It shares a name with Franklin County in Kentucky, where Frankfort is located. This makes it one of two pairs of capital cities in counties of the same name, along with Marion Counties in Indiana and Oregon.
On March 30, 1803, the Ohio government authorized the creation of Franklin County. The county originally was part of Ross County. Residents named the county in honor of Benjamin Franklin.[7] In 1816, Franklin County's Columbus became Ohio's state capital. Surveyors laid out the city in 1812, and officials incorporated it in 1816. Columbus was not Ohio's original capital, but the state legislature chose to move the state government there after its location for a short time at Chillicothe and at Zanesville. Columbus was chosen as the site for the new capital because of its central location within the state and access by way of major transportation routes (primarily rivers) at that time. The legislature chose it as Ohio's capital over a number of other competitors, including Franklinton, Dublin, Worthington, and Delaware.
On October 5, 1802, the Scioto Company met again in Granby and decided not to purchase the lands along the Scioto River on the Pickaway Plains, but rather to buy land 30 miles (48km) farther north from Jonas Stanbery and his partner, an American Revolutionary War general, Jonathan Dayton. Sixteen thousand acres (65km2; 6,500ha) were purchased along the Whetstone River (now known as the Olentangy River) at $1.50 per acre.[10][full citation needed] This land was part of the United States Military District surveyed by Israel Ludlow in 1797 and divided into townships 5 miles (8.0km) square.[11]
Before the state legislature's decision in 1812, Columbus did not exist. The city was originally designed as the state's new capital, preparing itself for its role in Ohio's political, economic, and social life. In the years between the first ground-breaking and the actual movement of the capital in 1816, Columbus and Franklin County grew significantly. By 1813, workers had built a penitentiary, and by the following year, residents had established the first church, school, and newspaper in Columbus. Workers completed the Ohio Statehouse in 1861. Columbus and Franklin County grew quickly in population, with the city having 700 people by 1815. Columbus officially became the county seat in 1824. By 1834, the population of Columbus was 4,000 people, officially elevating it to "city" status.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 544 square miles (1,410km2), of which 532 square miles (1,380km2) is land and 11 square miles (28km2) (2.1%) is water.[12] The county is located in the Till Plains and the Appalachian Plateau land regions.
U.S. Decennial Census[15] 1790–1960[16] 1900–1990[17] 1990–2000[18] 2010–2020[3]
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 1,163,414 people, 477,235 households, and 278,030 families living in the county.[19] The population density was 2,186.1 inhabitants per square mile (844.1/km2). There were 527,186 housing units at an average density of 990.6 per square mile (382.5/km2).[20] The racial makeup of the county was 69.2% white, 21.2% black or African American, 3.9% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 2.3% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.8% of the population.[19] In terms of ancestry, 24.2% were German, 14.4% were Irish, 9.1% were English, 5.5% were Italian, and 5.0% were American.[21]
Of the 477,235 households, 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 41.7% were non-families, and 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.05. The median age was 33.4 years.[19]
The median income for a household in the county was $49,087 and the median income for a family was $62,372. Males had a median income of $45,920 versus $37,685 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,909. About 12.1% of families and 17.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.0% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.[22]
Ethnic origins in Franklin County
Economy
Top Employers
According to the county's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[23] the top employers in the county are:
For most of the 20th century, Franklin County was a Republican bastion, as has long been the case with most of central Ohio. From 1896 to 1992, it went Republican all but five times. However, it has gone Democratic in every election since 1996, reflecting the Democratic trend in most other urban counties nationwide. Columbus and most of its northern and western suburbs lean Democratic, while the more blue-collar southern section of the county leans Republican. From 1996 to 2004, Democratic nominees carried the county by single digit margins, but it swung significantly in favor of Barack Obama in 2008. The county has swung towards Democrats in every subsequent Presidential election, with each candidate breaking the previous county record for both largest Democratic vote share and largest Democratic margin of victory in county history. Most recently, Democratic nominee Joe Biden won the county with 64.7 percent of the vote and a 31.4 percent margin of victory.[24]
In Congress, it is split between two districts. Most of Columbus itself is in the 3rd district, represented by Democrat Joyce Beatty. The southwestern portion is in 15th district, represented by Republican Mike Carey.[25]
United States presidential election results for Franklin County, Ohio[26]
Columbus is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest after Chicago, and the third-most populous U.S. state capital after Phoenix, Arizona and Austin, Texas. Columbus is the seat of government of Franklin County; it also extends into Delaware and Fairfield counties. It is the core city of the Columbus metropolitan area, which encompasses ten counties in central Ohio. It had a population of 2,138,926 in 2020, making it the largest metropolitan area entirely in Ohio and 32nd-largest metro area in the U.S.
