Wayne County, Ohio

County in Ohio, United States

For other uses, see Wayne County.

Not to be confused with Wayne, Ohio.

County in Ohio

Wayne County

County

The Wayne County Courthouse in September 2004

Flag

Seal

Location within the U.S. state of Ohio

Ohio's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 40°50′N 81°53′W﻿ / ﻿40.83°N 81.89°W﻿ / 40.83; -81.89
Country|  United States
State|  Ohio
Founded| January 4, 1812 (date organized; formed 1808)[1]
Named after| General Anthony Wayne
Seat| Wooster
Largest city| Wooster
Area

• Total

| 557 sq mi (1,440 km2)
• Land| 555 sq mi (1,440 km2)
• Water| 1.9 sq mi (5 km2)  0.3%
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 116,894

• Estimate

(2024)[2]

| 116,632
• Density| 210/sq mi (80/km2)
Time zone| UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district| 7th
Website| www.wayneohio.org

Wayne County is a county located in the northeastern quadrant of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 116,894.[3] Its county seat is Wooster.[4] The county is named for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne.[5] Wayne County comprises the Wooster, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area.

## History

[edit]

Wayne County as it exists today was described in legislation in 1808 but was not formally organized until January 1812, with effect from March 1. An earlier Wayne County, created by the government of the Northwest Territory in 1796, included much of northern Ohio and all of the lower peninsula of Michigan. That Wayne County is now part of Michigan.[6][7]

## Geography

[edit]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 557 square miles (1,440 km2), of which 555 square miles (1,440 km2) is land and 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2) (0.3%) is water.[8]

### Adjacent counties

[edit]

* Medina County (north)
* Summit County (northeast)
* Stark County (east)
* Holmes County (south)
* Ashland County (west)

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1820| 11,933| | —
1830| 23,333| | 95.5%
1840| 35,808| | 53.5%
1850| 32,981| | −7.9%
1860| 32,483| | −1.5%
1870| 35,116| | 8.1%
1880| 40,076| | 14.1%
1890| 39,005| | −2.7%
1900| 37,870| | −2.9%
1910| 38,058| | 0.5%
1920| 41,346| | 8.6%
1930| 47,024| | 13.7%
1940| 50,520| | 7.4%
1950| 58,716| | 16.2%
1960| 75,497| | 28.6%
1970| 87,123| | 15.4%
1980| 97,408| | 11.8%
1990| 101,461| | 4.2%
2000| 111,564| | 10.0%
2010| 114,520| | 2.6%
2020| 116,894| | 2.1%
2024 (est.)| 116,632| | −0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11]
1990-2000[12] 2020[3] 2024[2]

### 2000 census

[edit]

As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 111,564 people, 40,445 households, and 29,484 families living in the county. The population density was 201 inhabitants per square mile (78 inhabitants/km2). There were 42,324 housing units at an average density of 76 units per square mile (29/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.52% White, 1.57% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 0.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 31.7% were of German, 13.9% American, 9.6% Irish, 9.0% English and 5.5% Swiss ancestry according to Census 2000. 91.5% spoke English, 3.2% German, 1.6% Dutch, 1.5% Pennsylvania Dutch and 1.2% Spanish as their first language.

There were 40,445 households, out of which 35.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.80% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% were non-families. 22.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.40% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 27.80% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 12.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 97.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,538, and the median income for a family was $48,294. Males had a median income of $33,976 versus $23,203 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,330. About 5.40% of families and 8.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.60% of those under age 18 and 6.90% of those age 65 or over.

