Stark County, Ohio facts for kids

Stark County
Quick facts for kids Stark County
	U.S. county
	Stark County Courthouse
	Seal
	Seal
	Location within the U.S. state of Ohio
	Ohio's location within the U.S.
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Country	United States
State	Ohio
Founded	January 1, 1809
Named for	John Stark
Seat	Canton
Largest city	Canton
Area
• Total	581 sq mi (1,500 km2)
• Land	575 sq mi (1,490 km2)
• Water	5.3 sq mi (14 km2) 0.9%%
Population (2020)
• Total	374,853
• Density	645.2/sq mi (249.11/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	7th, 13th, 16th

Stark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 374,853. Its county seat is Canton. The county was created in 1808 and organized the next year. It is named for John Stark, an officer in the American Revolutionary War.

Stark County is included in the Canton-Massillon, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH Combined Statistical Area.

History

Stark County was named in honor of American Revolutionary War General John Stark. John Stark (August 28, 1728 – May 8, 1822) was a general who served in the American Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He became widely known as the "Hero of Bennington" for his exemplary service at the Battle of Bennington in 1777.

During the early 20th century, Stark County was an important location in the early development of professional football. The rivalry between the Massillon Tigers and Canton Bulldogs helped bring the Ohio League to prominence in the mid-1900s (decade) and again in the late 1910s. The Bulldogs ended up a charter member of the National Football League, where it played for several years. (The role Stark County had in developing the game is part of the reason the Pro Football Hall of Fame is located in Canton.) Two relatively large football stadiums, Fawcett Stadium in Canton and Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon, are still in use (albeit now mostly for high school football), with Fawcett Stadium hosting the NFL's annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Game each year.

In the later 20th century, Stark County's voting record swung from one party to another, closely tracking the winner of the U.S. Presidential election. Even within the swing state of Ohio, Stark County is regarded as a quintessential bellwether, and thus presidential candidates have typically made multiple visits to the region. Major media outlets typically pay close attention to the election results in the county. The New York Times in particular has covered the county's citizens and their voting concerns in a series of features each election cycle for over a decade.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 581 square miles (1,500 km²), of which 575 square miles (1,490 km²) is land and 5.3 square miles (14 km²) (0.9%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Portage County (north)
Mahoning County (northeast)
Columbiana County (east)
Carroll County (southeast)
Tuscarawas County (south)
Holmes County (southwest)
Wayne County (west)
Summit County (northwest)

National protected area

First Ladies National Historic Site

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1810	2,734	—
1820	12,406	353.8%
1830	26,588	114.3%
1840	34,603	30.1%
1850	39,878	15.2%
1860	42,978	7.8%
1870	52,508	22.2%
1880	64,031	21.9%
1890	84,170	31.5%
1900	94,747	12.6%
1910	122,987	29.8%
1920	177,218	44.1%
1930	221,784	25.1%
1940	234,887	5.9%
1950	283,194	20.6%
1960	340,345	20.2%
1970	372,210	9.4%
1980	378,823	1.8%
1990	367,585	−3.0%
2000	378,098	2.9%
2010	375,586	−0.7%
2020	374,853	−0.2%
U.S. decennial census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990–2000 2020

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 375,586 people, 151,089 households, and 100,417 families living in the county. The population density was 652.9 inhabitants per square mile (252.1/km²). There were 165,215 housing units at an average density of 287.2 per square mile (110.9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.7% white, 7.6% black or African American, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 33.6% were German, 15.5% were Irish, 10.1% were English, 10.1% were Italian, and 7.7% were American.

Of the 151,089 households, 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.5% were non-families, and 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age was 41.1 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $44,941 and the median income for a family was $55,976. Males had a median income of $44,238 versus $31,896 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,015. About 9.5% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Map of Stark County, Ohio with municipal and township labels

Cities

Villages

Townships

Bethlehem
Canton
Jackson
Lake
Lawrence
Lexington
Marlboro
Nimishillen
Osnaburg
Paris
Perry
Pike
Plain
Sandy
Sugar Creek
Tuscarawas
Washington

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Education

Colleges and universities

Kent State University at Stark
Malone University
Stark State College
University of Mount Union
Walsh University

Community, junior, and technical colleges

R. G. Drage Career Technical Center

Public school districts

Alliance City School District
Canton City School District
Canton Local School District
Fairless Local School District
Jackson Local School District
Lake Local School District
Louisville City School District
Marlington Local School District
Massilon City School District
Minerva Local School District
North Canton City School District
Northwest Local School District
Osnaburg Local School District
Perry Local School District
Plain Local School District
Sandy Valley Local School District
Tuslaw Local School District

High schools

Alliance High School
Canton McKinley High School
Canton South High School
Central Catholic High School
East Canton High School
Fairless High School
GlenOak High School
Heritage Christian School
Hoover High School
Indian River High School
Jackson High School
Jackson School for the Arts
Lake Center Christian School
Lake High School
Louisville High School
Marlington High School
Massillon Christian School
Minerva High School
Northwest High School
Perry High School
St. Thomas Aquinas High School
Washington High School