New Census data show Greater Cincinnati region has nearly 100,000 kids in poverty

Greater Cincinnati’s child poverty rate looks a bit better than last year. But Cincinnati and Hamilton County still have a higher percentage of children living in poverty than they did just six years ago, according to new estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau. Nearly half of all children in the city of Cincinnati -- 44.6 percent -- live below the federal poverty level. That amounts to 28,811 kids. In Hamilton County, more than one out of four children, or 26.1 percent, live in poverty. That represents 48,029 children. And for the Tri-State as a whole, 19.4 percent, or nearly one in five children, live in households that are below the federal poverty level. That figure represents 98,824 kids. All of those child poverty percentages are a bit lower than the American Community Survey estimates released last December, marking two years in a row that the region’s child poverty rates have declined. RELATED: Child poverty in Tri-State remains high But the child poverty rates in Cincinnati and Hamilton County remain a bit higher than estimates released five years ago. 2017 5-year Census poverty release chart Infogram “This is a huge challenge that we’re facing as a region, a county and a city that we have to take head on,” said Ross Meyer, senior vice president and chief impact officer at United Way of Greater Cincinnati. United Way announced earlier this year that the organization would be investing the bulk of its money in efforts and organizations to reduce child poverty.  United Way also helps manage the work of the group of community and business leaders known as the Child Poverty Collaborative, which began working in 2016 to reduce child poverty in Cincinnati and Hamilton County. The Child Poverty Collaborative launched its One-to-One Learning Collaborative in September, starting the clock on its ambitious goal to help 10,000 children and 5,000 families lift themselves out of poverty in the next five years.