Medina County still feeling economic impact of pandemic

Medina County is struggling to recover from the economic damage from the COVID-19 pandemic, with new federal data showing many of the county's cities, townships and villages reporting lower household incomes, higher poverty rates and rent costs straining budgets. The data comes from a comparison of the Census Bureau's 2015–2019 American Community Survey, which predates the pandemic, and the newly released 2020–2024 survey, which covers the pandemic period and its aftermath. (The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was reported in January 2020. The pandemic didn't subside until mid-2023.) The new survey, released Thursday, showed the county's overall median household income of $94,968 was statistically unchanged from $94,272 in the earlier survey, adjusted for inflation. Over the same period, Ohio's median household income — meaning half of households took in more and half less — rose 2.5 percent to $71,389. The nation as a whole saw a 4.4 percent increase to $80,734. Medina County Commissioner Stephen Hambley said the new report's statistics look accurate. "It sounds like most of the results largely reflect what we have seen at the county level, in terms of housing affordability and demographic changes," he said. While the county's income was stagnant, many of its communities reported declines, including the cities of Medina (-5 percent) and Wadsworth (-9.6 percent), and eight of the county's 17 townships: Brunswick Hills, York, Montville, Sharon, Wadsworth, Chatham, Homer and Spencer. Despite the report, Medina remains one of Ohio's most affluent counties, ranking fifth in median household income among the state's 88 counties in both the latest and earlier survey. Hinckley Township posted the county's highest median household income, $136,915, while the village of Lodi reported the lowest, $51,914. The new report showed the individual poverty rate increased compared to the pre-pandemic survey, with the share of residents living below the federal poverty line rising to 6.3 percent, up from 6.0 percent but well below the state average of 13.3 percentAmong the county's three cities, Wadsworth saw its poverty rate increase from 6.5 percent in the earlier survey to 8.1 percent in the new report, while Brunswick and Medina reported declines. The percentage of residents in the county without health insurance was unchanged at 4.0 percent and much lower than the state and federal averages of 6.4 percent and 8.4 percent, respectively. The housing market showed strong growth during the period. The median value of owner-occupied homes jumped to $287,000, a nearly 19 percent increase from the earlier survey. Hambley said the Census Bureau's housing value for the county "sounds very much in line with what the county auditor's office found" in the most recent revaluation. Hambley said increased cost of construction is fueling higher home values, noting that the average construction cost of the 375 new homes built last year was $459,958, according to a recent report from the county Building Department. That average did not include the cost of property sites where the homes were built, he added. Hambley said another indication high construction costs were depressing the housing market was the decline in the number of new homes last year — down 6 percent compared to the previous year. "The number of permits for home additions rose by 22 percent in 2025," he said. "It appears that many people are expanding their current homes, rather than going out on the market and buying new." The lack of new homes has driven the price of existing homes out of reach for many, Hambley said. "The supply of housing that the average person can afford is inadequate to the demand," he said, "whether you are a young family trying to start a new home or a senior trying to downsize to something more affordable." The lack of affordable homes is especially significant for Medina County, where 80.3 percent of householders own their homes, according to the new study. The county's home ownership rate is the eighth highest among Ohio's counties and significantly higher than the U.S. average of 65.2 percent. For non-homeowners, affordability pressures also remain high, with 44.6 percent of all renters in the county paying 30 percent or more of their income on housing, up from 39.1 percent reported in the earlier survey. Federal guidelines classify renters paying that much to be "cost burdened." All three of the county's cities saw substantial increases in the share of renters paying more than 30 percent for housing. Wadsworth reported the biggest jump to 45.1 percent — nearly 15 percentage points more than found in the pre-pandemic survey. Medina (49.6 percent) and Brunswick (46.4 percent) had even larger shares of "cost-burdened" renters. Hambley agreed increase rental costs is a growing problem. "Many of the poor have been squeezed out of their leases in favor of new renters paying much higher rents," he said. The surveys indicated many Americans are looking to a college degree to help move them up the economic ladder. The percentage of county residents age 25 and older with at least a bachelor's degree increased from 20.7 percent to 36.2 percent. That change tracked an even larger national trend. "Over the last five years, we've noticed a significant increase in the percentage of adults completing higher education," Erik Hernandez, a Census Bureau statistician, stated in a news release. "Approximately 89 percent of metro areas experienced an increase in the percentage of population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher when compared to the 2015-2019 period." Hambley, a former state representative for the 69th District, said the data in the Census Bureau's studies are significant for public officials planning for the future. "This information is very timely, as the county commissioners have employed a consultant to look at the demographic changes for Medina County for the next 25 years." The commissioners voted unanimously in November to hire the consulting firm, International Strategic Analysis, to do an "independent demographic analysis" of the county at a cost of $7,000. Hambley said the consultant's report will be presented to the public Feb. 17 at 4 p.m. at the Medina County Career Center. Contact David Knox at ctnews@chroniclet.com.