Demographics

The following maps analyze several demogaphic characteristics and their spatial arrangement in what are known as census block groups. Census block groups are the smallest geographic units reported by the census. The sizes of the block groups vary with the amount of population. Block groups contain between 600 and 3000 people.

Notice how the block groups are very large at the edges of the counties where population is low and very small in the urban centers where population is dense. Be careful when reading some of these maps. Block groups at the edges of the counties are very large with few people. For example, in the poverty levels map, a high percentage of poverty does not necessarily mean that there are a lot of people in poverty in the area.

	Change in Population 2000- 2005: This map displays the change in population within the MORPC Transportation Modeling Area between the years 2000 and 2005. The area includes Franklin, Delaware and Licking counties, as well as parts of Madison, Union and Pickaway counties, all of which are covered by the MORPC travel demand model. The travel demand model is a computer model used for estimating future traffic to help planners and policy makers determine what transportation improvements might be necessary to accommodate future transportation demands. The data on this map are displayed by Traffic Analysis Zones, which are the geographic units used in the travel demand model. There were approximately 1.4 million people in this area in 2000. Over 150,000 people were added between 2000 and 2005, which is an annual growth rate of about 2 percent.
	Change in Population 2005- 2030: This map displays the change in population within the MORPC Transportation Modeling Area between the years 2005 and 2030. There were approximately 1.6 million people in this area in 2005. The area is expected to increase by 425,000 people by 2030, which is an annual growth rate of about 1.25 percent.
	Elderly Population 2000 This map shows the percentage of people who are over 65 by census block group. The elderly population includes people that are over the age of 65. Central Ohio is younger than much of Ohio. In 2000, the median age of an American was 35 years, the median age of an Ohioan was 36 years, and the median age of a central Ohioan was less than 34 years. However, the region is aging. In 2000, the elderly represented about 10 percent of the total population of the 7-county central Ohio area. This is slightly higher than the 1990 average, which was just under 10 percent. By the year 2030, this portion of the population is expected to represent 15 percent of the region.
	Disabled Population 2000 This map shows the percentage of people who are disabled by census block group. Disabled populations are defined in this map as those having transportation disabilities. These include people with sensor disabilities as well as people who could be in the labor force and identified themselves as needing transportation assistance. In 2000, approximately 12 percent of the population reported that they require transportation assistance.
	Minority Population 2000 This map shows the percentage of people who are a minority by census block group. Minorities include people who are African American, Asian, Native American or identified themselves as some other race than "White" on their census form. Hispanics are not included as a minority population on this map, because a Hispanic person can be any race. Hispanic populations are shown separately on other maps. In 2000, minority populations represented about 18% of the 7-county central Ohio area. Most of the minority population lives in Franklin County. The shaded areas in the other counties are primarily prisons.
	Poverty Levels 2000 This map shows the percentage of people in poverty by census block group. The poverty level is defined by the Health and Human Services Department of the federal government. The poverty rates are calculated at the national level and are based on household sizes. In 2000, the poverty rate for a family of 4 was about $17,600. In 2007, the poverty rate is about $20,600 for a family of 4. This map was created using census data from 2000, because that is the last time that data was available at small scales that are useful for mapping. In 2000, about 10% of the households in the 7 counties of central Ohio were in poverty.