John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
Among Ohio’s counties, Erie County saw the largest increase in transfer dependency over the past 10 years, surging 8.1% from 14.8% in 2012 to 22.9% in 2022, and up 16.1% from just 6.8% in 1970. In dollar terms, government transfers per capita in Erie County jumped from $10,335 in 2012 to $13,503 in 2022, a stark contrast to the $1,671 recorded in 1970.
Gallia County followed with the second-largest increase in transfer dependency, increasing 7.7% from 29.6% in 2012 to 37.3% in 2022, and an overall increase of 24.1% from 1970’s 13.2% transfer dependency. This trend is reflected in per capita amounts, with residents of Gallia County receiving an average of $17,187 in transfer income in 2022, up from $12,633 in 2012 and more than double the $1,671 recorded in 1970.
Additionally, Gallia County had the highest percentage of income derived from government transfers, at 37.3% in 2022, making it the county with the highest overall transfer dependency. Scioto County, Vinton County and Adams County followed closely behind, with transfer dependency rates of 36.6% and 36% in 2022, respectively.
For comparison, the statewide average was 20.2% in 2022, showing a higher dependency than the national average of 17.6%. On a per capita level, this translates to $11,680 per resident in 2022, compared to $11,542 nationwide.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
In Ohio, reliance on government transfers was just 7.1% (or $1,736 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970. This has since increased to 20.2% (or $11,680 per capita) in 2022, reflecting a total increase of 13.1% since 1970. This shift is largely influenced by increased healthcare costs, and economic transformations that have reshaped income sources across the U.S.
In 2022, the primary government transfer programs in Ohio included:
- Social Security: $3,793 (32.5% of total transfers)
- Medicare: $3,022 (25.9% of total transfers)
- Medicaid: $2,615 (22.4% of total transfers)
- Income Maintenance Programs: $1,259 (10.8% of total transfers)
With 18.3% of the population aged 65 and older, Ohio has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. However, counties with higher poverty rates also show elevated Medicaid and income maintenance participation.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans' income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In Ohio, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 7.1% (or $1,736 per capita) in 1970 to 20.2% (or $11,680 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Dependency on Transfers (%) | Change Since 2012 | Change Since 1970 | Per Capita Amount (2022) | Per Capita Change Since 2012 | Per Capita Change Since 1970 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County | 36% | 2.1% | 19.1% | $15,634 | $3,943 | $13,043 |
| Allen County | 26.1% | 2.8% | 18.7% | $13,103 | $2,999 | $11,381 |
| Ashland County | 24.7% | 2.5% | 18.1% | $11,630 | $2,979 | $10,225 |
