Lorain County, Ohio

Lorain County, Ohio
County
Old county building in Elyria
Flag
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Ohio
Coordinates: 41°28′N 82°09′W / 41.47°N 82.15°W / 41.47; -82.15
Country United States
State Ohio
FoundedApril 1, 1824
Named afterLorraine in France[1]
SeatElyria
Largest cityLorain
Area
 • Total
923 sq mi (2,390 km2)
 • Land491 sq mi (1,270 km2)
 • Water432 sq mi (1,120 km2)  47%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
312,964
 • Estimate 
(2023)
317,910
 • Density637/sq mi (246/km2)
Congressional district5th
Websitewww.loraincountyohio.gov

Lorain County (/lɔːˈreɪn/) is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio As of the 2020 census, the population was 312,964.[2] Its county seat is Elyria, and its largest city is Lorain.[3] The county was physically established in 1822, becoming judicially independent in 1824.[4] Lorain County is part of the Cleveland, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is home to Oberlin College.

History

Lorain County was established in 1822 from portions of several of its adjacent counties.[5] This county became judicially-independent in 1824. The original proposed name for the county was "Colerain".[6] The final name "Lorain" was chosen by Heman Ely, who had founded and named the city of Elyria. The county's name is based on the former German and now French province of Lorraine.[7]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has an area of 923 square miles (2,390 km2), of which 491 square miles (1,270 km2) is land and 432 square miles (1,120 km2) (47%) is water.[8] It is Ohio's fourth-largest county by area.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18305,696—
184018,467224.2%
185026,08641.3%
186029,74414.0%
187030,3081.9%
188035,52617.2%
189040,29513.4%
190054,85736.1%
191076,03738.6%
192090,61219.2%
1930109,20620.5%
1940112,3902.9%
1950148,16231.8%
1960217,50046.8%
1970256,84318.1%
1980274,9097.0%
1990271,126−1.4%
2000284,6645.0%
2010301,3565.9%
2020312,9643.9%
2023 (est.)317,910[9] 1.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12]
1990-2000[13] 2010-2020[2]

Racial and ethnic composition

Lorain County, Ohio – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 1980[14] Pop 1990[15] Pop 2000[16] Pop 2010[17] Pop 2020[18] % 1980 % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 240,221 232,874 234,597 241,543 237,520 87.38% 85.89% 82.41% 80.15% 75.89%
Black or African American alone (NH) 19,549 20,696 23,365 24,289 22,980 7.11% 7.63% 8.21% 8.06% 7.34%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 451 680 699 635 502 0.16% 0.25% 0.25% 0.21% 0.16%
Asian alone (NH) 972 1,435 1,665 2,758 3,569 0.35% 0.53% 0.58% 0.92% 1.14%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) x [19] x [20] 47 35 50 x x 0.02% 0.01% 0.02%
Other race alone (NH) 592 180 267 302 1,020 0.22% 0.07% 0.09% 0.10% 0.33%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) x [21] x [22] 4,348 6,504 14,406 x x 1.53% 2.16% 4.60%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 13,124 15,261 19,676 25,290 32,917 4.77% 5.63% 6.91% 8.39% 10.52%
Total 274,909 271,126 284,664 301,356 312,964 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 312,964. The median age was 42.6 years, with 21.6% of residents under the age of 18 and 19.5% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.8 males age 18 and over.[23]

The racial makeup of the county was 79.0% White, 7.9% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.3% from some other race, and 8.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 10.5% of the population.[24]

85.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 14.3% lived in rural areas.[25]

There were 125,239 households in the county, of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.1% were married-couple households, 17.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[23]

There were 134,341 housing units, of which 6.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.4% were owner-occupied and 28.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.7%.[23]

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 301,356 people, 116,274 households, and 80,077 families residing in the county.[26] The population density was 613.6 inhabitants per square mile (236.9/km2). There were 127,036 housing units at an average density of 258.7 per square mile (99.9/km2).[27] The racial makeup of the county was 84.8% white, 8.6% black or African American, 0.9% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 2.5% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8.4% of the population.[26] In terms of ancestry, 26.5% were German, 16.7% were Irish, 10.9% were English, 8.4% were Polish, 8.2% were Italian, 6.2% were American, and 5.2% were Hungarian.[28]

Of the 116,274 households, 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.1% were non-families, and 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age was 40.0 years.[26]

The median income for a household in the county was $52,066 and the median income for a family was $62,082. Males had a median income of $49,146 versus $35,334 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,002. About 10.3% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.[29]

Education

Higher education

Public school districts

There are 20 public school districts in Lorain County. Those primarily in Lorain County are listed in bold. Each district's high school(s) and location is also listed.

