List of counties in Ohio

Counties of Ohio

The U.S. state of Ohio comprises 88 counties. Nine of them existed at the time of the Ohio Constitutional Convention in 1802.^[1] A tenth county, Wayne, was established on August 15, 1796, and encompassed roughly the present state of Michigan.^[2] During the Convention, the county was opposed to statehood, and was not only left out of the Convention, but dissolved; the current Wayne County is in northeastern Ohio, considerably distant from the area that was the original Wayne County.^[1]

The Ohio Constitution allows counties to set up a charter government as many cities and villages do,^[3] but only Summit County and Cuyahoga County have done so,^[4] the latter having been approved by voters in November 2009.^[5] Counties do not possess home rule powers and can do only what has been expressly authorized by the Ohio General Assembly. Ohio law defines a structure for county government, although each county may choose to define its own. Summit County and Cuyahoga County have chosen an alternate structure, while all of the other counties use the default structure. The elected county officials include three commissioners, a sheriff (the highest law enforcement officer in the county); prosecutor (equivalent of a district attorney in other states); coroner, engineer, auditor, treasurer and clerk of courts.

Population figures are based on the 2010 United States Census. The population of Ohio was 11,536,504 at that time, an increase of 1.6% from 2000. The average population of Ohio's counties was 131,096; Cuyahoga County was the most populous (1,280,122) and Vinton County was the least (13,435). The average land area is 464 sq mi (1,200 km²). The largest county by area is Ashtabula County at 702.44 sq mi (1,819.3 km²) and the smallest is Lake County at 228.21 sq mi (591.1 km²). The total area of the state is 40,860.69 sq mi (105,828.7 km²).^[6][7]

The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) is used by the U.S. government to uniquely identify counties, and is provided for each entry. These codes link to the United States Census Bureau's "quick facts" for each county. Ohio's FIPS code of 39 is used to distinguish from counties in other states. For example, Adams County's unique nationwide identifier is 39001.^[8] However, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and Department of Transportation instead identify counties by consecutive numbers and three-letter abbreviations,^[9] respectively.