### 2010 census

[edit]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 114,520 people, 42,638 households, and 30,070 families living in the county.[14] The population density was 206.4 inhabitants per square mile (79.7 inhabitants/km2). There were 45,847 housing units at an average density of 82.6 units per square mile (31.9 units/km2).[15] The racial makeup of the county was 95.7% white, 1.5% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.6% of the population.[14] In terms of ancestry, 34.1% were German, 13.3% were American, 12.9% were Irish, and 9.0% were English.[16]

Of the 42,638 households, 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.5% were non-families, and 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.13. The median age was 38.3 years.[14]

The median income for a household in the county was $48,375 and the median income for a family was $59,692. Males had a median income of $42,082 versus $29,623 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,645. About 7.8% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.[17]

### Ancestry

[edit]

There were several large waves of migration into what it is today Wayne County, Ohio. The first wave was groups of families from New England, migrating westward into what was then the Northwest Territory and then early statehood era Ohio between the 1790s and the 1820s. Most of the settlers who arrived in what would become Wayne County at that time were from New England. They were overwhelmingly Congregationalists, however, in the 1810s several arrived who had become Methodists, Baptists and Presbyterians during the Second Great Awakening. These groups were of English ancestry, being descended from the English Puritans who arrived in colonial New England during the 1620s and 1630s. The English-descended "Yankee" New Englanders established the county in 1812. The second large migration was German immigrants, the Germans settled in Wayne County in large numbers between the 1820s and the 1880s, forming a steady stream of migration into the county during that time. These immigrants were almost exclusively Lutheran. Lastly in the early 1850s a large group of Irish immigrants arrived in the county as part of a large wave of migration entering the United States at that time. This group was overwhelmingly Catholic. Many families currently in Wayne County go back to the early 19th century settlement of the county by New Englanders.[18] Today, many of these same people who cite that they are of "American" ancestry are actually of English descent, however, they have families that have been in the state so long, in many cases since the colonial period, that they choose to identify simply as having "American" ancestry or do not, in fact, know their own ancestry. Their ancestry primarily goes back to the original Thirteen Colonies and for this reason many of them today simply claim "American" ancestry, though they are of predominantly English ancestry.[19][20][21][22] There are also many Irish-Americans in the county. German-Americans have formed the largest single group in Wayne County since the late 1800s.

## Politics

[edit]

Prior to 1912, Wayne County was a Democratic stronghold in presidential elections, only voting Republicans twice since 1856. It was a bellwether from 1912 to 1936, but starting with the 1940 election, the county has become a Republican stronghold with Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 being the last Democrat to win the county.

