The State of the State in Marietta

As the debate over Ohio’s economic successes or shortcomings continues, a closer look at individual communities can be illuminating. The town of Marietta, the site of the Governor’s sixth State of the State Address, reflects the struggles that many communities across the state continue to face.

While Gov. Kasich’s push to expand Medicaid has helped many in Marietta access care, the median household income lags the statewide average, tax shifting policies strain lower-income residents, and local schools continue to lose valuable state finding.

Our latest analysis takes a closer look at these policies and the impacts on Ohio’s first capital City: Marietta, Ohio. Here are a few of the key points:

• The median income in Marietta remains nearly $10,000 less than the statewide average, and 25 percent of Marietta residents – and nearly 4 in 10 children – live below the poverty line.
• The workforce in Marietta has shrunk by 5 percent over the last five years, declining from 6,868 in 2010 to 6,505 today.
• The bottom 20% of income earners in Marietta have seen state taxes increase as a result of a shift to a more regressive tax code.
• Medicaid expansion has resulted in over 3,000 Washington County residents gaining access to health care.
• State funding cuts have resulted in a nearly $1 million annual revenue loss to Marietta, an 11 percent reduction from the city’s 2010 budget.
• Marietta schools have lost $1.7 million (adjusting for inflation) in state aid since 2010, while local property taxes have increased 22 percent.

Read the analysis: “Governor John Kasich’s Sixth State of the State Address: Marietta, Ohio”.