Population of Ohio 2014
Based on the total number of births, total number of deaths, net migration rate, previous growth rates, and the population of 2013, the estimated population of Ohio in 2014 is about 11,582,243, which makes up about 3.6% of the country’s total population. Ohio is ranked 7th in the population rankings among the states in the United States, behind Pennsylvania, but ahead of Georgia. As of July 1, 2013, the population was recorded as an estimated 11,570,808. Thus, since last July, the population will have grown by 11,435 or by a growth rate of 0.099%. One of the major factors of the current population growth is, even though more Ohio citizens are moving to other states, many international migrants are moving to Ohio, which accounts for the population growth. The 2010 Census recorded the population as 11,536,504. Therefore, since the last census, the population will have grown by about 45,739 or by a growth rate of 0.4%. The 2000 Census recorded the population as 11,353,140. Therefore, since this census, the population will have grown by about 229,103 or by a growth rate of 2.02%. Based on the total land area and the total population of the state, the population density of Ohio is about 283 people per square mile or 109.27 people per square kilometer.
Government of Ohio 2014
The Ohio Constitution establishes the framework for the Ohio government, which is made up of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Governor John Kasich, a member of the Republican Party, currently heads the executive branch with the assistance of Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor, also a member of the Republican Party. The legislative branch, known as the Ohio General Assembly, consists of the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives. The Senate consists of 33 districts and thus has 33 state senators; the House of Representatives consists of 99 members. Keith Faber is the current President of the Senate and is a member of the Republican Party. William G. Batchelder is the current Speaker of the House and is also a member of the Republican Party. Not only are the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor both members of the Republican Party, but the Republican Party also holds a majority in both chambers of the Assembly. The three levels of the Ohio judicial system are the Court of Common Pleas, the district court system, and the Ohio Supreme Court. All seven justices on the Ohio Supreme Court serve a six-year term. The current Chief Justice is Maureen O’Connor. Traditionally over the years, Ohio has been considered a swing state in the presidential election; however, currently, the voter demographic leans towards the Democratic Party as there are more Ohio voters registered for the Democratic Party than the Republican Party.
Poverty in Ohio 2014
According to the Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, the overall poverty rate in Ohio is 16.3% and the overall extreme poverty rate is 7.6%. 24% of children in Ohio live in poverty, while only 10% of senior citizens live in poverty. 15.9% of women in Ohio live in poverty. Also, 38% of single-parent families with children live in poverty. The unemployment rate is 7.4%The minimum wage for employers that gross over $292,000 annually is $7.95. 31.8% of low-income families are working and 23.8% of jobs are low-wage jobs. Lastly, over 734,000 children receive food stamps and over 144,000 adults and children receive welfare.
Education in Ohio 2014
88.1% of adults in Ohio have a high school degree, while 25.5% of adults have a four-year college degree. The average college debt in Ohio is $29,037. 8% of Ohio teenagers from the ages 16 to 19 are currently not attending school and not working. Also, the high school graduation rate is 81.4%. StudentsFirst is an organization that evaluates the performance and productivity of education systems throughout the country. On a 4.0 scale, the state of Ohio received an overall grade point average of 1.92, which ranks 10th in the nation. The organization ranks the states in three categories: elevating the teaching profession, empowering parents, and spending wisely and governing well. Ohio is ranked 28th in elevating the teaching profession. While the state has adopted effective teacher evaluations and policies that take action against ineffective teachers, the state still compensates teacher based on seniority and degrees, instead of effectiveness, and they also will not fire teachers if they have tenure. Ohio is ranked 2nd in empowering parents. The state has many different publicly funded options for schools, including many scholarship opportunities and charter school options. The one thing that the state must work on is improving the quality of the charter schools. Lastly, Ohio is ranked 9th in spending wisely and governing well due to its ability to allow the state to intervene in low performing schools and districts. In fact, the Mayor of Cleveland even has some ability to step in when times are needed. There is also some spending flexibility and transparency. However, there is not enough teacher retirement security throughout the state.
Health in Ohio 2014
According to the United Health Foundation’s Annual Report of America’s Health Rankings, Ohio is ranked 40th in terms of overall health. The incidence of pertussis decreased from 15.7 to 6.7 cases per 100,000. The level of violent crime decreased by 15% over the past five years from 343 to 300 offenses per 100,000. While there is a low percentage of uninsured citizens, only 14% of the population, there is a high percentage of smokers and diabetes. Even though the prevalence of smoking has decreased by 8% over the last year, there are still over 2 million adults that smoke, making up around 23.3% of the population. Also, the portion of the state with diabetes increased over the past year from 10% to 11.7% of adults and 25% of adults remain physically inactive. The percentage of children with immunization coverage decreased from 74.7% to 66.8% of children between the ages of 15 to 35 months. Lastly, while 52.7% of adults ages 25 years or older with at least a high school degree report that they have very good health, only 22.9% of adults without a high school degree report such health.
How To Feed A Growing Population?
Prison Population in Ohio 2014
In 2013, there was recorded to be 50,419 prison inmates in the state of Ohio, which was a 1.4% increase in the total amount of inmates and a 2.9% increase in new inmates. However, in 2014, the total number of inmates is expected to reach a record high. The prediction for the number of inmates by June 30 of 2014 is 51,601, which is a 0.23% increase from 2013. While some focus on the fact that this may signal an increase in crime, it is also important to note that the state’s 28 prison were built to house 38,579 inmates. Thus, there is an overcrowding problem in the prisons, which could result in early release due to the lack of available cells. In fact, some fear that Ohio is slowly making its way towards California’s situation, where a court ruled that their overpopulation prisons were depriving the inmates of basic medical and mental health care. Thus, the prison system in Ohio is looking to alternatives, such as rehabilitation programs, in order to help the prisoners and the overcrowding problem.
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