Saturday Stats

75.3%: Amount by which Ohio workers are more productive than their counterparts in 1979.

18.5%: Amount by which Ohio workers’ median pay has increased in that same period. That’s a lot of additional value generated by people who aren’t getting their fair share of the profits. It’s just one example in this year’s State of Working Ohio report that shows how Ohio’s economy still doesn’t work for working people. In addition to analyzing the past year’s statewide economic data, this edition looks back at the past quarter century, back to 1999, when the very first SOWO was published. See PMO History below for more on that first report. (Technically it’s PMO Pre-history!) And check out the Ohio Capital Journal’s coverage of SOWO 2025.

9: Number of tax breaks limited or repealed by the General Assembly in the 2026-27 budget, saving the state $325.5M in those two years. It’s a step in the right direction, but there is a long way to go, especially since the legislature has stopped reviewing these tax breaks to determine if they do anything to help everyday Ohioans. Some do, but 109 of the 177 tax breaks listed in the state’s most recent analysis benefit businesses or economic development. We dig into the details in our new report, and find that lawmakers ought to be looking more closely too. (And the Plain Dealer / Cleveland.com Editorial Board agrees!)

70%: Share of survey respondents who reported being denied work due to a criminal conviction or getting fired from a job after a background check. That is one finding highlighted in our new brief, “Fired, Denied, Rescinded,” which explores some of the harm done to Ohioans by collateral sanctions: legal restrictions tied to criminal convictions even after a person has completed their sentence. Based on a survey conducted by Policy Matters and Building Freedom Ohio, the brief includes recommendations for reducing the harm done by these restrictions and helping Ohioans adapt to life after incarceration.

$2.75B: Amount by which Ohio’s legislature ultimately decided to underfund Ohio’s public schools in the next two years. By abandoning the Fair School Funding Plan, policymakers are shortchanging districts across the state, even as they threaten to override Gov. DeWine’s vetoes of harmful property tax measures, risking even deeper cuts for over 200 school districts. Ohio schools could lose nearly $203M in local property tax revenue over the biennium, with $126.7M more at stake in 2028. Our final round of district-level factsheets are now available, with a statewide analysis soon to follow.

$5.62B: Amount of Medicaid funding Ohio is expected to lose in the next 10 years, in large part due to the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” about which our recent op-ed exposes some ugly truths.

17,999,983: We’ll let Chris Ericksen, President of UWUA Local 270, explain this one:

Want to hear more? Watch the town hall in its entirety — and access all the resources — here.

PMO History: In 1999, the year before she officially founded Policy Matters Ohio, Amy Hanauer, together with co-author Mark Cassell, published the very first State of Working Ohio report under the banner of the Northeast Ohio Research Consortium. The report is part of a series called The State of Working X, produced by groups in states throughout the country who are members of EARN (Economic Analysis and Research Network). EARN is a nationwide network of research, policy, and advocacy organizations fighting, state by state, for an economy that works for everyone. Amy Hanauer attended an early meeting in 1999 of the newly formed EARN network and wore a nametag that said, “Ohio Group in Process of Formation.” So, EARN was in Policy Matters’ DNA from moment one. The State of Working Ohio was our first signature report, and one we have published every year since. 

Action items:
Share our list of resources for Ohio veterans with all the veterans in your life.