Ohio Trends
Volume 1, Number 4
April 2001
Census 2000 Summary of Ohio’s Population Growth
Census 2000
On March 16, 2001, the U.S. Census Bureau released the Public Law 94-171 Redistricting Data Summary File from the 2000 Census. This file contains unadjusted population counts by 63 races and Hispanic or Latino origin (total population and persons age 18 and over) for legislative redistricting purposes. This redistricting file could be used to redraw federal, state, and local legislative districts. The data file also allows state officials to realign congressional and state legislative districts in their states while taking into account population shifts since the last census in 1990. The redistricting data were not adjusted to reflect estimates of any census coverage error measured in a nationwide, post-census survey of approximately 314,000 housing units called the Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation Survey (U.S. Census Bureau).
Apportionment and Redistricting
Apportionment is the process of dividing the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives among the 50 states. The apportionment calculation is based on the total resident population (citizen and noncitizen) of the 50 states. In Census 2000 the apportionment population includes the U.S. Armed Forces personnel and federal civilian employees stationed outside the United States (and their dependents living with them). Each state is entitled one seat and the remaining 385 seats are distributed using a formula that computes “priority values” based on each state’s apportionment population (U.S. Census Bureau). The apportionment population includes children under the age of 18 because being registered to vote or voting is not a requirement to be included in the apportionment population.
Redistricting is the process of redrawing the geographic boundaries within a state where people elect their representatives to the U.S. House of Representatives, state legislators, city council members, and school board members.
Ohio’s Race and Hispanic Population
Census 2000 results revealed that Ohio by racial composition is predominantly white (85%), followed by African American (11.5%), two or more races (1.4%), Asian (1.2%), other (0.8%), and Native American (0.2%). For the first time Census 2000 allowed respondents to select multiple race options as opposed to the 1990 census which allowed respondents to select only one race. The race categories for Census 2000 were as follows: African American or Black, American Indian and Alaskan Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, White, and Some other race. The Some other race category allowed respondents to identify another race besides the five identified by the Office of Management and Budget. Most of the respondents who reported Some other race were Hispanic or Latino. Including the various combinations of races, there are a total of 63 racial categories. Because of the differences in reporting, the 1990 and 2000 census race results are not directly comparable. Race and Hispanic or Latino origin are considered two separate categories. Hispanics or Latinos may be of any race. The Office of Management and Budget defines Hispanic or Latino as “a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race” (U.S. Census Bureau). Ohio’s Hispanic population based upon the 2000 census was 217,123 or 1.9% of the total population while the 1990 census reported the Hispanic population was 139,696 or 1.3% of the total population. For Ohio the top ten counties which had the highest percentage of Hispanics as a part of the total population are as follows: Defiance (7.23%), Sandusky (6.96%), Lorain (6.91%), Fulton (5.76%), Henry (5.4%), Lucas (4.54%), Putnam (4.38%), Ottawa (3.75%), Huron (3.56%), and Cuyahoga (3.38%). It is interesting to note that of the ten counties, Fulton, Henry, Putnam, Ottawa, and Huron are considered rural counties. Nationally, the Hispanic population accounts for approximately 12.5% of the total population which is an increase from the 1990 census of 9%.
Population Changes in Ohio’s Counties
According to the PL 94-171 Redistricting Data Summary File, Ohio’s population grew by 4.7% from 1990, 10,847,115 to 11,353,140 in 2000 (Figure 1). Delaware was the fastest growing county in the state with a 64.3% percent change in total population from 1990–2000 followed by Warren (39%), Union (28%), Noble (24%), Medina (23.5%), Brown (20.9%), Fairfield (18.7%), Holmes (18.6%), Clermont (18.5%), and Vinton (15.4%) (Table 1). The majority of the above-mentioned counties are in a metropolitan area which includes one urban county surrounded by contiguous counties where growth is quite evident. The exodus to the suburbs began in the 1990s and is supported by the 2000 Census population numbers. Of particular interest is the growth of Union, Holmes, Vinton, Knox (14.8%), Clinton (14.5%), Highland (14.4%), Pike (14.2%), Morrow (14%), Hocking (10.6%), and Ashland (10.6%). All of the above-mentioned counties are not within a metropolitan area but have experienced double digit growth. Part of this growth may be explained by the rural rebound of the 1990s where rural, nonmetropolitan counties continued to gain in population. Of the major urban counties, Franklin County was the only one that experienced double digit growth which may be partly due to the explosive growth of the cities of Dublin (92%), Hilliard (105%), and the village of New Albany (129%) from 1990–2000. Most of the urban counties experienced a decline in population with the city of Youngstown (–14.3%) losing the greatest number of residents followed by Cincinnati (–9.0%) and Dayton (–8.7%). Over half of Ohio’s eighty-eight counties experienced growth of up to 10%. The growth in the counties surrounding major cities places a strain on roads, bridges, water lines, and sewer lines. As the suburbs as well as the suburban counties gain in population, the amenities which attracted residents in the first place—quality of life, good school districts, and beautiful open spaces—may be in jeopardy as rapid growth begins to change the fundamental attraction of these areas.
