This is a list of the eighty-eight counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The Ohio Constitution allows counties to set up a charter government as many cities and villages do, but only Summit County and Cuyahoga County have done so, the latter having been approved by voters in November 2009 but not yet implemented.[1] 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.
The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, which is used by the United States government to identify states and counties uniquely, is provided with each entry.[2] Ohio's code is 39, which when combined with any county code would be written as 39XXX. The FIPS code for each county links to census data for that county.
County |
FIPS Code [3] |
County Seat [4] |
Created [4][5] |
Origin [6] |
Etymology [5][6] |
Population [3][4] |
Area [4] |
Map |
Adams County | 001 | West Union | July 10, 1797 | Hamilton County | John Adams (1735-1826), second U.S. President and executive when the county was organized | 28,550 | ( 1,512 km2) |
583.91 sq mi|
Allen County | 003 | Lima | March 1, 1820 | Shelby County | John Allen (1771/2-1813), a War of 1812 colonel[7] | 106,331 | ( 1,047 km2) |
404.43 sq mi|
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 | ( 1,099 km2) |
424.37 sq mi|
Ashtabula County | 007 | Jefferson | June 7, 1807 | Trumbull and Geauga Counties | Ashtabula River, which means "fish river" in an Algonquian language[8] | 101,497 | ( 1,819 km2) |
702.44 sq mi|
Athens County | 009 | Athens | March 1, 1805 | Washington County | Athens, Greece | 64,757 | ( 1,313 km2) |
506.76 sq mi|
Auglaize County | 011 | Wapakoneta | February 14, 1848 | Allen, Mercer, Darke, Hardin, Logan, Shelby, and Van Wert Counties | Auglaize River, which means "fallen timbers river" to the Shawnee | 45,949 | ( 1,039 km2) |
401.25 sq mi|
Belmont County | 013 | St. Clairsville | September 7, 1801 | Jefferson and Washington Counties | Belle monte, which means "beautiful mountain" in French | 70,400 | ( 1,392 km2) |
537.35 sq mi|
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 | ( 1,274 km2) |
491.76 sq mi|
Butler County | 017 | Hamilton | May 1, 1803 | Hamilton County | General Richard Butler (1743-1791), killed at the Battle of the Wabash | 368,130 | ( 1,210 km2) |
467.27 sq mi|
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 | ( 1,022 km2) |
394.67 sq mi|
Champaign County | 021 | Urbana | March 1, 1805 | Greene and Franklin Counties | French for "a plain", describing the land in the area | 40,097 | ( 1,110 km2) |
428.56 sq mi|
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 | ( 1,036 km2) |
399.86 sq mi|
Clermont County | 025 | Batavia | December 6, 1800 | Hamilton County | French for "clear mountain" | 197,363 | ( 1,171 km2) |
451.99 sq mi|
Clinton County | 027 | Wilmington | March 1, 1810 | Highland and Warren Counties | George Clinton (1739-1812), vice-president when the county was organized | 42,040 | ( 1,064 km2) |
410.88 sq mi|
Columbiana County | 029 | Lisbon | May 1, 1803 | Jefferson and Washington Counties | Derived from the words Christopher Columbus, European explorer of the Americas | 107,841 | ( 1,379 km2) |
532.46 sq mi|
Coshocton County | 031 | Coshocton | January 31, 1810 | Muskingum and Tuscarawas Counties | Delaware Indian word meaning "union of waters" | 36,901 | ( 1,461 km2) |
564.07 sq mi|
Crawford County | 033 | Bucyrus | April 1, 1820 | Delaware County | Colonel William Crawford (1732-1782), Revolutionary War officer | 43,784 | ( 1,041 km2) |
402.11 sq mi|
Cuyahoga County | 035 | Cleveland | June 7, 1807 | Geauga County | Cuyahoga River, which means "crooked river" in an Iroquoian language[9] | 1,280,122 | ( 1,187 km2) |
