# Lorain County, Ohio

Lorain County (/lɔːˈreɪn/) 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 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 km$^2$), of which 491 square miles (1,270 km$^2$) is land and 432 square miles (1,120 km$^2$) (47%) is water. It is Ohio's fourth-largest county by area.

### Adjacent counties

* Cuyahoga County (east)
* Medina County (southeast)
* Ashland County (south)
* Huron County (southwest)
* Erie County (west)

### Major highways

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

## Demographics
### 2020 census

Lorain County, Ohio – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race. :
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
| White alone (NH) | 234,597 | 241,543 | 237,520 | 82.41% | 80.15% | 75.89% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 23,365 | 24,289 | 22,980 | 8.21% | 8.06% | 7.34% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 699 | 635 | 502 | 0.25% | 0.21% | 0.16% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 1,665 | 2,758 | 3,569 | 0.58% | 0.92% | 1.14% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 47 | 35 | 50 | 0.02% | 0.01% | 0.02% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 267 | 302 | 1,020 | 0.09% | 0.10% | 0.33% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 4,348 | 6,504 | 14,406 | 1.53% | 2.16% | 4.60% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 19,676 | 25,290 | 32,917 | 6.91% | 8.39% | 10.52% |
| Total | 284,664 | 301,356 | 312,964 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |

### 2010 census

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/km$^2$). There were 127,036 housing units at an average density of 258.7 per square mile (99.9/km$^2$). 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

* Lorain County Community College, Elyria
* Oberlin College, Oberlin

### 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

## Government

As of 2025, the following county-wide elected officials are in office:
Lorain County Elected Officials :
| Position | Name | Party |
| Commissioner | David J. Moore | Republican |
| Commissioner | Marty Gallagher | Republican |
| Commissioner | Jeff Riddell | Republican |
| Prosecuting Attorney | Anthony Cillo | Republican |
| Sheriff | Jack M. Hall | Republican |
| Clerk of Courts | Tom Orlando | Democrat |
| Coroner | Dr. Frank P. Miller III | Republican |
| Auditor | J. Craig Snodgrass | Democrat |
| Recorder | Mike Doran | Republican |
| Treasurer | Daniel J. Talarek | Democrat |
| Engineer | Kenneth Carney | Democrat |
Lorain County Judges :
| Position | Name | Party |
| Common Pleas - General | Giovanna V. Bremke | Republican |
| Common Pleas - General | Christopher R. Rothgery | Democrat |
| Common Pleas - General | D. Christopher Cook | Democrat |
| Common Pleas - General | Raymond J. Ewers | Democrat |
| Common Pleas - General | Melissa C. Kobasher | Democrat |
| Common Pleas - General | Donna C. Freeman | Democrat |
| Domestic Relations Division | Frank J. Janik | Democrat |
| Domestic Relations Division | Sherry Glass Strohsack | Democrat |
| Domestic Relations Division | Lisa I. Swenski | Democrat |
| Probate Division | James T. Walther | Democrat |

