Community Needs Assessment
Cuyahoga and Geauga Counties
United Way of Greater Cleveland is committed to finding solutions to help residents of the communities we serve move from poverty to prosperity. Every few years, a Community Needs Assessment is conducted to examine the issues and conditions affecting Greater Cleveland residents. This data is used to inform our grantmaking, policy, and programmatic work. The Center for Community Solutions, a nonpartisan policy and research think tank, collaborates with United Way to gather and analyze data.
The assessment is organized by United Way’s three community strategies: Economic Mobility, Health Pathways, and Housing Stability.
Below, you can explore full reports, executive summaries, and community strategy snapshots by county.
Cuyahoga County Assessment
Cuyahoga County Full Report
Cuyahoga County Executive Summary
Economic Mobility Snapshot
Health Pathways Snapshot
Housing Stability Snapshot
Geauga County Assessment
Geauga County Full Report
Geauga County Executive Summary
Economic Mobility Snapshot
Health Pathways Snapshot
Housing Stability Snapshot
A Hopeful Glimpse at Systems-Level Solutions
Cleveland remains the second-poorest large city in the U.S. Key findings show limited progress in reducing poverty in our region. Most annual data points across economic mobility, housing stability, and health remain relatively unchanged over the past five years.
However, pandemic-related public investments, like emergency rental assistance and the enhanced Child Tax Credit, have protected families from further crisis. Labor market forces caused companies to raise wages and improve benefits to attract workers. These changes offer a hopeful glimpse at potential systems-level solutions to some of our community’s most pressing issues.
At United Way, we remain committed to building a community where everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential. We appreciate your support and collaboration as we work toward meaningful progress, together.
