People

People includes information about the people of central Ohio, the issues in which various organizations are engaged and metrics that will be used to measure the impact of these efforts. In 2000, the population of central Ohio was 1.83 million people. As of 2008, the estimated population is over 2.0 million people. Approximately 65 percent of the growth is from new births, 25 percent from international migration, and 10 percent from domestic migration. Central Ohio is the only region of Ohio that has been growing. Without the growth of central Ohio, the state would have lost nearly 40,000 people which equates to the loss of the population of all of Madison County.  Approximately 65 percent of the growth is from new births, 25 percent from international migration, and 10 percent from domestic migration.

The people of central Ohio are young compared to the rest of the nation and the state. Whereas the average Ohioan is slightly older than the average American, the average central Ohioan is slightly younger.  The racial and ethnic makeup of central Ohio is less diverse than the state and the nation.  The biggest difference is in the Latino/Hispanic population. Nationally, this segment makes up 12 percent of the population compared to 4 percent in Ohio and 2 percent in central Ohio.  However, the diversity of central Ohio is increasing. Central Ohioans have a higher drive alonesingle-occupancy commuter pattern than the nation and the state, however their commute time is shorter.  The median income of central Ohio households is slightly higher than that of the state and the nation, as and so is the percentage of people with college degrees.

For more in depth demographic characteristics of the region and the individual communities ad and counties, visit the FastFacts section of demographic page on the MORPC Dataport at www.morpc.org.

For more benchmarking information showing how the Columbus region compares to other metro areas, visit the Community Research Partners website at http://www.communityresearchpartners.org.

Action is being taken on a number of people- related issues. These issues include Attracting People,  Civic Engagement, Access to Information, and Embracing Diversity. 

Metrics associated with the concept of People include:
English proficiency participation in schools
Library circulations
Recreation and cultural events attendance (coming soon)
Senior service levies (coming soon)
School levies (coming soon)
Number of hate crimes
School enrollment
Website hits on the Central Ohio Regional Issues Forums  and the MORPC DataPort (coming soon)
United Way contributions (coming soon)