Source
U.S. Census Bureau
Written by: Rosemary R. Gliem
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Table 1. Ohio’s Counties
Ranked by 1990–2000
Percent Change in Total Population
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| County | 1990 | 2000 |
Percentage change
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| Ohio | 10,847,115 | 11,353,140 | 4.70% |
| Delaware | 66,929 | 109,989 | 64.30% |
| Warren | 113,909 | 158,383 | 39.00% |
| Union | 31,969 | 40,909 | 28.00% |
| Noble | 11,336 | 14,058 | 24.00% |
| Medina | 122,354 | 151,095 | 23.50% |
| Brown | 34,966 | 42,285 | 20.90% |
| Fairfield | 103,461 | 122,759 | 18.70% |
| Holmes | 32,849 | 38,943 | 18.60% |
| Clermont | 150,187 | 177,977 | 18.50% |
| Vinton | 11,098 | 12,806 | 15.40% |
| Knox | 47,473 | 54,500 | 14.80% |
| Clinton | 35,415 | 40,543 | 14.50% |
| Highland | 35,728 | 40,875 | 14.40% |
| Pike | 24,249 | 27,695 | 14.20% |
| Butler | 291,479 | 332,807 | 14.20% |
| Morrow | 27,749 | 31,628 | 14.00% |
| Licking | 128,300 | 145,491 | 13.40% |
| Geauga | 81,129 | 90,895 | 12.00% |
| Franklin | 961,437 | 1,068,978 | 11.20% |
| Hocking | 25,533 | 28,241 | 10.60% |
| Ashland | 47,507 | 52,523 | 10.60% |
| Wayne | 101,461 | 111,564 | 10.00% |
| Fulton | 38,498 | 42,084 | 9.30% |
| Pickaway | 48,255 | 52,727 | 9.30% |
| Hancock | 65,536 | 71,295 | 8.80% |
| Logan | 42,310 | 46,005 | 8.70% |
| Carroll | 26,521 | 28,836 | 8.70% |
| Madison | 37,068 | 40,213 | 8.50% |
| Greene | 136,731 | 147,886 | 8.20% |
| Tuscarawas | 84,090 | 90,914 | 8.10% |
| Perry | 31,557 | 34,078 | 8.00% |
| Jackson | 30,230 | 32,641 | 8.00% |
| Champaign | 36,019 | 38,890 | 8.00% |
| Adams | 25,371 | 27,330 | 7.70% |
| Wood | 113,269 | 121,065 | 6.90% |
| Shelby | 44,915 | 47,910 | 6.70% |
| Portage | 142,585 | 152,061 | 6.60% |
| Miami | 93,182 | 98,868 | 6.10% |
| Williams | 36,956 | 39,188 | 6.00% |
| Ross | 69,330 | 73,345 | 5.80% |
| Huron | 56,240 | 59,487 | 5.80% |
| Lake | 215,499 | 227,511 | 5.60% |
| Preble | 40,113 | 42,337 | 5.50% |
| Summit | 514,990 | 542,899 | 5.40% |
| Lorain | 271,126 | 284,664 | 5.00% |
| Morgan | 14,194 | 14,897 | 5.00% |
| Auglaize | 44,585 | 46,611 | 4.50% |
| Guernsey | 39,024 | 40,792 | 4.50% |
| Athens | 59,549 | 62,223 | 4.50% |
| Mercer | 39,443 | 40,924 | 3.80% |
| Erie | 76,779 | 79,551 | 3.60% |
| Fayette | 27,466 | 28,433 | 3.50% |
| Columbiana | 108,276 | 112,075 | 3.50% |
| Coshocton | 35,427 | 36,655 | 3.50% |
| Muskingum | 82,068 | 84,585 | 3.10% |
| Marion | 64,274 | 66,217 | 3.00% |
| Wyandot | 22,254 | 22,908 | 2.90% |
| Ashtabula | 99,821 | 102,728 | 2.90% |
| Stark | 367,585 | 378,098 | 2.90% |
| Putnam | 33,819 | 34,726 | 2.70% |
| Hardin | 31,111 | 31,945 | 2.70% |
| Ottawa | 40,029 | 40,985 | 2.40% |
| Richland | 126,137 | 128,852 | 2.20% |
| Washington | 62,254 | 63,251 | 1.60% |
| Lawrence | 61,834 | 62,319 | 0.80% |
| Defiance | 39,350 | 39,500 | 0.40% |
| Gallia | 30,954 | 31,069 | 0.40% |
| Meigs | 22,987 | 23,072 | 0.40% |
| Henry | 29,108 | 29,210 | 0.40% |
| Sandusky | 61,963 | 61,792 | –0.30% |
| Darke | 53,619 | 53,309 | –0.60% |
| Paulding | 20,488 | 20,293 | –1.00% |
| Allen | 109,755 | 108,473 | –1.20% |
| Trumbull | 227,813 | 225,116 | –1.20% |
| Belmont | 71,074 | 70,226 | –1.20% |
| Cuyahoga | 1,412,140 | 1,393,978 | –1.30% |
| Scioto | 80,327 | 79,195 | –1.40% |
| Harrison | 16,085 | 15,856 | –1.40% |
| Lucas | 462,361 | 455,054 | –1.60% |
| Seneca | 59,733 | 58,683 | –1.80% |
| Crawford | 47,870 | 46,966 | –1.90% |
| Clark | 147,548 | 144,742 | –1.90% |
| Monroe | 15,497 | 15,180 | –2.00% |
| Hamilton | 866,228 | 845,303 | –2.40% |
| Montgomery | 573,809 | 559,062 | –2.60% |
| Van Wert | 30,464 | 29,659 | –2.60% |
| Mahoning | 264,806 | 257,555 | –2.70% |
| Jefferson | 80,298 | 73,894 | –8.00% |
Figure 1. Percent Change in Total Population 1990–2000
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