Ohio

Ohio’s current immigrant population much more diverse, still well below national level

Published

2 years ago

January 13, 2024

Ohio’s current immigrant population much more diverse, still well below national level

The proportion of immigrants in the United States is at its highest level in over a century, but that’s not the case in Ohio.

Around 15% of the national population is comprised of immigrants, compared to around 5% in Ohio, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The proportion of Ohio’s population that is foreign-born today is far lower than in 1870, when around 14% of Ohioans were immigrants, census data shows.

However, Ohio’s immigrant communities today are far more diverse — representing a larger swath of the globe — than at any previous point in history since the federal government began collecting birthplace data in 1850, the data shows.

As immigration once again shapes up to be a major election issue in 2024, Ohio historians told The Dispatch that current political debates around immigration mirror those from the past.

“I worry as a historian because the rhetoric around (immigration) is often so divisive, and it lacks the larger historical awareness of how we’ve had these conversations before — and the country hasn’t fallen apart,” said Kevin Adams, history department chair at Kent State University.

Ohio’s immigration history

Some of Ohio’s early “immigrants” were members of Native American tribes who were displaced into the area from the east by warfare and European diseases, according to Becky Odom, a curator at The Ohio History Connection. These included tribes like the Lenape (Delaware), who were later uprooted again as white settlers moved into Ohio.

Following Ohio’s statehood in 1803, immigrants from Germany, Great Britain and Ireland made up the bulk of foreign-born Ohioans, according to Ben Baughman, another curator for the Ohio History Connection. Germans and Irish people played important roles in the construction of Ohio’s extensive canals, which served as thoroughfares for commerce long before the coming of interstate highways.

By 1860, nearly half of all immigrants living in Ohio were German, with the rest mostly coming from elsewhere in northwestern Europe, according to census data.

But in the late 19th century, immigration to the U.S. underwent a dramatic shift, with more southern and eastern Europeans arriving.

“The new immigration was really important in places like Cleveland, especially as various European ethnic groups showed up … (building) communities rooted around … factories … their own churches, their own parishes — we get increasing numbers of Jews and Eastern Orthodox Christians,” said Adams.

By 1910, nearly 15% of Americans and almost 13% of Ohioans were foreign-born, a figure that does not include children of immigrants born locally.

But the U.S. began to restrict immigration in the 1910s, culminating in country-specific quotas that were set in 1924, according to Adams. The quotas, which were influenced by eugenics and “scientific racism,” severely restricted immigration from much of the world besides northwestern Europe and — unintentionally — overland immigration from Latin America, he said.

The quota system was finally dismantled by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which allowed a much broader range of people to immigrate.

Since 1970, the U.S. has experienced a dramatic rebound in immigration, but the rebound has been slower and smaller in Ohio, according to census data. The proportion of immigrants in the state grew from 2.4% in 1990 to 4.9% in 2022, according to the census’ American Community Survey.

Nationally, around half of foreign-born U.S. residents today come from Latin America, followed by Asia (around 31%), Europe (approximately 11%) and Africa (around 5%).

Most of Ohio’s foreign-born residents come from Asia, with India the top country of origin. African and Latin American immigrants together make up over one-third of Ohio’s immigrants.

Persecution, opportunity and anti-immigrant sentiment

The factors that draw immigrants to Ohio — such as economic opportunity, freedom from persecution and war abroad — have remained fairly constant over the centuries, according to Odom, the Ohio History Connection curator.

“For us as students of history, history is very cyclical. … There are always going to be people in the world who see this state and this country as a place of opportunity,” she said.

Baughman, her colleague, said that anti-immigration sentiment is as old as immigration itself.

Baughman pointed to examples of anti-German riots led by the “Know-Nothing Party” in Cincinnati in 1855, followed by rising anti-Irish and anti-Chinese sentiment in the late 1800s.

Amidst the Great Migration following World War I, Black migrants from the American South to northern states like Ohio encountered opposition similar to immigrants from abroad, said Odom.

Adams said that labor groups were historically more critical of immigration than they are today, because they sometimes saw immigrants as competitors with American workers.

“In the early 1970s … folks on the left — union folks and African American civil rights groups — were interested in discussing immigration restriction, whereas those on the right, who were interested in capitalist market development and anti-union politics, were in favor of immigration,” he said.

Brian Hayashi, who is a professor of American history at Kent State, said he sees common intellectual roots between current opposition to immigration and the anti-immigrant fervor of the early 20th century.

“There is a desire to understand the United States as a nation of northern and western European people and values … But the problem is the United States isn’t that country anymore, and arguably, it hasn’t been since about 1880,” Hayashi said.

Peter Gill covers immigration, New American communities and religion for the Dispatch in partnership with Report for America. You can support work like his with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America at:bit.ly/3fNsGaZ.

pgill@dispatch.com

@pitaarji

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Ohio

No. 21 Ohio State women beat Norfolk State 79-45

Published

4 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

No. 21 Ohio State women beat Norfolk State 79-45

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Kylee Kitts scored 13 points, Jaloni Cambridge added 11 and No. 21 Ohio State rolled past Norfolk State 79-45 on Thursday night for its eighth straight win.

Dasha Biriuk added 10 points for Ohio State, which is 10-1 overall and 7-0 at home.