The county also includes the Lorain County Joint Vocational School District, which encompasses the entire county and serves students from the Amherst, Avon, Avon Lake, Clearview, Columbia, Elyria, Firelands, Keystone, Midview, North Ridgeville, Oberlin, Sheffield-Sheffield Lake and Wellington school districts from a 10-acre campus on a 100-acre site near the intersection of State Route 58 and U.S. Route 20 in Oberlin.[30]

Private high schools

Government

As of 2025, the following county-wide elected officials are in office:[31]

Lorain County Elected Officials
Position Name Party
Commissioner David J. Moore Republican
Commissioner Marty Gallagher Republican
Commissioner Jeff Riddell Republican
Prosecuting Attorney Anthony Cillo Republican
Sheriff Jack M. Hall Republican
Clerk of Courts Tom Orlando Democrat
Coroner Dr. Frank P. Miller III Republican
Auditor J. Craig Snodgrass Democrat
Recorder Mike Doran Republican
Treasurer Daniel J. Talarek Democrat
Engineer Kenneth Carney Democrat
Lorain County Judges
Position Name Party
Common Pleas - General Giovanna V. Bremke Republican
Common Pleas - General Christopher R. Rothgery Democrat
Common Pleas - General D. Christopher Cook Democrat
Common Pleas - General Raymond J. Ewers Democrat
Common Pleas - General Melissa C. Kobasher Democrat
Common Pleas - General Donna C. Freeman Democrat
Domestic Relations Division Frank J. Janik Democrat
Domestic Relations Division Sherry Glass Strohsack Democrat
Domestic Relations Division Lisa I. Swenski Democrat
Probate Division James T. Walther Democrat

Politics

Lorain County used to lean Democratic in more recent presidential elections, voting for the Democratic candidate for president from 1988 to 2012. In 2016, however, the county was almost swept up as part of the unexpected Republican surge in the Rust Belt; Donald Trump came within 131 votes of winning the county. In 2020, Trump flipped the county Republican by a narrow majority, becoming the first Republican to capture the county since Ronald Reagan in 1984. In 2024, Trump won the county with 52.12% of the vote, the highest percentage for a Republican since 1972. Despite this, the county also voted for Democrat Sherrod Brown in the 2024 Senate election, making it the only county in the state to vote for both Trump and Brown in 2024.

