 About 6.7% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.6% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.Oberlin is governed by a city manager and a seven-member council which is elected to two-year terms in a non-partisan election.The city of Oberlin runs an online dashboard that displays the city's use of resources in real time.