The newest State of Poverty in Ohio report is out, and while the state’s poverty rate nudged down to 13.3% this year, it’s still the 15th highest in the country, and higher than the national average, as it’s been since 2007.
But the number that really jumps out? Nearly 70% of Ohio’s counties are “resource deserts.” That means at least one part of those 60 counties has no grocery store and no pharmacy.
The high cost of missing basics
The report, from the Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies (OACAA), shows just how deep the access gaps run:
- 67 counties have at least one food desert.
- 67 counties have at least one pharmacy desert.
- 60 counties—68% of the state—have both.
- Ohio has lost 16% of its pharmacies in the last decade.
And it’s not just about inconvenience. Limited access to healthy food and prescriptions adds up—higher rates of obesity, stress, untreated health issues, and shorter lifespans. In Delaware County, the wealthiest in the state, the average life expectancy is 81.3 years. In Vinton County, one of the poorest, it’s just 69.9 years—a 12-year gap.
How we got here
Ohio’s growing service deserts aren’t evenly spread—they hit hardest in high-poverty communities, both urban and rural. “When families and whole communities have a difficult time accessing basic needs like food and medicine, that is normally a demonstration of lack of access to employment and other economic opportunities as well,” said Philip E. Cole, executive director of OACAA.
Over the past decade, smaller grocers and independent pharmacies have struggled to compete with large chains, contributing to the decline in local access to food and medications. That leaves many Ohioans facing tough choices about where to shop, how to fill prescriptions, or even how to get to the nearest essential services.
What it would take to change
Fixing these gaps isn’t simple, but the report argues it will take policy changes and major investment in independent grocers and pharmacies, education, transportation, and health care. Without that, the cycle repeats, and the gap between rich and poor counties keeps growing.
If you’d like to read the full study, please click here.
Featured image by Isaiah Villar on Unsplash.