United States presidential election results for Wayne County, Ohio[23] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No.  | % | No.  | % | No.  | %
2024 | 36,764  | 69.17% | 15,898  | 29.91%  | 488  | 0.92%
2020 | 36,759  | 67.72% | 16,660  | 30.69%  | 864  | 1.59%
2016 | 32,270  | 64.26% | 15,031  | 29.93%  | 2,916  | 5.81%
2012 | 30,251  | 59.12% | 19,808  | 38.71%  | 1,106  | 2.16%
2008 | 29,342  | 56.13% | 21,712  | 41.53%  | 1,222  | 2.34%
2004 | 31,879  | 61.49% | 19,786  | 38.16%  | 183  | 0.35%
2000 | 25,901  | 61.04% | 14,779  | 34.83%  | 1,756  | 4.14%
1996 | 19,628  | 48.41% | 14,850  | 36.62%  | 6,070  | 14.97%
1992 | 18,350  | 43.71% | 13,953  | 33.24%  | 9,679  | 23.06%
1988 | 22,320  | 61.64% | 13,571  | 37.48%  | 317  | 0.88%
1984 | 24,475  | 67.79% | 11,323  | 31.36%  | 305  | 0.84%
1980 | 18,962  | 55.87% | 12,129  | 35.73%  | 2,851  | 8.40%
1976 | 16,976  | 55.20% | 13,087  | 42.55%  | 691  | 2.25%
1972 | 20,368  | 67.72% | 9,260  | 30.79%  | 448  | 1.49%
1968 | 15,151  | 58.34% | 8,891  | 34.24%  | 1,928  | 7.42%
1964 | 9,890  | 40.05%  | 14,806  | 59.95% | 0  | 0.00%
1960 | 21,273  | 69.10% | 9,511  | 30.90%  | 0  | 0.00%
1956 | 19,469  | 73.60% | 6,984  | 26.40%  | 0  | 0.00%
1952 | 18,074  | 68.23% | 8,414  | 31.77%  | 0  | 0.00%
1948 | 12,152  | 57.62% | 8,868  | 42.05%  | 70  | 0.33%
1944 | 13,616  | 58.89% | 9,506  | 41.11%  | 0  | 0.00%
1940 | 13,525  | 55.72% | 10,748  | 44.28%  | 0  | 0.00%
1936 | 10,331  | 44.11%  | 12,666  | 54.08% | 426  | 1.82%
1932 | 10,787  | 48.82%  | 10,870  | 49.19% | 440  | 1.99%
1928 | 14,192  | 74.60% | 4,825  | 25.36%  | 7  | 0.04%
1924 | 8,928  | 53.80% | 6,023  | 36.30%  | 1,643  | 9.90%
1920 | 8,932  | 52.88% | 7,751  | 45.89%  | 207  | 1.23%
1916 | 3,676  | 37.33%  | 5,930  | 60.22% | 241  | 2.45%
1912 | 1,674  | 18.07%  | 4,737  | 51.14% | 2,852  | 30.79%
1908 | 4,388  | 43.51%  | 5,368  | 53.23% | 328  | 3.25%
1904 | 4,748  | 50.80% | 4,165  | 44.56%  | 433  | 4.63%
1900 | 4,244  | 43.11%  | 5,263  | 53.46% | 338  | 3.43%
1896 | 4,369  | 43.09%  | 5,588  | 55.11% | 182  | 1.80%
1892 | 3,752  | 41.51%  | 4,702  | 52.02% | 585  | 6.47%
1888 | 4,161  | 43.77%  | 4,888  | 51.41% | 458  | 4.82%
1884 | 4,497  | 47.05%  | 4,818  | 50.41% | 242  | 2.53%
1880 | 4,424  | 47.68%  | 4,819  | 51.94% | 35  | 0.38%
1876 | 4,009  | 46.40%  | 4,598  | 53.21% | 34  | 0.39%
1872 | 3,768  | 51.53% | 3,533  | 48.32%  | 11  | 0.15%
1868 | 3,557  | 48.24%  | 3,816  | 51.76% | 0  | 0.00%
1864 | 3,155  | 48.13%  | 3,400  | 51.87% | 0  | 0.00%
1860 | 3,204  | 48.73%  | 3,250  | 49.43% | 121  | 1.84%
1856 | 2,904  | 49.48%  | 2,918  | 49.72% | 47  | 0.80%

## Government

[edit]

See also: Ohio county government

The Wayne County Public Library serves the communities of Wayne County, Ohio from its administrative offices in Wooster, Ohio and branches in Creston, Dalton, Doylestown, Rittman, Shreve, and West Salem.[24] It also offers bookmobile service and outreach program, and patron can use the extended services of CLEVNET, a group of libraries located in northeast Ohio.

In 2005, the library loaned more than 1.2 million items to its 54,000 cardholders.[25] Total holding are over 340,000 volumes with over 900 periodical subscriptions.[26]

## Education

[edit]

* Central Christian High School
* Chippewa High School
* Dalton High School
* Kingsway Christian School
* Northwestern High School
* Norwayne High School
* Orrville High School
* Rittman High School
* Smithville High School
* Triway High School
* Waynedale High School
* Wooster High School

## Communities

[edit]

Map of Wayne County, Ohio with municipal and township labels

### Cities

[edit]

* Orrville
* Rittman
* Wooster (county seat)
* Norton (mostly in Summit County)

### Villages

[edit]

* Apple Creek
* Burbank
* Congress
* Creston
* Dalton
* Doylestown
* Fredericksburg
* Marshallville
* Mount Eaton
* Shreve
* Smithville
* West Salem

### Townships

[edit]

* Baughman
* Canaan
* Chester
* Chippewa
* Clinton
* Congress
* East Union
* Franklin
* Green
* Milton
* Paint
* Plain
* Salt Creek
* Sugar Creek
* Wayne
* Wooster

### Census-designated places

[edit]

* Kidron
* New Pittsburg
* Sterling

### Unincorporated communities

[edit]

* Blachleyville
* Burton City
* Cedar Valley
* Centerville
* Devil Town
* East Union
* Easton
* Funk
* Golden Corners
* Honeytown
* Jefferson
* Johnsons Corners
* Lattasburg
* Maysville
* Millbrook
* Moreland
* Overton
* Pleasant Home
* Reedsburg
* Springville
* West Lebanon

## See also

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wayne County, Ohio.

