Clark County, Ohio

Clark County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 136,001. Its county seat and largest city is Springfield. The county was created on March 1, 1818, and was named for General George Rogers Clark, a hero of the American Revolution. Clark County comprises the Springfield, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Dayton-Springfield-Sidney-OH Combined Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.3%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in Ohio by total area.

Adjacent counties

Champaign County (north)
Madison County (east)
Greene County (south)
Montgomery County (southwest)
Miami County (west)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 136,001 and a median age of 42.0 years; 22.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.4% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.9 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 81.7% White, 9.0% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.9% from some other race, and 6.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.9% of the population.

74.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 25.4% lived in rural areas.

There were 55,844 households in the county, of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 43.0% were married-couple households, 19.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

The labor force participation rate for those aged 20 to 64 was 76.6%. 88.9% of the population over the age of 25 had obtained a high school diploma or equivalency, 18.9% of those over the age of 25 held bachelor's degrees.

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Clark County, Ohio – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 1980

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|135,352

|132,640

|126,748

|117,976

|style='background: #ffffe6; |109,794

|90.09%

|89.90%

|87.57%

|85.28%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |80.73%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|13,100

|12,954

|12,867

|11,999

|style='background: #ffffe6; |12,074

|8.72%

|8.78%

|8.89%

|8.67%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |8.88%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|201

|277

|353

|302

|style='background: #ffffe6; |314

|0.13%

|0.19%

|0.24%

|0.22%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.23%

|Asian alone (NH)

|448

|627

|751

|849

|style='background: #ffffe6; |898

|0.30%

|0.42%

|0.52%

|0.61%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.66%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|31

|47

|style='background: #ffffe6; |91

|0.02%

|0.03%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.07%

|Other race alone (NH)

|259

|80

|187

|232

|style='background: #ffffe6; |538

|0.17%

|0.05%

|0.13%

|0.17%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.40%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|2,106

|3,123

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6,979

|1.46%

|2.26%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.13%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|876

|970

|1,699

|3,805

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,313

|0.58%

|0.66%

|1.17%

|2.75%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.91%

|Total

|150,236

|147,548

|144,742

|138,333

|style='background: #ffffe6; |136,001

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 138,333 people, 55,244 households, and 36,906 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 61,419 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 86.3% white, 8.8% black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 1.4% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.8% of the population.

Of the 55,244 households, 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.2% were non-families, and 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age was 40.5 years.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 144,742 people, 56,648 households, and 39,370 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 61,056 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 88.12% White, 8.95% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 1.58% from two or more races. 1.17% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 23.8% were of German, 21.6% American, 10.4% Irish and 8.7% English ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 56,648 households, out of which 31.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.60% were married couples living together, 12.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.10% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 14.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,340, and the median income for a family was $48,259. Males had a median income of $37,157 versus $24,688 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,501. About 7.90% of families and 10.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.90% of those under age 18 and 8.20% of those age 65 or over.

Metropolitan Statistical Area

The Springfield metropolitan area was first defined in 1950. Then known as the Springfield Standard Metropolitan Area (Springfield SMA), it consisted of a single county – Clark – and had a population of 111,661. Following a term change by the Bureau of the Budget (present-day Office of Management and Budget) in 1959, the Springfield SMA became the Springfield Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (Springfield SMSA). By the census of 1960, the population had grown to 131,440, an 18 percent increase over the previous census. This arrangement remained unchanged until 2003, when the MSA was split with Springfield's newly defined metropolitan area including only Clark County.

Notable people

George Harrison Shull (1874–1954) plant geneticist, was born in Clark County

Politics

Clark County has voted Republican in every presidential election since 2004, with Donald Trump receiving 57% of the vote in 2016, a deviation from the usual tight results in the county. In 2012, Mitt Romney won the county, but by only 523 votes out of 64,301 cast for president.

County Commissioners - (President) Melanie Flax Wilt (R), Rick Lohnes (R), and Lowell McGlothlin (R)

Sheriff - Christopher Clark (R)

Recorder - Nancy Pence (R)

Treasurer - Pamela Littlejohn (R)

Auditor - Hillary Hamilton (R)

Prosecuting Attorney - Dan Driscoll (R)

Coroner - Susan L. Brown, DO (D)

Judicial

Municipal Court

Clerk of Courts - Sheila Rice (D)

Judges - Valerie Wilt (R), Stephen A. Schumaker (R), Daniel Carey (R)

Common Pleas Court

Clerk of Courts - Melissa Tuttle (R)

General Division - Judges Douglas Rastatter (R) and Brian Driscoll (R)

Domestic Relations - Judge Thomas Capper (R)

Juvenile Court - Judge Katrine M Lancaster (R)

Probate - Judge Richard Carey (R)

Education

Public school districts

Public school districts include:

Clark - Shawnee Local School District [http://www.clark-shawnee.k12.oh.us/]
Shawnee High School, Springfield (the Braves)
Greenon Local School District
Greenon High School, Springfield (the Knights)
Northeastern Local School District [http://www.nelsd.org/]
Kenton Ridge High School, Springfield (the Cougars)
Northeastern High School, Springfield (the Jets)
Northwestern Local School District [http://www.northwestern.k12.oh.us/]
Northwestern High School, Springfield (the Warriors)
Southeastern Local Schools [http://www.sels.us/]
Southeastern High School, South Charleston (the Trojans)
Springfield City School District
Springfield High School, (the Wildcats)
Tecumseh Local School District
Tecumseh High School, New Carlisle (the Arrows)

Colleges and Universities

Clark State College, Springfield (the Eagles)
Wittenberg University, Springfield (the Tigers)

Communities

thumb|300 px|Map of Clark County, Ohio with Municipal and Township Labels

Cities

New Carlisle
Springfield (county seat)

Villages

Catawba
Clifton
Donnelsville
Enon
North Hampton
South Charleston
South Vienna
Tremont City

Townships

Bethel
German
Green
Harmony
Mad River
Madison
Moorefield
Pike
Pleasant
Springfield

Census-designated places

Crystal Lakes
Green Meadows
Holiday Valley
Lawrenceville
Medway
Northridge
Park Layne

Unincorporated communities

Beatty
Brighton
Cortsville
Dialton
Dodo
Dolly Varden
Durbin
Eagle City
Harmony
Hustead
Limestone City
Lisbon
Locustgrove
New Moorefield
Pitchin
Plattsburgh
Selma
Sugar Grove
Villa

References

External links

Official web site of Clark County
Guide to Clark County from the Guardian newspaper of London