YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A pair of community reports released by the Raymond John Wean Foundation point to both successes and challenges within Youngstown and Warren, citing improvements in home ownership and business starts.
The reports were commissioned by the Wean Foundation and prepared by the Greater Ohio Policy Center.
The Youngstown study found that the number of owner-occupied homes in the city increased between 2020 and 2023. In Youngstown, home ownership stood at 56.9% in 2023, while renter-occupied dwellings consisted of 43%, the report said.
The report noted that the amount of permanent vacant houses has declined sharply since 2022, while average sales prices have more than doubled.
Still, “the city of Youngstown is experiencing higher rates of population decline when compared to previous observed periods,” the report concluded. Youngstown witnessed its population drop from 64,152 in 2020 to 59,605 in 2023, a decrease of 7%.
However, Mahoning County’s population is beginning to stabilize, the report noted. During the same period, Mahoning County’s population dropped from 228,452 to 227,063, a decline of just 0.61%.
Moreover, the study found that the number of minority, women and Encouraging Diversity Growth and Equity, or Edge, certified businesses have all doubled within Youngstown since February 2022.
Among the city’s growing industries include health care and social assistance, while retail and administrative services have fallen out of favor in exchange for public administration and educational services, the report found.
Despite these improvements, “significant economic inequities between the city and county and state remain,” the report states. “Because of the racial demographics of the city, versus the county and state, these inequities are highly racialized.”
School report cards show that the city school district needs supportive intervention to improve metrics and assist in meeting student expectation goals.
Meanwhile, the percent of households living below poverty has increased in both Youngstown and Mahoning County. “This is a sign that continued efforts to assist racial minorities are still necessary,” according to the report, which can be viewed HERE.
The city of Warren is also showing improvement across various metrics.
Warren’s population, for example, has not only stabilized but has increased between 2020 and 2023, the report shows. In 2020, the city’s population stood at 38,986. In 2023, data show Warren’s population increased to 39,057, an improvement of 0.18%.
Trumbull County’s population is beginning to stabilize as well. Through the same period, the county boasted a population increase of 1.1%, the report said.
Home ownership across the city has increased from 2020 to 2023, particularly among Hispanic households, the report shows. There is also significantly less vacant housing within the city since 2022, while average sales prices for homes in the city have doubled.
The economy has also shown improvement in some areas, such as an increase in overall wages throughout Trumbull County, the report noted.
Other important findings include:
- The percentage of White ethnic households living below the poverty line has decreased in all geographies since 2020.
- The percentage of Hispanic households living below the poverty line has decreased in Warren but has increased in Trumbull County.
- The percentage of Black households living below the poverty line has increased in both the county and the city.
“This is a sign that continued efforts to assist racial minorities are still necessary,” the Warren city report concluded. “It’s also important to note the cost of housing is outpacing wage increases, meaning that residents still have to work more hours to afford the same housing.”
Moreover, like Youngstown, the number of certified minority, women and EDGE certified businesses have all doubled within Warren since February 2022. School report card metrics generally improved across all categories.
The Warren report can be viewed HERE.