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Lorain County, Ohio facts for kids

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Lorain County
U.S. county
Old county building in Elyria
Old county building in Elyria
Flag of Lorain County
Flag
 Official seal of Lorain County
Seal
Map of Ohio highlighting Lorain County
Location within the U.S. state of Ohio
Map of the United States highlighting Ohio
Ohio's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Ohio
Founded April 1, 1824
Named for Lorraine in France
Seat Elyria
Largest city Lorain
Area
 • Total 923 sq mi (2,390 km2)
 • Land 491 sq mi (1,270 km2)
 • Water 432 sq mi (1,120 km2)  47%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 312,964
 • Estimate 
(2023)
 317,910
 • Density 339.07/sq mi (130.92/km2)
Congressional district 5th

Lorain County is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio As of the 2020 census, the population was 312,964. Its county seat is Elyria, and its largest city is Lorain. The county was physically established in 1822, becoming judicially independent in 1824. 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. This county became judicially-independent in 1824. The original proposed name for the county was "Colerain". The final name "Lorain" was chosen by Heman Ely, who had previously founded and named the city of Elyria. The county's name is based on the former German and now French province of Lorraine.

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. It is Ohio's fourth-largest county by area.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

  • I-80.svg Interstate 80 (Ohio Turnpike)
  • I-90.svg Interstate 90 (Ohio Turnpike)
  • I-480.svg Interstate 480
  • US 6.svg U.S. Route 6
  • US 20.svg U.S. Route 20
  • OH-2.svg State Route 2
  • OH-10.svg State Route 10
  • OH-18.svg State Route 18
  • OH-57.svg State Route 57
  • OH-58.svg State Route 58
  • OH-82.svg Ohio Route 82
  • OH-83.svg Ohio Route 83
  • OH-113.svg State Route 113
  • OH-162.svg Ohio Route 162
  • OH-252.svg Ohio Route 252
  • OH-254.svg Ohio Route 254
  • OH-301.svg Ohio Route 301
  • OH-303.svg Ohio Route 303
  • OH-511.svg Ohio Route 511
  • OH-611.svg Ohio Route 611

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
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 5.5%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020

As of the 2010 census, there were 301,356 people, 116,274 households, and 80,077 families residing in the county. 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). 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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

  • Amherst Exempted Village School District
    • Amherst Marion L. Steele High School, Amherst
  • Avon Local School District
    • Avon High School, Avon
  • Avon Lake City School District
    • Avon Lake High School, Avon Lake
  • Black River Local School District (also in Medina Co and Ashland Co.)
    • Black River High School, Sullivan
  • Clearview Local School District
    • Clearview High School, Lorain
  • Columbia Local School District
    • Columbia High School, Columbia Station
  • Elyria City School District
    • Elyria High School, Elyria
  • Firelands Local School District (also in Erie Co.)
    • Firelands High School, Henrietta Twp (Oberlin)
  • Keystone Local School District
    • Keystone High School, LaGrange
  • Lorain City School District
    • Lorain High School, Lorain
  • Mapleton Local School District (Primarily in Ashland Co.)
    • Mapleton High School, Ashland
  • Midview Local School District
    • Midview High School, Eaton Twp (Grafton)
  • New London Local School District (primarily in Huron Co.)
    • New London High School, New London
  • North Ridgeville City School District
    • North Ridgeville High School, North Ridgeville
  • Oberlin City School District
    • Oberlin High School, Oberlin
  • Olmsted Falls City Schools (primarily in Cuyahoga Co.)
    • Olmsted Falls High School, Olmsted Falls
  • Sheffield-Sheffield Lake City School District
    • Brookside High School, Sheffield
  • Strongsville City School District (primarily in Cuyahoga Co.)
    • Strongsville High School, Strongsville
  • Vermilion Local Schools (primarily in Erie Co.)
    • Vermilion High School, Vermilion
  • Wellington Exempted Village School District (also in Huron Co.)
    • Wellington High School, Wellington

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.

Private high schools

  • Elyria Catholic High School, Elyria
  • Lake Ridge Academy, North Ridgeville
  • Open Door Christian School, Elyria
  • Christian Community School, North Eaton
  • First Baptist Christian School, Elyria

Communities

Map of Lorain County Ohio With Municipal and Township Labels
Map of Lorain County, Ohio With Municipal and Township Labels

Cities

Villages

Townships

  • Amherst
  • Brighton
  • Brownhelm
  • Camden
  • Carlisle
  • Columbia
  • Eaton
  • Elyria
  • Grafton
  • Henrietta
  • Huntington
  • LaGrange
  • New Russia
  • Penfield
  • Pittsfield
  • Rochester
  • Sheffield
  • Wellington

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Lorain para niños

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