Ohio Rural-Urban Interface Series: RU-1

 

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Section 2: Ohio’s Rural and Urban Population, 1950 to 1990

As noted in the previous section, Ohio is a densely populated state with a relatively large urban and rural population. In this section, some basic facts about the changing rural and urban composition of the state since 1950 are considered.

• From 1950 to 1990, Ohio’s total population grew from 7.9 million to 10.8 million residents, an increase of 36.5 percent (Table 2.1). The urban population grew 44.1 percent during this time period, from 5.6 million to 8.0 million, while the rural population grew from 2.3 million to 2.8 million (an 18.6 percent increase).

• Ohio has become slightly more urban since 1950. In 1950, 70 percent of Ohio residents lived in urban places while 74 percent did in 1990. The rural population declined from just under 30 percent of the total population in 1950 to about 26 percent in 1990.

Table 2.1: Ohio Rural and Urban Population, 1950 to 1990.

• Growth in the rural and urban population has varied by decade since 1950. During the 1950 to 1960 period, the urban population grew 27.7 percent while the rural population grew only 9.1 percent. Figure 2.1 illustrates these variations. Growth slowed in the 1960s, but urban growth was still much higher than rural growth (12.7 percent urban growth versus 1.7 percent rural growth).

• In the 1970s, there was actually a decline of 1.3 percent in Ohio’s urban population while the rural population grew nearly 10 percent. During the 1980s, the population declined 2.5 percent while the urban population grew a modest 1.5 percent.

Figure 2.1: Percent Population Change (Rural and Urban), 1950 to 1990