Community Assessment

In a rapidly evolving world, the importance of understanding the well-being of a community cannot be overstated. 

Stark County is no exception to the challenges and opportunities that arise in a community. To better understand the overall health of Stark County, Stark Community Foundation, United Way of Greater Stark County and the Center for Community Solutions officially released the 2023 Stark County Community Assessment. This updated and enhanced assessment is a collection and analysis of the most timely and relevant data on health, social and economic conditions impacting Stark County residents. We aspire for this report to continue being more than just statistics and charts–– we hope that it becomes a powerful tool, uniting community leaders, policymakers, organizations and concerned individuals in their commitment to driving positive change and enhancing the quality of life for every resident of Stark County.

This report sheds light on a variety of community conditions, including:

Chronic Absenteeisnm
Over 30% of students in the Alliance City, Canton City, Canton Local and Massillon City school districts missed 10% or more of school in the 2022-2023 school year.

Alzheimer’s Disease
About 11% of older adults in Stark County are living with Alzheimer’s disease or other related dementias, and the rate is expected to grow by almost 14% in Ohio between 2020 to 2025.

Housing Affordability
23% of Stark County residents are living in unaffordable housing—meaning their housing costs are more than 30% of their household’s income.

Age Distribution
Stark County, like the rest of Ohio, is aging, with adults ages 60 and older outnumbering children under the age of 18.

Child Poverty
Child poverty in Canton is improving with 43.5% of children in Canton growing up in poverty in 2022 compared to 56.9% in 2019. 

Read this year’s report at starkcf.org/23scca.