Ohio Population 2023

Ohio sits in the US Midwest, linking the country's Northeast to the Midwest. The state has one of the most central locations in the country with the 10th largest highway network. It's also just a day's drive within 50% of all of North America's population.

Ohio has an interesting history, and despite being only the 34th largest state, it is the 7th most populous and 10th most densely populated in the country. Still, it has one of the lowest growth rates in the nation, growing at a rate of just 0.67%, which ranks 43rd in the country.

The last official Census occurred in 2010, showing Ohio had a population of 11,536,504. This number has increased slightly to 11,548,087 in 2015, representing a very slight growth rate.

Ohio Area and Population Density

While Ohio's growth is slow, it's still ahead of the rest of the country. Ohio has a population density of 282.3 people per square mile, ranking 10th in the nation, with a total land area of 44,825 square miles, which ranks 34th.

Ohio's population is spread throughout the state with many major cities. Columbus, the capital, has the highest population with 850,000 residents, followed by Cleveland (388,072), Cincinnati (298,550), Toledo (298,550) and Akron (197,542).

Interestingly, the cities are wildly different when it comes to demographics and growth. While Columbus is growing rapidly at a rate of 10% every decade, Cleveland, by comparison, is losing people at an alarming rate. In 1950, more than 900,000 people lived in Cleveland, and its population is declining at a rate similar to decaying cities like Detroit.

The most populated county in Ohio is Franklin County at 1,291,981 residents in its boundaries, with Cuyahoga County coming in at a close second place with 1,248,514 residents. However, Cuyahoga has a 2% rate of loss of population in recent years.

Ohio Gender and Religion Statistics

The median age across the population in Ohio is approximately 39.3 years of age. When it comes to the ratio of females to males, Ohio has 51.1% females and 48.9% males.

In terms of preferred religions through the state's population, 73% of the population is affiliated with a Christian based faith, 4% are affiliated with non-Christian based faiths, and 22% are unaffiliated with any faith in particular.

Ohio Boundary, Census, and Statehood History

Ohio was part of the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, established in 1787 and commonly known as the Northwest Territory. Besides present-day Ohio, it included what are now Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and northeastern Minnesota. In 1800, with the creation of Indiana Territory, the Northwest Territory was reduced essentially to present-day Ohio, a small portion of southeastern Indiana, and the eastern half of lower Michigan. Ohio became a separate territory in 1802 and was admitted as a State on March 1, 1803, with its present boundaries except for a much-disputed strip along the northwestern border. This strip was governed by Michigan Territory until finally ceded to Ohio in 1836.

In 1790 the Northwest Territory had no census coverage. The 1800 census enumerated population in much of present-day Ohio and in a portion of southeastern Indiana; the total excludes the then Wayne County, nearly all of whose population was in present-day Michigan. The 1810, 1820, and 1830 censuses covered all of present-day Ohio except for the disputed northwestern strip, which was enumerated as part of Michigan.

Ohio Population History

In 1800, the population of Ohio was recorded at 45,365 but like most states in the country, an explosion in numbers was just over the horizon. Ten years later in 1810, the Census of that year showed that the figures had leaped by over 400% to 230,760. This was the biggest rise in Ohio population on a census by census basis but further impressive growth was to follow through the decades.

By the start of the 20th century, the number of people in Ohio had climbed to 4,157,545 and impressive percentage increases were experienced for much of the rest of the century. From 1970 onwards, however, growth started to slow down gradually, although it is still increasing, as evidenced by the rise reported in the 2010 census.

Ohio Population Growth

The question for the 2020 Census is whether Ohio's population can rise above 12 million. If a similar rise to that seen between 2000 and 2010 occurs, then it won’t make it. But population statistics in Ohio are sometimes a bit up and down – in the 10 years between 1990 and 2000, population rose by more than 4%, and if that rise was replicated between 2010 and 2020, it might just make it past 12 million in time for the next census.

Ohio Population Projections

It's currently estimated that Ohio will continue its very slow growth, not even breaking 11.7 million between 2020 and 2030.

Ohio has one of the lowest Hispanic populations in the country based on percentages. The majority of Ohio's Hispanic residents are Mexican American and live in the Columbus and Toledo. It is ranked among the bottom 10 states when it comes to the percentage of Hispanics compared to the total population of the state. Ohio is ranked 17th out of 50 states for its African American population, which primarily reside in the state's major metropolitan areas. Approximately 4.1% of the state's residents were foreign-born.

Today, nearly one-third of Ohio's population under the age of 1 belongs to a minority group. The largest ancestry groups are: German (26.5%), Irish (14.5%), English (9.0%), Slavic countries including Poland, Russia and Croatia (8.0%), Italian (6.4%), French (2.5%) and Scottish (1.9%).

• Delaware, Miami, Shawnee and Wyandot Indian tribes first inhabited the land that is now Ohio.
• Marietta was founded in 1788, and it was the first permanent settlement in Ohio. It was named after Marie Antoinette.
• The first capital of Ohio was Chillicothe. The capital was then moved to Zanesville before transferring back to Chillicothe. In 1816, Columbus was established, and it is now the capital of the state.
• Moses Cleaveland founded the city of Cleveland in 1796. In the 1930s, a newspaper changed the spelling to Cleveland to fit within its masthead, and the new name stuck.
• Cincinnati was the birthplace of the first ambulance service back in 1865.
• Ohio is the birthplace of seven US presidents.
• Ohio has the only non-rectangular state flag in the country.