The cities tell their own stories of population change. When looking at the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton and Toledo areas, the majority of these cities have seen a decline in the 50-year period. Columbus is the sole exception of the five, having seen significant growth over the years.
In the 1970 Census, it showed the 1969 median household income as $9,229. That may sound low by today’s standards, but that amount has the same purchasing power as $86,877 today.
Ohio’s 2024 median household income was below this, at $72,212.
As for the cities, those numbers can be even more stark. Here’s how they break down:
City of Cleveland
- 1969: $10,292 ($96,884 today)
- 2024: $43,383
City of Columbus
- 1969: $9,249 ($87,066 today)
- 2024: $67,084
City of Cincinnati
- 1969: $9,006 (84,778 today)
- 2024: $56,910
City of Toledo
- 1969: $9,747 (91,754 today)
- 2024: $50,562
Data was unavailable for the City of Dayton’s median household income in 1970.
Cody Thompson
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