| Ashtabula County | 32.4% | 2.9% | 23.5% | $15,021 | $3,454 | $13,134 |
| Athens County | 27.8% | 2.4% | 17.4% | $11,651 | $2,431 | $10,075 |
| Auglaize County | 19.5% | 2.7% | 12.4% | $10,909 | $2,681 | $9,330 |
| Belmont County | 29% | 2.8% | 18.8% | $13,518 | $2,829 | $11,524 |
| Brown County | 28.8% | 2.7% | 19.8% | $13,203 | $3,312 | $11,468 |
| Butler County | 18.6% | 1% | 12% | $10,368 | $2,116 | $8,855 |
| Carroll County | 25.8% | 1.7% | 18.5% | $12,226 | $2,624 | $10,857 |
| Champaign County | 23.4% | 1.7% | 15.9% | $11,419 | $2,376 | $9,756 |
| Clark County | 29% | 2.6% | 22.1% | $13,682 | $2,614 | $12,077 |
| Clermont County | 18% | 1.9% | 11.4% | $11,256 | $3,111 | $9,949 |
| Clinton County | 24.7% | 4.6% | 17% | $12,363 | $2,906 | $10,641 |
| Columbiana County | 31% | 4.9% | 21.8% | $13,984 | $3,459 | $12,146 |
| Coshocton County | 32.5% | 3.5% | 24.2% | $13,720 | $3,190 | $12,002 |
| Crawford County | 30.5% | 2.2% | 23% | $14,189 | $2,926 | $12,496 |
| Cuyahoga County | 20.3% | 1.1% | 12.9% | $12,861 | $2,319 | $10,777 |
| Darke County | 22% | 0.8% | 15.2% | $11,569 | $2,398 | $10,098 |
| Defiance County | 25.9% | 3.5% | 19.2% | $12,245 | $2,858 | $10,804 |
| Delaware County | 8% | 0.5% | 2.3% | $7,065 | $1,469 | $5,765 |
| Erie County | 22.9% | 8.1% | 16.1% | $13,503 | $3,168 | $11,832 |
| Fairfield County | 18% | 0.9% | 11.1% | $9,911 | $1,754 | $8,410 |
| Fayette County | 29.2% | 1.7% | 21.4% | $13,709 | $2,842 | $12,066 |
| Franklin County | 16% | 0.9% | 9.8% | $9,516 | $1,368 | $7,965 |
| Fulton County | 21.5% | 3% | 14.4% | $11,327 | $2,963 | $9,625 |
| Gallia County | 37.3% | 7.7% | 24.1% | $17,187 | $4,554 | $15,065 |
| Geauga County | 11.8% | 0.8% | 7.9% | $9,846 | $2,168 | $8,856 |
| Greene County | 17.7% | 1.4% | 13.4% | $10,767 | $2,460 | $9,746 |
| Guernsey County | 31.6% | 3% | 19.2% | $15,049 | $3,544 | $12,639 |
| Hamilton County | 15.7% | 0.3% | 8.7% | $11,258 | $1,927 | $9,391 |
| Hancock County | 18.1% | 2.1% | 12% | $10,277 | $2,215 | $8,854 |
| Hardin County | 28.2% | 4% | 19.8% | $11,260 | $2,567 | $9,547 |
| Harrison County | 32.2% | 2.7% | 22.9% | $14,860 | $3,744 | $12,956 |
| Henry County | 23.2% | 2.6% | 16.4% | $12,136 | $2,720 | $10,558 |
| Highland County | 29.8% | 1.1% | 19.9% | $13,134 | $2,588 | $11,223 |
| Hocking County | 30.9% | 3.2% | 19.5% | $14,061 | $3,487 | $12,015 |
| Holmes County | 11.4% | -2% | 5.1% | $6,422 | $1,353 | $5,431 |
| Huron County | 25.6% | 2.8% | 17.4% | $12,188 | $2,815 | $10,277 |
| Jackson County | 34.5% | 4.1% | 19.5% | $14,176 | $2,778 | $11,758 |
| Jefferson County | 34.7% | 4.2% | 24.9% | $15,766 | $3,563 | $13,707 |
| Knox County | 24.5% | 2.1% | 16.1% | $12,537 | $2,648 | $10,786 |
| Lake County | 19.5% | 1.5% | 14.7% | $11,659 | $2,392 | $10,464 |
| Lawrence County | 34.3% | 3.5% | 21.5% | $16,256 | $3,983 | $14,139 |
| Licking County | 18.6% | 0.4% | 11.4% | $10,378 | $1,839 | $8,832 |
| Logan County | 24.9% | 4.3% | 15.5% | $12,106 | $2,994 | $10,031 |