458.49 sq mi|
Darke County | 037 | Greenville | January 3, 1809 | Miami County | General William Darke (1736-1801), Revolutionary War officer | 52,959 | ( 1,553 km2) |
599.80 sq mi|
Defiance County | 039 | Defiance | April 7, 1845 | Williams, Henry, and Paulding Counties | Fort Defiance, built in 1794 by General Anthony Wayne | 39,037 | ( 1,065 km2) |
411.16 sq mi|
Delaware County | 041 | Delaware | April 1, 1808 | Franklin County | Delaware Indians | 174,214 | ( 1,146 km2) |
442.41 sq mi|
Erie County | 043 | Sandusky | March 15, 1838 | Huron and Sandusky Counties | Erie Indians | 77,079 | ( 660 km2) |
254.88 sq mi|
Fairfield County | 045 | Lancaster | December 9, 1800 | Ross and Washington Counties | Named for the beauty of its "fair fields" | 146,159 | ( 1,308 km2) |
505.11 sq mi|
Fayette County | 047 | Washington Court House | March 1, 1810 | Ross and Highland Counties | Marquis de Lafayette, French military officer and aristocrat who participated in both the American and French revolutions. | 29,030 | ( 1,053 km2) |
406.58 sq mi|
Franklin County | 049 | Columbus | April 30, 1803 | Ross and Wayne Counties | Benjamin Franklin (1706-1791) - Founding Father, author, printer, satirist, political theorist, scientist, inventor and statesman. | 1,163,414 | ( 1,398 km2) |
539.87 sq mi|
Fulton County | 051 | Wauseon | April 1, 1850 | Lucas, Henry, and Williams Counties | Robert Fulton (1765–1815), inventor of the steamboat | 42,698 | ( 1,054 km2) |
406.78 sq mi|
Gallia County | 053 | Gallipolis | April 30, 1803 | Washington and Adams Counties | Gaul, the ancient name of France | 30,934 | ( 1,214 km2) |
468.78 sq mi|
Geauga County | 055 | Chardon | March 1, 1806 | Trumbull County | A Native American word meaning "raccoon" | 93,389 | ( 1,045 km2) |
403.66 sq mi|
Greene County | 057 | Xenia | May 1, 1803 | Hamilton and Ross Counties | General Nathanael Greene (1742-1786), Revolutionary War officer | 161,573 | ( 1,075 km2) |
414.88 sq mi|
Guernsey County | 059 | Cambridge | March 1, 1810 | Belmont and Muskingum Counties | Island of Guernsey, from where most of the settlers originated | 40,087 | ( 1,352 km2) |
521.90 sq mi|
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 | ( 1,055 km2) |
407.36 sq mi|
Hancock County | 063 | Findlay | April 1, 1820 | Logan County | John Hancock (1737-1793), president of the Continental Congress | 74,782 | ( 1,376 km2) |
531.35 sq mi|
Hardin County | 065 | Kenton | April 1, 1820 | Logan County | General John Hardin (1753–1792), Revolutionary War officer | 32,058 | ( 1,218 km2) |
470.29 sq mi|
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 U.S. President | 15,864 | ( 1,045 km2) |
403.53 sq mi|
Henry County | 069 | Napoleon | April 1, 1820 | Shelby County | Patrick Henry (1736–1799), Revolutionary War-era legislator, orator, and scholar | 28,215 | ( 1,079 km2) |
416.50 sq mi|
Highland County | 071 | Hillsboro | May 1, 1805 | Ross, Adams, and Clermont Counties | Descriptive of the county's terrain | 43,589 | ( 1,433 km2) |
553.28 sq mi|
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 | ( 1,095 km2) |
422.75 sq mi|
Holmes County | 075 | Millersburg | January 20, 1824 | Coshocton, Wayne, and Tuscarawas Counties | Major Andrew Holmes (d. 1814), a War of 1812 officer | 42,366 | ( 1,096 km2) |
422.99 sq mi|
Huron County | 077 | Norwalk | March 7, 1809 | Portage and Cuyahoga Counties | Huron Indians | 59,626 | ( 1,276 km2) |
492.69 sq mi|
Jackson County | 079 | Jackson | March 1, 1816 | Scioto, Gallia, Athens, and Ross Counties | General Andrew Jackson (1767–1845) | 33,225 | ( 1,089 km2) |