* Death on a Factory Farm
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Wayne County, Ohio

## Footnotes

[edit]

1. ^ "Wayne County History". Wayne County Public Library. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
2. ^ a b "QuickFacts: Wayne County, Ohio". Census.gov.
3. ^ a b 2020 census
4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
5. ^ Goodman, Rebecca (2005). This Day in Ohio History. Emmis Books. p. 119\. ISBN 9781578601912. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
6. ^ "Wayne County - Ohio History Central".
7. ^ Benjamin Douglass, 'History of Wayne County, Ohio, from the Days of the Pioneers and First Settlers to the Present Time'. Indianapolis, IN: Robert Douglass, 1878, pp 53-54.
8. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
9. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
10. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
11. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
12. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
13. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
14. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
15. ^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
16. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
17. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
18. ^ Frontier Justice: Wayne County 1796-1836 - Elizabeth Gaspar Brown - The American Journal of Legal History -Vol. 16, No. 2 (Apr. 1972), pp. 126-153
19. ^ Sharing the Dream: White Males in a Multicultural America Archived October 16, 2015, at the Wayback Machine By Dominic J. Pulera.
20. ^ Reynolds Farley, 'The New Census Question about Ancestry: What Did It Tell Us?', Demography, Vol. 28, No. 3 (August 1991), pp. 414, 421.
21. ^ Stanley Lieberson and Lawrence Santi, 'The Use of Nativity Data to Estimate Ethnic Characteristics and Patterns', Social Science Research, Vol. 14, No. 1 (1985), pp. 44–6.
22. ^ Stanley Lieberson and Mary C. Waters, 'Ethnic Groups in Flux: The Changing Ethnic Responses of American Whites', Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 487, No. 79 (September 1986), pp. 82–86.
23. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
24. ^ "Hours & Contact Information". Wayne County Public Library. Archived from the original on August 8, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
25. ^ "2005 Ohio Public Library Statistics:Public Libraries Ranked by Circulation". State Library of Ohio. Archived from the original on September 24, 2006. Retrieved October 3, 2006.
26. ^ "2005 Ohio Public Library Statistics:Statistics by County and Town". State Library of Ohio. Archived from the original on September 24, 2006. Retrieved October 3, 2006.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Benjamin Douglass, History of Wayne County, Ohio, from the Days of the Pioneers and First Settlers to the Present Time. Indianapolis, IN: Robert Douglass, 1878.
* History of Wayne County, Ohio. Indianapolis, IN: B.F. Bowen, 1910.

## External links

[edit]

* County website
* Wayne County Public Library website
* Wayne County Board of Elections website

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Wayne County, Ohio, United States

County seat: Wooster

Cities|

* Norton‡
* Orrville
* Rittman‡
* Wooster

Map of Ohio highlighting Wayne County

Villages|

* Apple Creek
* Burbank
* Congress
* Creston‡
* Dalton
* Doylestown
* Fredericksburg
* Marshallville
* Mount Eaton
* Shreve
* Smithville
* West Salem

Townships|

* Baughman
* Canaan
* Chester
* Chippewa
* Clinton
* Congress
* East Union
* Franklin
* Green
* Milton
* Paint
* Plain
* Salt Creek
* Sugar Creek
* Wayne
* Wooster

CDPs|

* Kidron
* New Pittsburg
* Sterling

Unincorporated
communities|

* Aukerman
* Blachleyville
* Burton City
* Cedar Valley
* Centerville
* Devil Town
* East Union
* Easton
* Funk
* Golden Corners
* Honeytown
* Jefferson
* Johnsons Corners
* Lattasburg
* Maysville
* Millbrook
* Moreland
* Overton
* Pleasant Home
* Reedsburg
* Springville
* West Lebanon

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

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40°50′N 81°53′W﻿ / ﻿40.83°N 81.89°W﻿ / 40.83; -81.89

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