Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1830 | 5,696 | — | |
1840 | 18,467 | 224.2% | |
1850 | 26,086 | 41.3% | |
1860 | 29,744 | 14.0% | |
1870 | 30,308 | 1.9% | |
1880 | 35,526 | 17.2% | |
1890 | 40,295 | 13.4% | |
1900 | 54,857 | 36.1% | |
1910 | 76,037 | 38.6% | |
1920 | 90,612 | 19.2% | |
1930 | 109,206 | 20.5% | |
1940 | 112,390 | 2.9% | |
1950 | 148,162 | 31.8% | |
1960 | 217,500 | 46.8% | |
1970 | 256,843 | 18.1% | |
1980 | 274,909 | 7.0% | |
1990 | 271,126 | −1.4% | |
2000 | 284,664 | 5.0% | |
2010 | 301,356 | 5.9% | |
2020 | 312,964 | 3.9% | |
2023 (est.) | 317,910 | [9] | 1.6% |
U.S. Decennial Census [10] 1790-1960 [11] 1900-1990 [12] 1990-2000 [13] 2010-2020 [2] |
As of the 2010 census, there were 301,356 people, 116,274 households, and 80,077 families residing in the county. [14] 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). [15] 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. [14] 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. [16]
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. [14]
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. [17]
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. [18]
As of 2024, the following county-wide elected officials are in office: [19]
Position | Name | Party |
---|---|---|
Commissioner | David Moore | Republican |
Commissioner | Michelle Hung | Republican |
Commissioner | Jeff Riddell | Republican |
Auditor | Craig Snodgrass | Democrat |
Prosecuting Attorney | JD Tomlinson | Democrat |
Clerk of Courts | Tom Orlando | Democrat |
Sheriff | Phil Stammitti | Democrat |
Recorder | Mike Doran | Republican |
Treasurer | Daniel Talarek | Democrat |
Engineer | Kenneth Carney | Democrat |
Coroner | Dr. Frank Miller | Republican |
Position | Name | Party |
---|---|---|
Common Pleas - General | John Miraldi | Democrat |
Common Pleas - General | Christopher Rothgery | Democrat |
Common Pleas - General | Chris Cook | Democrat |
Common Pleas - General | Raymond Ewers | Democrat |
Common Pleas - General | Melissa Kobasher | Democrat |
Common Pleas - General | James Miraldi | Democrat |
Domestic Relations Division | Frank Janik | Democrat |
Domestic Relations Division | Sherry Glass Strohsack | Democrat |
Domestic Relations Division | Lisa Swenski | Democrat |
Probate Division | James Walther | Democrat |
Lorain County used to lean Democratic in recent presidential elections, voting for the Democratic candidate for president in 12 of the last 16 elections, including a winning streak that lasted from 1988 to 2016. 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 being the first Republican to capture the county since Ronald Reagan in 1984. Four years later, he flipped the county Republican by a narrow majority.