420.28 sq mi|
Jefferson County | 081 | Steubenville | July 29, 1797 | Washington County | Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), Vice President when the county was organized, future U.S. President, and principal author of the Declaration of Independence | 69,709 | ( 1,061 km2) |
409.61 sq mi|
Knox County | 083 | Mount Vernon | March 1, 1808 | Fairfield County | General Henry Knox, the first Secretary of War | 60,921 | ( 1,365 km2) |
527.12 sq mi|
Lake County | 085 | Painesville | March 6, 1840 | Geauga and Cuyahoga Counties | Named as such due to it bordering Lake Erie | 230,041 | ( 591 km2) |
228.21 sq mi|
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 | ( 1,178 km2) |
454.96 sq mi|
Licking County | 089 | Newark | March 1, 1808 | Fairfield County | Named for the salt licks in the area | 166,492 | ( 1,778 km2) |
686.50 sq mi|
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 | ( 1,187 km2) |
458.44 sq mi|
Lorain County | 093 | Elyria | December 26, 1822 | Huron, Cuyahoga, and Medina Counties | Province of Lorraine, France | 301,356 | ( 1,276 km2) |
492.50 sq mi|
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 | ( 882 km2) |
340.46 sq mi|
Madison County | 097 | London | March 1, 1810 | Franklin County | James Madison (1751-1836), fourth U.S. President | 43,435 | ( 1,205 km2) |
465.44 sq mi|
Mahoning County | 099 | Youngstown | March 1, 1846 | Columbiana and Trumbull Counties | Mahoning River, from a Native American word meaning "at the licks" | 238,823 | ( 1,075 km2) |
415.25 sq mi|
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 | ( 1,046 km2) |
403.84 sq mi|
Medina County | 103 | Medina | February 18, 1812 | Portage County | Medina, world-renowned religious site and capital of the Al Madinah Province in western Saudi Arabia | 172,332 | ( 1,092 km2) |
421.55 sq mi|
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 | ( 1,112 km2) |
429.42 sq mi|
Mercer County | 107 | Celina | April 1, 1820 | Darke County | General Hugh Mercer (1726-1777), a Revolutionary War officer | 40,814 | ( 1,200 km2) |
463.27 sq mi|
Miami County | 109 | Troy | March 1, 1807 | Montgomery County | Miami Indians | 102,506 | ( 1,054 km2) |
407.04 sq mi|
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 U.S. President | 14,642 | ( 1,180 km2) |
455.54 sq mi|
Montgomery County | 113 | Dayton | May 1, 1803 | Hamilton and Wayne Counties | General Richard Montgomery (1738-1775), a Revolutionary War officer | 535,153 | ( 1,196 km2) |
461.68 sq mi|
Morgan County | 115 | McConnelsville | December 29, 1817 | Washington, Guernsey, and Muskingum Counties | General Daniel Morgan (c.1735–1802), a Revolutionary War officer | 15,054 | ( 1,082 km2) |
417.66 sq mi|
Morrow County | 117 | Mount Gilead | March 1, 1848 | Knox, Marion, Delaware, and Richland Counties | Jeremiah Morrow (1771–1852), Governor of Ohio | 34,827 | ( 1,052 km2) |
406.22 sq mi|
Muskingum County | 119 | Zanesville | March 1, 1803 | Washington and Fairfield Counties | A Native American word meaning "A town by the river" or a Native American word meaning "by the river side" |
86,074 | ( 1,721 km2) |
664.63 sq mi|
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 | ( 1,033 km2) |
399.00 sq mi|
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 | ( 660 km2) |
254.95 sq mi|
Paulding County | 125 | Paulding | April 1, 1820 | Darke County | John Paulding (1758–1818), captor of spy John André during the Revolutionary War | 19,614 | ( 1,078 km2) |
416.26 sq mi|
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 | ( 1,061 km2) |