United States presidential election results for Lorain County, Ohio[32]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
1856 3,604 70.97% 1,420 27.96% 54 1.06%
1860 4,045 66.89% 1,766 29.20% 236 3.90%
1864 4,600 73.65% 1,646 26.35% 0 0.00%
1868 4,443 69.72% 1,930 30.28% 0 0.00%
1872 4,432 67.71% 2,097 32.03% 17 0.26%
1876 5,187 65.28% 2,720 34.23% 39 0.49%
1880 5,609 66.25% 2,752 32.51% 105 1.24%
1884 5,478 60.30% 3,199 35.21% 408 4.49%
1888 5,235 57.32% 3,311 36.25% 587 6.43%
1892 5,434 56.60% 3,674 38.27% 492 5.13%
1896 7,801 63.28% 4,367 35.43% 159 1.29%
1900 8,497 61.93% 4,989 36.36% 235 1.71%
1904 9,001 70.16% 2,700 21.04% 1,129 8.80%
1908 8,699 57.10% 5,460 35.84% 1,076 7.06%
1912 2,226 16.34% 4,591 33.71% 6,804 49.95%
1916 6,868 45.66% 7,658 50.91% 516 3.43%
1920 18,125 65.84% 8,640 31.39% 764 2.78%
1924 17,062 61.43% 3,965 14.28% 6,747 24.29%
1928 24,386 63.83% 13,607 35.62% 212 0.55%
1932 20,897 51.00% 18,753 45.77% 1,321 3.22%
1936 15,906 37.29% 24,393 57.19% 2,357 5.53%
1940 23,422 47.55% 25,831 52.45% 0 0.00%
1944 23,866 48.59% 25,254 51.41% 0 0.00%
1948 21,616 49.53% 21,397 49.03% 625 1.43%
1952 33,825 56.36% 26,194 43.64% 0 0.00%
1956 40,340 60.11% 26,774 39.89% 0 0.00%
1960 39,361 47.51% 43,487 52.49% 0 0.00%
1964 26,683 32.37% 55,755 67.63% 0 0.00%
1968 34,252 39.95% 42,642 49.74% 8,833 10.30%
1972 51,102 56.15% 36,634 40.25% 3,280 3.60%
1976 39,459 41.66% 52,387 55.31% 2,865 3.02%
1980 51,034 49.51% 40,919 39.69% 11,131 10.80%
1984 57,379 50.77% 52,970 46.87% 2,672 2.36%
1988 50,410 47.14% 55,600 52.00% 916 0.86%
1992 36,803 31.03% 50,962 42.97% 30,840 26.00%
1996 34,937 32.82% 55,744 52.37% 15,764 14.81%
2000 47,957 42.75% 59,809 53.32% 4,414 3.93%
2004 61,203 43.49% 78,970 56.11% 569 0.40%
2008 59,068 40.22% 85,276 58.07% 2,515 1.71%
2012 59,405 41.47% 81,464 56.87% 2,384 1.66%
2016 66,818 47.54% 66,949 47.63% 6,795 4.83%
2020 79,520 50.40% 75,667 47.96% 2,581 1.64%
2024 83,297 52.12% 74,207 46.44% 2,303 1.44%
United States Senate election results for Lorain County, Ohio1[33]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 71,759 45.95% 79,307 50.78% 5,115 3.28%

Communities

Cities

Villages

Townships

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

See also

References

  1. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 190.
  2. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ "Ohio: Individual County Chronologies". Ohio Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2007. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  5. ^ "Lorain County - Ohio History Central". ohiohistorycentral.org. Ohio History Connection. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  6. ^ Sandusky Register (newspaper); Sandusky, Ohio, 1822
  7. ^ Wright, George Frederick (1916). A Standard History of Lorain County, Ohio: An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with Particular Attention to the Modern Era in the Commercial, Industrial, Civic and Social Development. A Chronicle of the People, with Family Lineage and Memoirs. Lewis publishing Company. pp. 625–627.
  8. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  9. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021". Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  10. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  11. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  12. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  13. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  14. ^ "1980 Census of Population - General Social and Economic Characteristics - Ohio- Table 59 - Persons by Spanish Origin, Race, and Sex: 1980 AND Table 58 - Race by Sex: 1980" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. p. 49-67 and 27-47.
  15. ^ "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Ohio: Table 6 - Race and Hispanic Origin" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. p. 21-95.
  16. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Lorain County, Ohio". United States Census Bureau.
  17. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Lorain County, Ohio". United States Census Bureau.
  18. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Lorain County, Ohio". United States Census Bureau.
  19. ^ included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
  20. ^ included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
  21. ^ not an option in the 1980 Census
  22. ^ not an option in the 1990 Census
  23. ^ a b c "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  24. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  25. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  26. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  27. ^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  28. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  29. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  30. ^ JVS. "Lorain County JVS - About the Lorain County JVS". www.lcjvs.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2011. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  31. ^ "LORAIN COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS 2025 ELECTED COUNTY OFFICIALS" (PDF). www.voteloraincountyohio.gov.
  32. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  33. ^ "2024 Senate Election (Official Returns)". Commonwealth of Texas by county. November 5, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Lorain County.

41°28′N 82°09′W / 41.47°N 82.15°W / 41.47; -82.15

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