List of counties

County	FIPS County Code [8]	County Seat [10]	Established [10][11]	Origin [12]	Etymology [11][12]	Population [8][10]	Area [10]	Map
Adams County	001	West Union	July 10, 1797	Hamilton County	John Adams (1735–1826), President of the United States when the county was organized	28,550	583.91 sq mi (1,512 km^2)
Allen County	003	Lima	March 1, 1820	Shelby County	John Allen (1771/2-1813), a War of 1812 colonel[13]	106,331	404.43 sq mi (1,047 km^2)
Ashland County	005	Ashland	February 24, 1846	Wayne, Richland, Huron, and Lorain Counties	Ashland, home of U.S. Senator from Kentucky Henry Clay.	53,139	424.37 sq mi (1,099 km^2)
Ashtabula County	007	Jefferson	June 7, 1807	Trumbull and Geauga Counties	Ashtabula River, which means "fish river" in an Algonquian language[14]	101,497	702.44 sq mi (1,819 km^2)
Athens County	009	Athens	March 1, 1805	Washington County	Athens in Greece	64,757	506.76 sq mi (1,313 km^2)
Auglaize County	011	Wapakoneta	February 14, 1848	Allen, Mercer, Darke, Hardin, Logan, Shelby, and Van Wert Counties	Auglaize River, which means "fallen timbers river" in the Shawnee Indian language	45,949	401.25 sq mi (1,039 km^2)
Belmont County	013	St. Clairsville	September 7, 1801	Jefferson and Washington Counties	Belle monte, which means "beautiful mountain" in French	70,400	537.35 sq mi (1,392 km^2)
Brown County	015	Georgetown	March 1, 1818	Adams and Clermont Counties	General Jacob Brown (1775–1828), an officer of the War of 1812	44,846	491.76 sq mi (1,274 km^2)
Butler County	017	Hamilton	May 1, 1803	Hamilton County	General Richard Butler (1743–1791), killed at the Battle of the Wabash	368,130	467.27 sq mi (1,210 km^2)
Carroll County	019	Carrollton	January 1, 1833	Columbiana, Stark, Harrison, Jefferson, and Tuscarawas Counties	Charles Carroll (1737–1832), last surviving signer of the United States Declaration of Independence	28,836	394.67 sq mi (1,022 km^2)
Champaign County	021	Urbana	March 1, 1805	Greene and Franklin Counties	French for "a plain", describing the land in the area	40,097	428.56 sq mi (1,110 km^2)
Clark County	023	Springfield	March 1, 1818	Champaign, Madison, and Greene Counties	General George Rogers Clark (1752–1818), defeated the Shawnee Indians in a battle near the Springfield area	138,333	399.86 sq mi (1,036 km^2)
Clermont County	025	Batavia	December 6, 1800	Hamilton County	French for "clear mountain"	197,363	451.99 sq mi (1,171 km^2)
Clinton County	027	Wilmington	March 1, 1810	Highland and Warren Counties	George Clinton (1739–1812), vice-president when the county was organized	42,040	410.88 sq mi (1,064 km^2)
Columbiana County	029	Lisbon	May 1, 1803	Jefferson and Washington Counties	Derived from the words Christopher Columbus, European explorer of the Americas	107,841	532.46 sq mi (1,379 km^2)
Coshocton County	031	Coshocton	January 31, 1810	Muskingum and Tuscarawas Counties	Delaware Indian word meaning "union of waters"	36,901	564.07 sq mi (1,461 km^2)
Crawford County	033	Bucyrus	April 1, 1820	Delaware County	Colonel William Crawford (1732–1782), Revolutionary War officer	43,784	402.11 sq mi (1,041 km^2)
Cuyahoga County	035	Cleveland	June 7, 1807	Geauga County	Cuyahoga River, which means "crooked river" in an Iroquoian language[15]	1,280,122	458.49 sq mi (1,187 km^2)
Darke County	037	Greenville	January 3, 1809	Miami County	General William Darke (1736–1801), Revolutionary War officer	52,959	599.80 sq mi (1,553 km^2)
Defiance County	039	Defiance	April 7, 1845	Williams, Henry, and Paulding Counties	Fort Defiance, built in 1794 by General Anthony Wayne	39,037	411.16 sq mi (1,065 km^2)
Delaware County	041	Delaware	April 1, 1808	Franklin County	Delaware Indians	174,214	442.41 sq mi (1,146 km^2)
Erie County	043	Sandusky	March 15, 1838	Huron and Sandusky Counties	Erie Indians	77,079	254.88 sq mi (660 km^2)
Fairfield County	045	Lancaster	December 9, 1800	Ross and Washington Counties	Named for the beauty of its "fair fields"	146,156	505.11 sq mi (1,308 km^2)
Fayette County	047	Washington Court House	March 1, 1810	Ross and Highland Counties	Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette, French military officer and aristocrat who participated in both the American and French revolutions.	29,030	406.58 sq mi (1,053 km^2)
Franklin County	049	Columbus	April 30, 1803	Ross and Wayne Counties	Benjamin Franklin (1706–1791), Founding Father, author, printer, political theorist, scientist, inventor, and statesman	1,163,414	539.87 sq mi (1,398 km^2)
Fulton County	051	Wauseon	April 1, 1850	Lucas, Henry, and Williams Counties	Robert Fulton (1765–1815), inventor of the steamboat	42,698	406.78 sq mi (1,054 km^2)
Gallia County	053	Gallipolis	April 30, 1803	Washington and Adams Counties	Gaul, the ancient name of France	30,934	468.78 sq mi (1,214 km^2)
Geauga County	055	Chardon	March 1, 1806	Trumbull County	An Indian word meaning "raccoon"	93,389	403.66 sq mi (1,045 km^2)
Greene County	057	Xenia	May 1, 1803	Hamilton and Ross Counties	General Nathanael Greene (1742–1786), Revolutionary War officer	161,573	414.88 sq mi (1,075 km^2)
Guernsey County	059	Cambridge	March 1, 1810	Belmont and Muskingum Counties	Island of Guernsey, from where most of the settlers originated	40,087	521.90 sq mi (1,352 km^2)