409.78 sq mi|
Pickaway County | 129 | Circleville | March 1, 1810 | Ross, Fairfield, and Franklin Counties | A misspelling of the Piqua tribe, a branch of the Shawnee or A variant of a Native American word "Piqua" |
55,698 | ( 1,300 km2) |
501.91 sq mi|
Pike County | 131 | Waverly | February 1, 1815 | Ross, Scioto, and Adams Counties | General Zebulon M. Pike (1779–1813), a Revolutionary War officer and discoverer of Pikes Peak in Colorado in 1806 | 28,709 | ( 1,143 km2) |
441.49 sq mi|
Portage County | 133 | Ravenna | June 7, 1807 | Trumbull County | Derived from an Indian portage | 161,419 | ( 1,275 km2) |
492.39 sq mi|
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 | ( 1,100 km2) |
424.80 sq mi|
Putnam County | 137 | Ottawa | April 1, 1820 | Shelby County | General Israel Putnam (1718–1790), a Revolutionary War officer | 34,499 | ( 1,253 km2) |
483.87 sq mi|
Richland County | 139 | Mansfield | March 1, 1808 | Fairfield County | Descriptive of the soil in the area | 124,475 | ( 1,287 km2) |
496.88 sq mi|
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 | ( 1,783 km2) |
688.41 sq mi|
Sandusky County | 143 | Fremont | April 1, 1820 | Huron County | An Iroquois word meaning "cold water" | 60,944 | ( 1,060 km2) |
409.18 sq mi|
Scioto County | 145 | Portsmouth | May 1, 1803 | Adams County | Scioto River; Scioto is a Wyandot word meaning "deer" | 79,499 | ( 1,586 km2) |
612.27 sq mi|
Seneca County | 147 | Tiffin | April 1, 1820 | Huron County | Seneca Indians, who had a reservation in the county area at the time | 56,745 | ( 1,426 km2) |
550.59 sq mi|
Shelby County | 149 | Sidney | April 1, 1819 | Miami County | General Isaac Shelby (1750–1826), a Revolutionary War officer and Governor of Kentucky, | 49,423 | ( 1,060 km2) |
409.27 sq mi|
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 | ( 1,492 km2) |
576.14 sq mi|
Summit County | 153 | Akron | March 3, 1840 | Medina, Portage, and Stark Counties | Derived from having the highest elevation along the Ohio Canal | 541,781 | ( 1,069 km2) |
412.72 sq mi|
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 | ( 1,597 km2) |
616.48 sq mi|
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 | ( 1,470 km2) |
567.58 sq mi|
Union County | 159 | Marysville | April 1, 1820 | Delaware, Franklin, Logan, and Madison Counties | Named as such due to it formed by a union of four counties | 52,300 | ( 1,131 km2) |
436.65 sq mi|
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 | ( 1,062 km2) |
410.09 sq mi|
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 | ( 1,072 km2) |
414.08 sq mi|
Warren County | 165 | Lebanon | May 1, 1803 | Hamilton County | General Joseph Warren (1741-1775), a Revolutionary War officer | 212,693 | ( 1,035 km2) |
399.63 sq mi|
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 U.S. President | 61,778 | ( 1,645 km2) |
635.15 sq mi|
Wayne County | 169 | Wooster | March 1, 1808 | From non-county area | General Anthony Wayne (1745–1796), a Revolutionary War officer | 114,520 | ( 1,438 km2) |
555.36 sq mi|
Williams County | 171 | Bryan | April 1, 1820 | Darke County | David Williams (1754-1831), captor of spy John André during the Revolutionary War | 37,642 | ( 1,092 km2) |
421.74 sq mi|
Wood County | 173 | Bowling Green | April 1, 1820 | Refactored from non-county territory | Eleazer D. Wood (1783 -1814), founder of Fort Meigs | 125,488 | ( 1,599 km2) |
617.32 sq mi|
Wyandot County | 175 | Upper Sandusky | February 3, 1845 | Marion, Crawford, and Hardin Counties | Wyandot Indians | 22,615 | ( 1,051 km2) |
405.61 sq mi
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