By the Numbers: Report highlights Ohio wages, taxes and economic trends
COLUMBUS -- A new report from Policy Matters Ohio uses a series of statistics to highlight economic trends and policy issues affecting Ohio residents, from wages and tax policy to energy use, housing and criminal justice.
Among the report’s findings:
-- 84.5%: The share of Ohio jobs in occupations where the 2025 median wage is below the estimated cost of living for a family of three. Policy Matters Ohio said four of the state’s 10 most common occupations pay so little at the median wage that a full-time worker with a family of three would qualify for food assistance.
-- No. 1: Ohio’s ranking on CNBC’s 2026 list of the nation’s best states for business. The organization argued that despite the ranking, many working families continue to struggle with the costs of housing, child care, groceries, health care and transportation.
-- $600 million: The amount Virginia expects to raise annually through a new tax on electricity used by data centers. The report contrasts that with Ohio, where it estimates the state’s sales tax exemption for data centers reduced state and local tax collections by about $2 billion last year.
-- 10 gigawatts: The projected electricity demand of a proposed data center in Pike County. According to the report, that exceeds the amount of electricity used by all residential customers in Ohio combined and reflects growing demand driven by large-scale data centers.
-- 180 days: The grace period proposed under House Bill 296 before most court-ordered financial obligations would begin for people leaving prison. Policy Matters Ohio supports the proposal but says it should also apply to restitution payments.
-- 41: The number of Ohio’s 100 poorest eligible census tracts included in the original federal Opportunity Zones program established in 2018. The report argues future designations should focus more heavily on economically distressed communities.
-- 88: The number of Ohio counties receiving funding through the state’s new $3.7 billion capital budget. The spending plan includes funding for school buildings, higher education projects, behavioral health facilities, parks, trails and other infrastructure statewide.
Policy Matters Ohio is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that analyzes state budget and economic policy. The figures were included in a recent summary of the group’s research and policy priorities.