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2024 | 81,818 | 52.09% | 72,991 | 46.47% | 2,257 | 1.44% |
2020 | 79,520 | 50.40% | 75,667 | 47.96% | 2,581 | 1.64% |
2016 | 66,818 | 47.54% | 66,949 | 47.63% | 6,795 | 4.83% |
2012 | 59,405 | 41.47% | 81,464 | 56.87% | 2,384 | 1.66% |
2008 | 59,068 | 40.22% | 85,276 | 58.07% | 2,515 | 1.71% |
2004 | 61,203 | 43.49% | 78,970 | 56.11% | 569 | 0.40% |
2000 | 47,957 | 42.75% | 59,809 | 53.32% | 4,414 | 3.93% |
1996 | 34,937 | 32.82% | 55,744 | 52.37% | 15,764 | 14.81% |
1992 | 36,803 | 31.03% | 50,962 | 42.97% | 30,840 | 26.00% |
1988 | 50,410 | 47.14% | 55,600 | 52.00% | 916 | 0.86% |
1984 | 57,379 | 50.77% | 52,970 | 46.87% | 2,672 | 2.36% |
1980 | 51,034 | 49.51% | 40,919 | 39.69% | 11,131 | 10.80% |
1976 | 39,459 | 41.66% | 52,387 | 55.31% | 2,865 | 3.02% |
1972 | 51,102 | 56.15% | 36,634 | 40.25% | 3,280 | 3.60% |
1968 | 34,252 | 39.95% | 42,642 | 49.74% | 8,833 | 10.30% |
1964 | 26,683 | 32.37% | 55,755 | 67.63% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 39,361 | 47.51% | 43,487 | 52.49% | 0 | 0.00% |
1956 | 40,340 | 60.11% | 26,774 | 39.89% | 0 | 0.00% |
1952 | 33,825 | 56.36% | 26,194 | 43.64% | 0 | 0.00% |
1948 | 21,616 | 49.53% | 21,397 | 49.03% | 625 | 1.43% |
1944 | 23,866 | 48.59% | 25,254 | 51.41% | 0 | 0.00% |
1940 | 23,422 | 47.55% | 25,831 | 52.45% | 0 | 0.00% |
1936 | 15,906 | 37.29% | 24,393 | 57.19% | 2,357 | 5.53% |
1932 | 20,897 | 51.00% | 18,753 | 45.77% | 1,321 | 3.22% |
1928 | 24,386 | 63.83% | 13,607 | 35.62% | 212 | 0.55% |
1924 | 17,062 | 61.43% | 3,965 | 14.28% | 6,747 | 24.29% |
1920 | 18,125 | 65.84% | 8,640 | 31.39% | 764 | 2.78% |
1916 | 6,868 | 45.66% | 7,658 | 50.91% | 516 | 3.43% |
1912 | 2,226 | 16.34% | 4,591 | 33.71% | 6,804 | 49.95% |
1908 | 8,699 | 57.10% | 5,460 | 35.84% | 1,076 | 7.06% |
1904 | 9,001 | 70.16% | 2,700 | 21.04% | 1,129 | 8.80% |
1900 | 8,497 | 61.93% | 4,989 | 36.36% | 235 | 1.71% |
1896 | 7,801 | 63.28% | 4,367 | 35.43% | 159 | 1.29% |
1892 | 5,434 | 56.60% | 3,674 | 38.27% | 492 | 5.13% |
1888 | 5,235 | 57.32% | 3,311 | 36.25% | 587 | 6.43% |
1884 | 5,478 | 60.30% | 3,199 | 35.21% | 408 | 4.49% |
1880 | 5,609 | 66.25% | 2,752 | 32.51% | 105 | 1.24% |
1876 | 5,187 | 65.28% | 2,720 | 34.23% | 39 | 0.49% |
1872 | 4,432 | 67.71% | 2,097 | 32.03% | 17 | 0.26% |
1868 | 4,443 | 69.72% | 1,930 | 30.28% | 0 | 0.00% |
1864 | 4,600 | 73.65% | 1,646 | 26.35% | 0 | 0.00% |
1860 | 4,045 | 66.89% | 1,766 | 29.20% | 236 | 3.90% |
1856 | 3,604 | 70.97% | 1,420 | 27.96% | 54 | 1.06% |
Eaton Estates is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,155 at the 2020 census.
Elyria is a city in, and the county seat of, Lorain County, Ohio, United States, located at the forks of the Black River in Northeast Ohio 23 miles (37 km) southwest of Cleveland. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 52,656. It is a principal city in the Cleveland metropolitan area. The city is home to Lorain County Community College.
Lorain is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. It is located in Northeast Ohio on Lake Erie at the mouth of the Black River, about 25 miles (40 km) west of Cleveland. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 65,211, making it Ohio's ninth-largest city, the third-largest in Greater Cleveland, and the largest in Lorain County by population.
North Ridgeville is a city located along the eastern border of Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The city's population was 35,280 as of the 2020 census. A part of the Cleveland metropolitan area, North Ridgeville is the fastest-growing city in northern Ohio. It has been ranked the 13th safest city in the United States and the safest in Ohio.
