Mahoning County, Ohio

History

In the year 1600, Mahoning County was likely divided between two nations of Native Americans, the Erie people in the east and the Whittlesey culture in the west. It is unknown where the actual boundaries between these cultures lay, though the nearest confirmed Whittlesey settlement was at Cleveland and the nearest confirmed Erie settlement was just barely across the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, in Ashtabula County. The Erie were an Iroquoian people who likely arrived sometime between the years 1100-1300 AD, after chasing out an older nation of "Mound Builders." The Whittlesey were likely Algonquian, but lived in longhouses rather than the traditional Algonquian wigwams.

Following the Beaver Wars, when the Iroquois Confederacy declared war on many of the tribes of the Great Lakes region over several decades and destroyed them, new tribes moved into this area. The tribes who shared the resources of the Mahoning Valley included the Seneca, Lenape (Delaware), Shawnee, and Wyandot. The Seneca and Wyandot were Iroquoians, and the Lenape and Shawnee were Algonquians. As northeast Ohio later came to be under control of the settlers as part of the Connecticut Western Reserve, all tribes were pushed further westward or southward, before eventually being removed from Ohio by the United States in the early-mid 1800s.

Some former known Native American sites that existed in Mahoning County include the council rock and the North Benton burial mound. Council Rock was where the Shawnee and Lenape were known to gather for collective holiday celebrations, religion ceremonies and political meetings and once sat in the center of Youngstown. Though the rock was moved long ago, it still rests in what is now Lincoln Park. The North Benton burial mound was once located on the outskirts of North Benton and was removed by archeologists. It was attributed to the Hopewell culture, but contained unique features, such as sculptures of constellations made of white rocks and clay laid out at ground level and a pit full of mixed human bones in one corner. It shared features with two other burial mounds found and excavated in Kent, Ohio and Warren, Pennsylvania represents a completely unique style of burial mound in Ohio.

Prior to its formation of a county in 1846, Mahoning County was a destination for a family of Huguenot refugees in the early 1800s.

In the 1900s, Youngstown was a hub for the American steel industry and for local mob groups, who gained their power through the liquor and gambling industries during prohibition, remaining a key safety issue for the region until the 1990s. It was also the home to Warner Theatre, where the Warner Bros. film studio got its start and remained a hub for early film and television for decades. An extensive German community used to exist in the township of Berlin, until pressure to fully assimilate after the World Wars against Germany ended it. Brier Hill Pizza was invented in Youngstown's Brier Hill neighborhood and is considered a local delicacy.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has an area of 425 sqmi, of which 412 sqmi is land and 14 sqmi (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

|align-fn=center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

The county has shrunk in population, after peaking around 1970.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 228,614. The median age was 44.2 years. 19.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.1 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 75.6% White, 15.2% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian,

84.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 15.6% lived in rural areas.

There were 97,912 households in the county, of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 40.2% were married-couple households, 20.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 107,989 housing units, of which 9.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 68.3% were owner-occupied and 31.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.2%.

Racial and ethnic composition

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 238,823 people, 98,712 households, and 62,676 families living in the county.{{cite web |access-date=December 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213023206/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US39099 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead |access-date=December 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213184014/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY07/0500000US39099 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead |access-date=December 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213010923/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US39099 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead

Of the 98,712 households, 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.5% were non-families, and 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age was 42.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,123 and the median income for a family was $52,489. Males had a median income of $44,516 versus $31,969 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,824. About 12.6% of families and 16.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.9% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.{{cite web |access-date=December 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213012749/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US39099 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 257,555 people, 102,587 households, and 68,835 families living in the county. The population density was 620 PD/sqmi. There were 111,762 housing units at an average density of 269 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 81.04% White, 15.87% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.03% from other races, and 1.38% from two or more races. 2.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

93.1% spoke English, 2.6% Spanish, 1.0% Italian, and 0.5% Greek as their first language.

There were 102,587 households, out of which 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.00% were married couples living together, 14.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.90% were non-families. 29.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.70% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 17.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,248, and the median income for a family was $44,185. Males had a median income of $36,313 versus $23,272 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,818. About 9.60% of families and 12.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.10% of those under age 18 and 8.70% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Top Employers

According to the county's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the county are:

Politics

Mahoning County is historically Democratic-leaning, voting for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 1976 through 2016. Circa 1972 to 2016, the majority of voters in Mahoning County and Youngstown chose Democratic Party candidates in U.S. presidential elections. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the county over Donald Trump by 3.3 percent, the smallest margin since 1972; in 2012, Barack Obama carried the county over Mitt Romney by a solid 28.3 percent.

However in the 2020 U.S. presidential election in Ohio, the majority in those areas selected Donald Trump. Andrew Gumbell of The Observer stated that Trump gained popularity from 2017 to 2020 even though the Youngstown economy declined in the same period; Trump in 2017 made statements saying that he will revive the area economically. Donald Trump flipped the county Republican for the first time since Richard Nixon's national landslide victory in 1972, carrying it by a margin of 1.9 percentage points.

In the 2024 U.S. presidential election in Ohio, Trump won the county by 9 points. Gumbell cited "disillusioned working-class voters" and their feelings for the rising popularity of Trump in the area; according to Gumbell, the voters believe that Trump would abolish a system that disadvantages them, but that the majority of area voters do not believe that, in Gumbell's words, that Trump will "fix everything or believe him when he says he will." In 2024, Trump won 54.09% of the vote in the county, the largest for a Republican since 1928.

