CLEVELAND, Ohio - New profiles of each of Cleveland's 17 wards confirms what many people would expect: the city is wrestling with a host of problems ranging from poverty and unaffordable housing to high rates for teen pregnancy and, in some cases, lack of health insurance.
The profiles, prepared in a report by the non-partisan think tank Center for Community Solutions, drew from mostly 2016 data from the Census Bureau and other public sources, such as unemployment and health statistics, to present a basic demographic picture of the wards and the problems they face.
"With the elections behind us, it is important for incumbent and newly-elected City Council members to have reliable data about the people they represent," Kate Warren, the research associate who prepared the profiles, said in statement.
The report presents profiles for the city as a whole and for each of the 17 wards.
Among the findings:
- In a population of nearly 390,600 in Cleveland, there were 137,585 people who live in poverty. The household income for a single parent with two kids was below $20,090.
- About 59 percent of the labor force was employed. The median income was $26,150.
- In 11 of 17 wards, the child poverty rate topped 50 percent.
- The teen pregnancy rate (ages 15 to 19) was nearly 55 cases for every 1,000 females across Cleveland. In Wards 4 and 10 on the East Side and Ward 14 on the West Side, the rate was above 70 per 1,000.
- Despite the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, many Clevelanders were still without health insurance. The report estimates that more than 61,000 people lack coverage and in some wards the uninsured rate tops 15 percent.
The profiles are available online at the Center for Community Solutions. Members of City Council may find them to be a useful tool for helping address issues in the city, Warren said.
"As council members consider how they will tackle poverty, infant mortality, and health disparities throughout the city, they need to be informed about how these issues specifically impact their ward."