| Lorain County | 21% | 1.2% | 14.7% | $11,662 | $2,298 | $10,230 |
| Lucas County | 24.5% | 1.9% | 16.5% | $13,095 | $2,572 | $11,043 |
| Madison County | 20.2% | 2% | 13% | $10,548 | $2,715 | $8,998 |
| Mahoning County | 28.3% | 3.2% | 19.5% | $14,659 | $3,089 | $12,681 |
| Marion County | 30.7% | 3.7% | 23.1% | $13,005 | $2,763 | $11,326 |
| Medina County | 15.2% | 1.7% | 10.3% | $10,011 | $2,567 | $8,832 |
| Meigs County | 34.6% | 3.4% | 20.1% | $14,543 | $3,295 | $12,301 |
| Mercer County | 16.4% | 0.4% | 9.9% | $10,108 | $2,249 | $8,693 |
| Miami County | 19.4% | 0.7% | 13.3% | $10,869 | $1,841 | $9,358 |
| Monroe County | 35.3% | 4.6% | 25.6% | $14,906 | $4,136 | $13,094 |
| Montgomery County | 22.9% | 1% | 17.3% | $12,604 | $2,246 | $11,069 |
| Morgan County | 31.7% | 0.9% | 21.3% | $13,673 | $3,510 | $11,672 |
| Morrow County | 22.6% | 0.5% | 16% | $10,783 | $2,093 | $9,533 |
| Muskingum County | 28.5% | 2.1% | 18.3% | $14,024 | $3,168 | $11,997 |
| Noble County | 29.7% | 2.2% | 18.3% | $9,243 | $1,464 | $7,428 |
| Ottawa County | 23.8% | 2.2% | 15.6% | $14,894 | $3,581 | $13,035 |
| Paulding County | 24.4% | 2.6% | 16.8% | $11,871 | $2,782 | $10,451 |
| Perry County | 29.5% | 2.5% | 17.4% | $13,557 | $3,473 | $11,500 |
| Pickaway County | 20.4% | -0.6% | 14% | $10,388 | $1,579 | $9,082 |
| Pike County | 34.6% | 1% | 20.9% | $16,025 | $3,199 | $13,879 |
| Portage County | 20% | 1.6% | 14.8% | $10,695 | $2,180 | $9,571 |
| Preble County | 25.2% | 2.1% | 18.8% | $12,257 | $2,732 | $10,858 |
| Putnam County | 17.3% | 1.9% | 10.3% | $10,275 | $2,640 | $8,855 |
| Richland County | 28.6% | 2.8% | 22.1% | $12,851 | $2,558 | $11,332 |
| Ross County | 29.9% | 3.1% | 20.5% | $13,374 | $3,214 | $11,519 |
| Sandusky County | 26.4% | 3.7% | 19.7% | $12,812 | $3,223 | $11,335 |
| Scioto County | 36.6% | 2.5% | 22.7% | $16,952 | $4,205 | $14,287 |
| Seneca County | 28.4% | 3.1% | 20.9% | $13,528 | $3,402 | $11,853 |
| Shelby County | 20.2% | 2.9% | 14.2% | $10,474 | $2,513 | $9,136 |
| Stark County | 23.4% | 1.6% | 15.9% | $12,543 | $2,354 | $10,798 |
| Summit County | 19% | 0.6% | 11.9% | $11,799 | $2,269 | $10,015 |
| Trumbull County | 30.7% | 4% | 23.9% | $13,980 | $2,729 | $12,347 |
| Tuscarawas County | 22.6% | 0.8% | 13.3% | $11,729 | $2,231 | $9,786 |
| Union County | 10% | -2.7% | 3.5% | $6,954 | $681 | $5,522 |
| Van Wert County | 22.7% | 0.5% | 15.4% | $11,259 | $1,836 | $9,618 |
| Vinton County | 36% | 5% | 22.3% | $14,610 | $3,567 | $12,722 |
| Warren County | 11.3% | 0% | 5.9% | $8,287 | $1,636 | $7,142 |
| Washington County | 27.1% | 3% | 19% | $13,835 | $3,412 | $12,190 |
| Wayne County | 19.1% | 0.6% | 13.1% | $10,169 | $2,097 | $8,837 |
| Williams County | 24.7% | 2.1% | 17.6% | $12,116 | $2,679 | $10,412 |
| Wood County | 16.6% | 0.6% | 11.3% | $9,288 | $1,540 | $8,071 |
| Wyandot County | 21% | 1.3% | 13% | $11,633 | $2,890 | $9,923 |
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