Mahoning County, Ohio facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mahoning County
U.S. county
Mahoning County Courthouse
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Ohio
Ohio's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Ohio
Founded	March 1, 1846
Named for	A Native American word for salt lick
Seat	Youngstown
Largest city	Youngstown
Area
• Total	425 sq mi (1,100 km2)
• Land	412 sq mi (1,070 km2)
• Water	14 sq mi (40 km2)  3.2%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	228,614
• Estimate  (2021)	226,762
• Density	537.9/sq mi (207.69/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	6th

Mahoning County is a county in the state of Ohio, USA. It is located in the northeastern part of Ohio. In 2020, about 228,614 people lived there.

The biggest city and the main center of the county is Youngstown. The county is named after the Mahoning River. It was created on March 1, 1846. This made it the 83rd county in Ohio. Before 1846, this area was part of Trumbull and Columbiana counties. Mahoning County is now part of the larger Youngstown–Warren, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

In the 1600s, the land that is now Mahoning County was home to different Native American groups. The Erie people likely lived in the east. The Whittlesey culture was probably in the west. We don't know the exact borders between them.

The Erie were an Iroquoian group. They may have arrived between 1100 and 1300 AD. They followed an older group called "Mound Builders." The Whittlesey people were likely Algonquian. They lived in longhouses, which were different from typical Algonquian homes.

After a series of conflicts called the Beaver Wars, new tribes moved into the Mahoning Valley. These tribes included the Seneca, Lenape (also known as Delaware), Shawnee, and Wyandot. The Seneca and Wyandot were Iroquoian. The Lenape and Shawnee were Algonquian.

Later, as settlers moved into northeast Ohio, Native American tribes were pushed out. This area became part of the Connecticut Western Reserve. By the early to mid-1800s, the United States moved all tribes out of Ohio.

Some important Native American sites were once in Mahoning County. One was Council Rock in Youngstown. The Shawnee and Lenape gathered there for celebrations and meetings. The rock was moved but is now in Lincoln Park. Another site was the North Benton burial mound. It was found near North Benton. Archeologists removed it. This mound was linked to the Hopewell culture. It had unique features, like sculptures of constellations made from white rocks.

In the early 1800s, a family of Huguenot refugees settled in what would become Mahoning County.

In the 1900s, Youngstown became a major center for the American steel industry. It was also home to Warner Theatre. This is where the Warner Bros. film studio began. It was an important place for early movies and TV for many years. There was once a large German community in Berlin Township. After the World Wars, they faced pressure to fit in, and the community changed. A local favorite food, Brier Hill Pizza, was created in Youngstown's Brier Hill neighborhood.

Geography

The United States Census Bureau says Mahoning County covers about 425 square miles. Most of this, about 412 square miles, is land. The remaining 14 square miles, or 3.2%, is water.

Adjacent counties

• Trumbull County (north)
• Mercer County, Pennsylvania (northeast)
• Lawrence County, Pennsylvania (east)
• Columbiana County (south)
• Stark County (southwest)
• Portage County (northwest)

Major highways

Demographics

A pyramid showing the age distribution of the county.

In 2010, there were 238,823 people living in Mahoning County. There were about 98,712 households. The population density was about 580 people per square mile.

Most people in the county were white (79.9%). About 15.7% were black or African American. Other groups included Asian (0.7%) and American Indian (0.2%). About 4.7% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

Many people had German (21.4%), Italian (18.4%), or Irish (16.6%) backgrounds. About 27.9% of households had children under 18. The average household had 2.34 people. The average age in the county was 42.9 years old.

The average income for a household was $40,123. For families, it was $52,489.

Economy

Top Employers

Here are the biggest employers in Mahoning County, based on a 2019 report:

Education

Colleges and universities

• Avalon University School of Medicine
• Youngstown State University

Community, junior, and technical colleges

• Choffin Career and Technical Center
• Eastern Gateway Community College
• Mahoning County Career and Technical Center

Public school districts

School districts in Mahoning County include:

High schools

Communities

Map of Mahoning County, Ohio with municipal and township labels

Cities

Villages

Townships

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Population ranking

This table shows the population of cities, towns, and other places in Mahoning County, based on the 2020 census.

* A small part of this place is in Mahoning County.
† This is the county seat (main city).

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Mahoning para niños