Scioto County is a county along the Ohio River in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Ohio. At the 2020 census, the population was 74,008. Its county seat is Portsmouth. The county was founded on March 24, 1804, from Adams County and is named for a Native American word referring to deer or deer-hunting. Scioto County comprises the Portsmouth, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is at the confluence of the Scioto and Ohio rivers.
Ross County is a county in the Appalachian region of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 77,093. Its county seat is Chillicothe, the first and third capital of Ohio. Established on August 20, 1798, the county is named for Federalist Senator James Ross of Pennsylvania. Ross County comprises the Chillicothe, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH Combined Statistical Area.
Pickaway County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,539. Its county seat is Circleville. Its name derives from the Pekowi band of Shawnee Indians, who inhabited the area.
Madison County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,824. Its county seat is London. The county is named for James Madison, President of the United States and was established on March 1, 1810.
Fairfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,921. Its county seat and largest city is Lancaster. Its name is a reference to the Fairfield area of the original Lancaster.
Delaware County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 214,124. Its county seat and largest city is Delaware.
Powell is a city in Delaware County, Ohio, United States, located 14 miles (21.5 km) north of the state capital of Columbus. Powell had an estimated population of 14,163 at the 2020 census. Founded in the early 1800s, it is now a suburb of Columbus.
Worthington is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, and is a northern suburb of Columbus. The population in the 2020 Census was 14,786. The city was founded in 1803 by the Scioto Company led by James Kilbourne, who was later elected to the United States House of Representatives, and named in honor of Thomas Worthington, who later became governor of Ohio.
Ashville is a village in Pickaway County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,621 at the 2020 census. Ashville is located 17 miles south of Columbus and 8 miles north of Circleville.
Circleville is a city in, and the county seat of, Pickaway County, Ohio, United States. The city is situated along the Scioto River, 25 miles (40 km) south of Columbus. The population was recorded to be 13,927 in the 2020 census.
Chillicothe is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Scioto River 45 miles (72 km) south of Columbus, Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio. It is the only city in Ross County and is the center of the Chillicothe micropolitan area. The population was 22,059 at the 2020 census. Chillicothe is a designated Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation.
Dublin is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. A suburb of Columbus, it falls within the jurisdictions of the counties of Franklin County, Delaware County, and Union County. The population was 49,328 at the 2020 census. The city of Dublin hosts the yearly Memorial Tournament at the Muirfield Village Golf Club. The Dublin Irish Festival advertises itself as the largest three-day Irish festival in the world.
The Olentangy River is a 97-mile-long (156 km) tributary of the Scioto River in Ohio, United States.
Ohio's 6th congressional district was represented by Representative Bill Johnson (R-OH) until his resignation in 2024. This district runs along the eastern side of the state, bordering West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. It stretches from Marietta through several Ohio River industrial towns all the way to the city of Youngstown.
Jefferson Township is situated on the northeast edge of Franklin County, Ohio as a part of the Columbus metropolitan area and situated between the Blacklick Creek, Big Walnut Creek and Swisher Creek watershed. The township is one of the seventeen townships of Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 14,475 people in the township. It was established on September 6, 1816.
Pleasant Township is one of the seventeen townships of Franklin County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,757.
Hamilton Township is one of the seventeen townships of Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 8,634 people in the township.
The city of Columbus is located in central Ohio at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers. The region is dominated by a humid continental climate, characterized by hot, muggy summers and cold, dry winters.
Northwest Columbus is a region in Franklin County, Ohio. It has about 45,000 residents, according to the 2010 U.S. census.
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