Hamilton County	061	Cincinnati	January 2, 1790	One of the original counties	Alexander Hamilton (1755/7-1804), Secretary of the Treasury when the county was organized	802,374	407.36 sq mi (1,055 km^2)
Hancock County	063	Findlay	April 1, 1820	Logan County	John Hancock (1737–1793), president of the Continental Congress	74,782	531.35 sq mi (1,376 km^2)
Hardin County	065	Kenton	April 1, 1820	Logan County	General John Hardin (1753–1792), Revolutionary War officer	32,058	470.29 sq mi (1,218 km^2)
Harrison County	067	Cadiz	February 1, 1813	Jefferson and Tuscarawas Counties	General William Henry Harrison (1773–1841), an officer of the War of 1812 and future President of the United States	15,864	403.53 sq mi (1,045 km^2)
Henry County	069	Napoleon	April 1, 1820	Shelby County	Patrick Henry (1736–1799), Revolutionary War-era legislator, orator, and scholar	28,215	416.50 sq mi (1,079 km^2)
Highland County	071	Hillsboro	May 1, 1805	Ross, Adams, and Clermont Counties	Descriptive of the county's terrain	43,589	553.28 sq mi (1,433 km^2)
Hocking County	073	Logan	March 1, 1818	Athens, Ross, and Fairfield Counties	Possibly derived from the Delaware Indian word "Hoch-Hoch-ing", meaning "bottle"	29,380	422.75 sq mi (1,095 km^2)
Holmes County	075	Millersburg	January 20, 1824	Coshocton, Wayne, and Tuscarawas Counties	Major Andrew Holmes (died 1814), a War of 1812 officer	42,366	422.99 sq mi (1,096 km^2)
Huron County	077	Norwalk	March 7, 1809	Portage and Cuyahoga Counties	Huron Indians	59,626	492.69 sq mi (1,276 km^2)
Jackson County	079	Jackson	March 1, 1816	Scioto, Gallia, Athens, and Ross Counties	General Andrew Jackson (1767–1845), future President of the United States	33,225	420.28 sq mi (1,089 km^2)
Jefferson County	081	Steubenville	July 29, 1797	Washington County	Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), Vice President when the county was organized, future President of the United States, and principal author of the Declaration of Independence	69,709	409.61 sq mi (1,061 km^2)
Knox County	083	Mount Vernon	March 1, 1808	Fairfield County	General Henry Knox, the first Secretary of War	60,921	527.12 sq mi (1,365 km^2)
Lake County	085	Painesville	March 6, 1840	Geauga and Cuyahoga Counties	Its location on Lake Erie	230,041	228.21 sq mi (591 km^2)
Lawrence County	087	Ironton	December 21, 1815	Gallia and Scioto Counties	Captain James Lawrence (1781–1813), naval hero in the War of 1812	62,450	454.96 sq mi (1,178 km^2)
Licking County	089	Newark	March 1, 1808	Fairfield County	Named for the salt licks in the area	166,492	686.50 sq mi (1,778 km^2)
Logan County	091	Bellefontaine	March 1, 1818	Champaign County	General Benjamin Logan (c. 1742 – 1802), who destroyed Shawnee Indian towns in the county	45,858	458.44 sq mi (1,187 km^2)
Lorain County	093	Elyria	December 26, 1822	Huron, Cuyahoga, and Medina Counties	Province of Lorraine, France	301,356	492.50 sq mi (1,276 km^2)
Lucas County	095	Toledo	June 20, 1835	Wood, Sandusky, and Huron Counties	Robert Lucas (1781–1853), Governor of Ohio when the county was created	441,815	340.46 sq mi (882 km^2)
Madison County	097	London	March 1, 1810	Franklin County	James Madison (1751–1836), fourth President of the United States	43,435	465.44 sq mi (1,205 km^2)
Mahoning County	099	Youngstown	March 1, 1846	Columbiana and Trumbull Counties	Mahoning River, from an Indian word meaning "at the licks"	238,823	415.25 sq mi (1,075 km^2)
Marion County	101	Marion	April 1, 1820	Delaware County	General Francis Marion (1732–1795), lieutenant colonel in the Continental Army and later brigadier general in the American Revolutionary War.	66,501	403.84 sq mi (1,046 km^2)
Medina County	103	Medina	February 18, 1812	Portage County	Medina, world-renowned religious site in western Saudi Arabia	176,395	423 sq mi (1,096 km^2)
Meigs County	105	Pomeroy	April 1, 1819	Gallia and Athens Counties	Return Jonathan Meigs, Jr. (1764–1825), Governor of Ohio and Postmaster General at the time the county was organized	23,770	429.42 sq mi (1,112 km^2)
Mercer County	107	Celina	April 1, 1820	Darke County	General Hugh Mercer (1726–1777), a Revolutionary War officer	40,814	463.27 sq mi (1,200 km^2)
Miami County	109	Troy	March 1, 1807	Montgomery County	Miami Indians	102,506	407.04 sq mi (1,054 km^2)
Monroe County	111	Woodsfield	January 29, 1813	Belmont, Washington, and Guernsey Counties	James Monroe (1758–1831), Secretary of State when the county was organized and future President of the United States	14,642	455.54 sq mi (1,180 km^2)
Montgomery County	113	Dayton	May 1, 1803	Hamilton and Wayne Counties	General Richard Montgomery (1738–1775), a Revolutionary War officer	535,153	461.68 sq mi (1,196 km^2)
Morgan County	115	McConnelsville	December 29, 1817	Washington, Guernsey, and Muskingum Counties	General Daniel Morgan (c. 1735 – 1802), a Revolutionary War officer	15,054	417.66 sq mi (1,082 km^2)
Morrow County	117	Mount Gilead	March 1, 1848	Knox, Marion, Delaware, and Richland Counties	Jeremiah Morrow (1771–1852), Governor of Ohio	34,827	406.22 sq mi (1,052 km^2)