## Politics

Lorain County used to lean Democratic in more recent presidential elections, voting for the Democratic candidate for president from 1988 to 2012. In 2016, however, the county was almost swept up as part of the unexpected Republican surge in the Rust Belt; Donald Trump came within 131 votes of winning the county. In 2020, Trump flipped the county Republican by a narrow majority, becoming the first Republican to capture the county since Ronald Reagan in 1984. In 2024, Trump won the county with 52.12% of the vote, the highest percentage for a Republican since 1972. Despite this, the county also voted for Democrat Sherrod Brown in the 2024 Senate election, making it the only county in the state to vote for both Trump and Brown in 2024.
United States presidential election results for Lorain County, Ohio :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 83,297 | 52.12% | 74,207 | 46.44% | 2,303 | 1.44% |
| 2020 | 79,520 | 50.40% | 75,667 | 47.96% | 2,581 | 1.64% |
| 2016 | 66,818 | 47.54% | 66,949 | 47.63% | 6,795 | 4.83% |
| 2012 | 59,405 | 41.47% | 81,464 | 56.87% | 2,384 | 1.66% |
| 2008 | 59,068 | 40.22% | 85,276 | 58.07% | 2,515 | 1.71% |
| 2004 | 61,203 | 43.49% | 78,970 | 56.11% | 569 | 0.40% |
| 2000 | 47,957 | 42.75% | 59,809 | 53.32% | 4,414 | 3.93% |
| 1996 | 34,937 | 32.82% | 55,744 | 52.37% | 15,764 | 14.81% |
| 1992 | 36,803 | 31.03% | 50,962 | 42.97% | 30,840 | 26.00% |
| 1988 | 50,410 | 47.14% | 55,600 | 52.00% | 916 | 0.86% |
| 1984 | 57,379 | 50.77% | 52,970 | 46.87% | 2,672 | 2.36% |
| 1980 | 51,034 | 49.51% | 40,919 | 39.69% | 11,131 | 10.80% |
| 1976 | 39,459 | 41.66% | 52,387 | 55.31% | 2,865 | 3.02% |
| 1972 | 51,102 | 56.15% | 36,634 | 40.25% | 3,280 | 3.60% |
| 1968 | 34,252 | 39.95% | 42,642 | 49.74% | 8,833 | 10.30% |
| 1964 | 26,683 | 32.37% | 55,755 | 67.63% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 39,361 | 47.51% | 43,487 | 52.49% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 40,340 | 60.11% | 26,774 | 39.89% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 33,825 | 56.36% | 26,194 | 43.64% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 21,616 | 49.53% | 21,397 | 49.03% | 625 | 1.43% |
| 1944 | 23,866 | 48.59% | 25,254 | 51.41% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 23,422 | 47.55% | 25,831 | 52.45% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 15,906 | 37.29% | 24,393 | 57.19% | 2,357 | 5.53% |
| 1932 | 20,897 | 51.00% | 18,753 | 45.77% | 1,321 | 3.22% |
| 1928 | 24,386 | 63.83% | 13,607 | 35.62% | 212 | 0.55% |
| 1924 | 17,062 | 61.43% | 3,965 | 14.28% | 6,747 | 24.29% |
| 1920 | 18,125 | 65.84% | 8,640 | 31.39% | 764 | 2.78% |
| 1916 | 6,868 | 45.66% | 7,658 | 50.91% | 516 | 3.43% |
| 1912 | 2,226 | 16.34% | 4,591 | 33.71% | 6,804 | 49.95% |
| 1908 | 8,699 | 57.10% | 5,460 | 35.84% | 1,076 | 7.06% |
| 1904 | 9,001 | 70.16% | 2,700 | 21.04% | 1,129 | 8.80% |
| 1900 | 8,497 | 61.93% | 4,989 | 36.36% | 235 | 1.71% |
| 1896 | 7,801 | 63.28% | 4,367 | 35.43% | 159 | 1.29% |
| 1892 | 5,434 | 56.60% | 3,674 | 38.27% | 492 | 5.13% |
| 1888 | 5,235 | 57.32% | 3,311 | 36.25% | 587 | 6.43% |
| 1884 | 5,478 | 60.30% | 3,199 | 35.21% | 408 | 4.49% |
| 1880 | 5,609 | 66.25% | 2,752 | 32.51% | 105 | 1.24% |
| 1876 | 5,187 | 65.28% | 2,720 | 34.23% | 39 | 0.49% |
| 1872 | 4,432 | 67.71% | 2,097 | 32.03% | 17 | 0.26% |
| 1868 | 4,443 | 69.72% | 1,930 | 30.28% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1864 | 4,600 | 73.65% | 1,646 | 26.35% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1860 | 4,045 | 66.89% | 1,766 | 29.20% | 236 | 3.90% |
| 1856 | 3,604 | 70.97% | 1,420 | 27.96% | 54 | 1.06% |

## Communities
### Cities

* Amherst
* Avon
* Avon Lake
* Elyria (county seat)
* Lorain
* North Ridgeville
* Oberlin
* Sheffield Lake
* Vermilion

### Villages

* Grafton
* Kipton
* LaGrange
* Rochester
* Sheffield
* South Amherst
* Wellington

### Townships

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

### Census-designated places

* Eaton Estates
* Pheasant Run

### Unincorporated communities

* Belden
* Brentwood Lake
* Brighton
* Columbia Hills Corners
* Columbia Station
* Henrietta
* North Eaton
* Pittsfield
* Whiskyville