Kitts was 6 of 12 from the field, and grabbed 10 rebounds to go with two steals and two blocks. Cambridge was 4-of-8 shooting and had eight rebounds and two steals.

Cambridge scored seven points in the first quarter as the Buckeyes jumped out to a 20-10 lead and built a 43-21 halftime advantage. Kitts and Cambridge each scored nine first-half points.

Ohio State outrebounded Norfolk State 55-32 and scored 21 points off 17 turnovers.

Jasha Clinton scored 18 points to lead Norfolk State (5-9). Ciara Bailey had 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Up next

Norfolk State plays at Elon on Sunday.

Ohio State hosts Western Michigan on Mondahy.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

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Ohio

Menards to pay 10 states, including Ohio, $4.25 million in rebate settlement

Published

16 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Menards to pay 10 states, including Ohio, .25 million in rebate settlement

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio is part of a multistate lawsuit settlement against home improvement store Menards.

According to the state Attorney General’s Office, Ohio and nine other states reached the settlement with Menards, a Wisconsin-based home-improvement retail store, over allegations of deceptive rebate advertising.

The 10-state led investigation revealed that Menards would give shoppers the impression that they were getting an immediate discount while shopping through its advertising, when in fact, savings actually came in the form of a rebate or in-store credit.

The investigation raised concerns with Menards’ marketing strategy and sales practices, alleging the following of the company:

Advertised 11% off or 11% off everything that suggested an instant price cut, even though customers received only a rebate on future purchases.
Listed prices already at an 11% discount, reinforcing the idea that shoppers were getting an in-store discount.
Failed to clearly explain the important limits of the rebate program, burying key details in the fine print.
Tell customers that Rebates International was a separate company handling rebates, even though it is operated by Menards itself.

The settlement, announced Thursday, included an agreement by Menards that it would, in part, discontinue ads suggesting immediate discounts, clearly explaining the rules, limits, and conditions of its rebate program, and offer customers an easier path towards claiming rebates, both in person and online, among other changes.

In addition, Menards will pay participating states $4.25 million in fees, of which $365,173.05 will go toward the Ohio Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Enforcement Fund.

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Ohio

Ohio State dominate latest power ranking as nine Buckeyes rank inside Top 50 players

Published

1 day ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Ohio State dominate latest power ranking as nine Buckeyes rank inside Top 50 players

The honors continue to roll in for this Ohio State Buckeyes football team.

From young players ready for another College Football Playoff run next season to players hungry for one more run starting December 31 before the NFL Draft, this Ohio State Buckeyes team is loaded with talent headed into their seventh playoffs appearance since the CFP era began in 2014.

Five defensive players and four offensive players headlined a class of extremely talented Buckeyes. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza took the No. 1 spot to go along with his Heisman and Maxwell honors.

An offensive Ohio State Buckeye took the No. 2 spot right behind Mendoza.

Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese (8) tackles Michigan Wolverines running back Bryson Kuzdzal (24) during the NCAA football game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Nov. 29, 2025. Ohio State won 27-9. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith takes the No. 2 spot

Jeremiah Smith was ranked behind Mendoza along with his gun-slinging sophomore quarterback. Julian Sayin was the second-highest ranked quarterback on the list at No. 5.

“Smith caught 80 balls for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore, but that doesn’t really tell the story…Smith commands double-teams constantly, draws the attention of everyone’s best corner, and has every defensive coordinator he faces scheming to slow him down. And none of it has mattered.”
ESPN’s David Hale

Smith is expected to have one more dominant season with the Buckeyes next season where fans hope to see him paired next to five-star recruit Chris Henry Jr. Senior wide receiver Carnell Tate has been an impressive receiving mate for Smith the past two seasons. Tate caught 48 passes, nine touchdowns, and had 838 yards. He ranked No. 26 in the rankings.

Offensive tackle Austin Siereveld ranked No. 44 as well.

The defense takes over

All five of Ohio State’s defensive players on the list ranked inside the top-22. Junior linebacker Sonny Styles sat at No. 21 to kick things off for the defense. The Buckeyes have had the best defense in college football for the entire season and these are the names that have made it happen. Projected first round NFL Draft Arvell Reese took the No. 16 spot.

“A new set of stars emerged to lead the nation’s No. 1 defense this fall, and Reese was undeniably front and center. He has thrived under new coordinator Matt Patricia, recording 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss from the edge position and finished second on the squad with 62 total tackles…Reese was named Big Ten’s Linebacker of the Year and recorded a sack in six of Ohio State’s first eight games of the season.”
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg
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Defensive linemen Kayden McDonald and Caden Curry ranked at No. 13 and No. 11 respectively. Safety Caleb Downs was the highest ranked defensive Buckeye at No. 7. Downs is a simply a lockdown player who can play corner or safety while still being able to tackle at a high level. If he chooses to declare for the NFL Draft after the season is over, he’ll be slated to go within the top 10 in most mock drafts.

Opposing quarterbacks only targeted downs 20 times for the entire season. Only nine passes were caught on his watch as the primary defender.

“The longest completion he gave up was 17 yards. A 14-yard completion in the second quarter of the Big Ten title game was the first one he’d given up in nearly two months. There is not a more lockdown corner in the country than Downs.”
ESPN’s David Hale

The Ohio State Buckeyes are waiting for the winner of the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes against the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of the College Football Playoffs this Saturday at 12:00pm Eastern on ABC/ESPN.

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