Muskingum County	119	Zanesville	March 1, 1804[16][17]	Washington and Fairfield Counties	An Indian word meaning "A town by the river" or "by the river side"	86,074	664.63 sq mi (1,721 km^2)
Noble County	121	Caldwell	April 1, 1851	Monroe, Washington, Morgan, and Guernsey Counties	James Noble (1785–1831), an early settler and future U.S. Senator from Indiana	14,645	399.00 sq mi (1,033 km^2)
Ottawa County	123	Port Clinton	March 6, 1840	Erie, Sandusky, and Lucas Counties	Named for the Ottawa Indians; Ottawa means "trader" in their language	41,428	254.95 sq mi (660 km^2)
Paulding County	125	Paulding	April 1, 1820	Darke County	John Paulding (1758–1818), captor of spy John André during the Revolutionary War	19,614	416.26 sq mi (1,078 km^2)
Perry County	127	New Lexington	March 1, 1818	Washington, Fairfield, and Muskingum Counties	Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry (1785–1819), a naval officer of the War of 1812	36,058	409.78 sq mi (1,061 km^2)
Pickaway County	129	Circleville	March 1, 1810	Ross, Fairfield, and Franklin Counties	A misspelling of the Piqua tribe, a branch of the Shawnee	55,698	501.91 sq mi (1,300 km^2)
Pike County	131	Waverly	February 1, 1815	Ross, Scioto, and Adams Counties	General Zebulon M. Pike (1779–1813), a War of 1812 officer and discoverer of Pikes Peak in Colorado in 1806	28,709	441.49 sq mi (1,143 km^2)
Portage County	133	Ravenna	June 7, 1807	Trumbull County	Derived from an Indian portage	161,419	492.39 sq mi (1,275 km^2)
Preble County	135	Eaton	March 1, 1808	Montgomery and Butler Counties	Captain Edward Preble (1761–1807), a Naval commander in the Revolutionary War	42,270	424.80 sq mi (1,100 km^2)
Putnam County	137	Ottawa	April 1, 1820	Shelby County	General Israel Putnam (1718–1790), a Revolutionary War officer	34,499	483.87 sq mi (1,253 km^2)
Richland County	139	Mansfield	March 1, 1808	Fairfield County	Descriptive of the soil in the area	124,475	496.88 sq mi (1,287 km^2)
Ross County	141	Chillicothe	August 20, 1798	Adams and Washington Counties	Named for U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania James Ross by territorial governor Arthur St. Clair	78,064	688.41 sq mi (1,783 km^2)
Sandusky County	143	Fremont	April 1, 1820	Huron County	An Iroquois word meaning "cold water"	60,944	409.18 sq mi (1,060 km^2)
Scioto County	145	Portsmouth	May 1, 1803	Adams County	Scioto River; Scioto is a Wyandot Indian word meaning "deer"	79,499	612.27 sq mi (1,586 km^2)
Seneca County	147	Tiffin	April 1, 1820	Huron County	Seneca Indians, who had a reservation in the county area at the time	56,745	550.59 sq mi (1,426 km^2)
Shelby County	149	Sidney	April 1, 1819	Miami County	General Isaac Shelby (1750–1826), a Revolutionary War officer and Governor of Kentucky,	49,423	409.27 sq mi (1,060 km^2)
Stark County	151	Canton	February 13, 1808	Columbiana County	General John Stark (1728–1822), a Revolutionary War officer; known as the "Hero of Bennington" for his exemplary service at the Battle of Bennington in 1777	375,586	576.14 sq mi (1,492 km^2)
Summit County	153	Akron	March 3, 1840	Medina, Portage, and Stark Counties	Its location at the highest elevation along the Ohio and Erie Canal	541,781	419.38 sq mi (1,086 km^2)
Trumbull County	155	Warren	July 10, 1800	Jefferson and Wayne Counties	Jonathan Trumbull (1710–1785), Governor of Connecticut when the county was organized	210,312	616.48 sq mi (1,597 km^2)
Tuscarawas County	157	New Philadelphia	March 15, 1808	Muskingum County	Tuscarawas River, meaning "open mouth river" or the Tuscarawas tribe who lived on the river	92,582	567.58 sq mi (1,470 km^2)
Union County	159	Marysville	April 1, 1820	Delaware, Franklin, Logan, and Madison Counties	Its formation by a union of four counties	52,300	436.65 sq mi (1,131 km^2)
Van Wert County	161	Van Wert	April 1, 1820	Darke County	Isaac Van Wart (1760–1828), captor of spy John André during the Revolutionary War	28,744	410.09 sq mi (1,062 km^2)
Vinton County	163	McArthur	March 23, 1850	Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, and Ross Counties	Samuel Finley Vinton (1792–1862), Ohio Statesman and U.S. Congressman	13,435	414.08 sq mi (1,072 km^2)
Warren County	165	Lebanon	May 1, 1803	Hamilton County	General Joseph Warren (1741–1775), a Revolutionary War officer	212,693	399.63 sq mi (1,035 km^2)
Washington County	167	Marietta	July 27, 1788	One of the original counties	George Washington (1732–1799), commander of the Continental Army, president of the Constitutional Convention, and future President of the United States	61,778	635.15 sq mi (1,645 km^2)
Wayne County	169	Wooster	March 1, 1808	From non-county area	General Anthony Wayne (1745–1796), a Revolutionary War officer	114,520	555.36 sq mi (1,438 km^2)
Williams County	171	Bryan	April 1, 1820	Darke County	David Williams (1754–1831), captor of spy John André during the Revolutionary War	37,642	421.74 sq mi (1,092 km^2)
Wood County	173	Bowling Green	April 1, 1820	Refactored from non-county territory	Eleazer D. Wood (1783–1814), founder of Fort Meigs	125,488	617.32 sq mi (1,599 km^2)
Wyandot County	175	Upper Sandusky	February 3, 1845	Marion, Crawford, and Hardin Counties	Wyandot Indians	22,615	405.61 sq mi (1,051 km^2)