At the statewide level, Mahoning County generally votes Democratic as well. Since 1970, the county has only voted Republican three times at the gubernatorial level – in the landslide elections of 1994, 2014, and 2022.

Between 2012 and 2022, Mahoning County was split between Ohio's 13th congressional district and Ohio's 6th congressional district. After the 2020 redistricting cycle, the county was moved entirely into the 6th district.

Government

County officials

Judicial representation

Legislative representation

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 include:

• Alliance City School District
• Austintown Local School District
• Boardman Local School District
• Campbell City School District
• Canfield Local School District
• Columbiana Exempted Village School District
• Girard City School District
• Hubbard Exempted Village School District
• Jackson-Milton Local School District
• Leetonia Exempted Village School District
• Lowellville Local School District
• Poland Local School District
• Sebring Local School District
• South Range Local School District
• Springfield Local School District
• Struthers City School District
• Weathersfield Local School District
• West Branch Local School District
• Western Reserve Local School District
• Youngstown City School District

High schools

• Austintown Fitch High School
• Boardman High School
• Campbell Memorial High School
• Canfield High School
• Cardinal Mooney High School
• Chaney High School
• East High School
• Jackson-Milton High School
• Lowellville High School
• Mahoning County High School
• McKinley High School
• Poland Seminary High School
• South Range High School
• Springfield High School
• Struthers High School
• Ursuline High School
• Valley Christian School
• Valley STEM + ME2 Academy
• West Branch High School
• Western Reserve High School

Communities

Cities

• Alliance (part)
• Campbell
• Canfield
• Columbiana (part)
• Salem (part)
• Struthers
• Youngstown (part) (county seat)

Villages

• Beloit
• Craig Beach
• Lowellville
• New Middletown
• Poland
• Sebring
• Washingtonville (part)

Townships

• Austintown
• Beaver
• Berlin
• Boardman
• Canfield
• Coitsville
• Ellsworth
• Goshen
• Green
• Jackson
• Milton
• Poland
• Smith
• Springfield

Census-designated places

• Austintown
• Damascus (part)
• East Alliance
• Lake Milton
• Maple Ridge
• Mineral Ridge (part)
• New Springfield
• North Lima
• Petersburg
• Woodworth

Unincorporated communities

• Berlin Center
• Blanco
• Calla
• Coitsville Center
• East Lewistown
• Ellsworth
• Fredericksburg
• Garfield
• Greenford
• Hickory Corners
• Knaufville
• Locust Grove
• New Albany
• New Buffalo
• North Benton
• North Jackson
• Ohltown
• Paradise
• Patmos
• Poland Center
• Rosemont
• Snodes
• West Austintown

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Mahoning County.

***** minority of municipality located in Mahoning County

† county seat

References

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. "Ohio County Profiles: Mahoning County". Ohio Department of Development.
4. "Mahoning County - Ohio History Central".
5. [http://www.mahoningcountyoh.gov/OldSiteNavigationStartsHere/WhoWeAre/History/tabid/704/Default.aspx History of Mahoning County] {{webarchive. link. (February 22, 2015, Official county website.)
6. Alvin M. Josephy, Jr., ed. (1961). The American Heritage Book of Indians. American Heritage Publishing Co., Inc. p. 197. LCCN 61-14871. [while the Iroquois were mopping up the Huron] ...the Erie... struck first in 1653. The next year [a counter-offensive] ...a victory which should have won the war on the spot, but ...two more years of fighting were required before the Erie, too, had been vanquished.
7. "Whittlesey Culture - Ohio History Central". ohiohistorycentral.org. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
8. Iroquois Book of Rites; Hale, Horatio; 1883
9. "The Legend of Council Rock".
10. The North Benton Mound: A Hopewell Site in Ohio; Magrath, Willis H.; American Antiquity, Vol. 1 pgs 40-46; 1945
11. Calvin, Claude. (1945). "The Calvin Families". University of Wisconsin.
12. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
13. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021".
14. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
15. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
16. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
17. (April 2, 2001). "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
18. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
19. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
20. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
21. "1980 Census of Population - General Social and Economic Characteristics - Ohio- Table 59 - Persons by Spanish Origin, Race, and Sex: 1980 AND Table 58 - Race by Sex: 1980".
22. "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Ohio: Table 6 - Race and Hispanic Origin".
23. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Mahoning County, Ohio".
24. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Mahoning County, Ohio".
25. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Mahoning County, Ohio".
26. included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
27. included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
28. not an option in the 1980 Census
29. not an option in the 1990 Census
30. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
31. "Data Center Results".
32. "Mahoning County, Ohio Comprehensive Annual Financial Report For Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2019".
33. Orner, Ben. (2020-11-04). "Trump is first Republican since 1972 to win Youngstown’s county". NBC41.
34. Gumbel, Andrew. (2025-01-11). "‘There are a lot of bitter people here, I’m one of them’: rust belt voters on why they backed Trump again despite his broken promises". [[The Observer]].
35. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
36. The leading "other" candidate, [[Progressive Party (United States, 1912). Progressive]] [[Theodore Roosevelt]], received 5,226 votes, while Socialist candidate [[Eugene V. Debs. Eugene Debs]] received 2,422 votes, [[Prohibition Party. Prohibition]] candidate [[Eugene W. Chafin. Eugene Chafin]] received 321 votes, and [[Socialist Labor Party of America. Socialist Labor]] candidate [[Arthur Reimer]] received 57 votes.
37. (November 5, 2024). "2024 Senate Election (Official Returns)".
38. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Mahoning County, OH". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
39. "TOWNSHIP WEBSITES | Ohio Township Association".