Oberlin is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. It is located about 31 miles (50 km) southwest of Cleveland within the Cleveland metropolitan area. The population was 8,555 at the 2020 census. Oberlin is the home of Oberlin College, a liberal arts college and music conservatory with approximately 3,000 students.
The Cleveland metropolitan area, or Greater Cleveland as it is more commonly known, is the metropolitan area surrounding the city of Cleveland in Northeast Ohio, United States. According to the 2020 census results, the six-county Cleveland, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) consists of Cuyahoga County, Ashtabula County, Geauga County, Lake County, Lorain County, and Medina County, and has a population of 2,185,825, making it the 33rd-most populous metropolitan area in the United States and the third largest metropolitan area in Ohio. The metro area is also part of the larger Cleveland–Akron–Canton Combined Statistical Area with a population of over 3.7 million people, the most populous statistical area in Ohio and the 17th most populous in the United States.
Columbia Township, also known as Columbia Station or just Columbia, is the easternmost of the eighteen townships of Lorain County, Ohio, United States. Columbia Township is the official government name, while Columbia Station is the post office name, and tends to be the town name used by residents. The post office name was chosen to differentiate the township from other Columbia Townships statewide, located in Hamilton and Meigs counties.
Ohio's 5th congressional district is in northwestern and north central Ohio and borders Indiana. The district is currently represented by Republican Bob Latta.
The West Shore Conference was a high school athletic conference located in northeast Ohio, with member schools stretched across Cuyahoga, Erie, and Lorain counties.
The Southwestern Conference is a high school athletic league whose members are located in Cuyahoga and Lorain counties, mainly southwest of the city of Cleveland. The league was formed in 1937 and is part of the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA).
Clearview High School (CHS) is a public high school located in Lorain, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Clearview Local School District, one of five school districts serving the city of Lorain and all of Sheffield Township, Ohio. Clearview High School houses students in grades 9-12. It was formerly named Clearview Junior-Senior High School and housed students in grades 7-12. After a remodeling project across the district in the early 2000s, grades 7 and 8 moved to Durling Middle School, just northwest of the high school.
Firelands High School is a public high school in Oberlin, Ohio in the United States.
Eaton Township is one of the eighteen townships of Lorain County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,828.
The Patriot Athletic Conference (PAC-12) was an Ohio high school athletic league made up of 12 schools from around the Cleveland area that existed from 2005-2006 to the 2018-2019 school year. All member schools were also members of the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
This is a list of high school athletic conferences in the Northeast Region of Ohio, as defined by the OHSAA. Because the names of localities and their corresponding high schools do not always match and because there is often a possibility of ambiguity with respect to either the name of a locality or the name of a high school, the following table gives both in every case, with the locality name first, in plain type, and the high school name second in boldface type. The school's team nickname is given last.
This is a list of former high school athletic conferences in the Northeast Region of Ohio, as designated by the OHSAA. If a conference had members that span multiple regions, the conference is placed in the article of the region most of its former members hail from. Because the names of localities and their corresponding high schools do not always match and because there is often a possibility of ambiguity with respect to either the name of a locality or the name of a high school, the following table gives both in every case, with the locality name first, in plain type, and the high school name second in boldface type. The school's team nickname is given last.
The North Coast Inland Trail is a work-in-process multipurpose trail project that currently consists of several separate portions, defined by their counties, in northern Ohio, United States. Affiliates with the trails have high hopes to connect all of these portions and to extend the trails into Indiana and Pennsylvania, two of Ohio's land-bordering states.
Lorain County Joint Vocational School is a public vocational school in Oberlin, Ohio. LCJVS primarily serves 13 school districts located in Lorain County, with parts of Erie and Huron counties also covered.
The Lorain County League (LC8) is an Ohio high school athletic league that began with the 2019-20 school year and is made up of eight schools predominantly based in Lorain County, Ohio. All schools are members of the Ohio High School Athletic Association. Previous versions of a Lorain County League existed from 1924–61 and again from 1968-2005.