See also

• Ohio county government
• List of Ohio townships

References

1. Laning, J.F. (1896). "The Evolution of Ohio Counties". Ohio Archaeological and Historical Publications. V: 326–350.. Other editions available at ISBN 1249686741 and Google Books
2. Lawyer, James Patterson (1905). History of Ohio: From the Glacial Period to the Present Time. Press of F. J. Heer. p. 381. Retrieved 2007-08-18.. Other editions available at ISBN 9781279183281
3. Steinglass, Steven; Scarselli, Gino (2004). The Ohio State Constitution A Reference Guide. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers. pp. 272–273. (OH county charter). Other editions available: ISBN 0313267650 and Google Books
4. "County of Summit". Retrieved 2013-02-28.
5. "Issue 6 reform wins big and sets in motion even bigger changes for Cuyahoga County". cleveland.com. Retrieved 2010-01-28.
6. "Ohio QuickFacts". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
7. "Population Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau. December 2009. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
8. "County FIPS Code Listing for the State of OHIO". United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
9. "ODOT County Abbreviation Table" (PDF). Ohio Department of Transportation. May 1, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
10. "NACo - Find a County". Archived from the original on 2007-04-13. Retrieved 2007-07-22.
11. "Federal Roster: Counties of Ohio, Derivation of Name and Date of Erection" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-07-21.
12. Howe, Henry (1891). Historical Collections of Ohio. 2. Columbus, OH: Henry Howe and Son. (OH county source). Other editions available: ISBN 1425565735 and Google Books
13. Resolution of 111th Ohio General Assembly designating John Allen as the person for which Allen County was named.
14. Ashtabula, Encyclopædia Britannica, 2007. Accessed 2007-11-19.
15. Cuyahoga River, Encyclopædia Britannica, 2007. Accessed 2007-11-19.
16. Downes, p. 368.
17. Taylor & Taylor, p. 40.

Further reading

• Downes, Randolph Chandler. "Evolution of Ohio County Boundaries". Ohio Archaeological and Historical Publications. 36: 340–477.
• Taylor, William Alexander; Taylor, Aubrey Clarence (1899). Ohio statesmen and annals of progress: from the year 1788 to the year 1900 ... State of Ohio.