Columbiana County is located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 101,877. The county seat is Lisbon and its largest city is Salem. Created in 1803, the county name is derived from that of 15th-century Italian explorer Christopher Columbus.

Columbiana County is predominantly rural and considered part of Appalachian Ohio. While northern communities are more associated with Northeast Ohio, southern communities along the Ohio River are culturally closer to the Upper Ohio Valley region. Columbiana County comprises the Salem, Ohio micropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the larger Youngstown–Warren–Salem combined statistical area. Officially considered part of the Youngstown media market, stations from Steubenville regularly report in the area as well.

History

The principal historic Native American peoples in the area were the Lenape, Mingo, and Wyandot. The Wyandot had an encampment where the city of Salem now stands. Several important indigenous trails ran through the county, the most important being the Great Trail which ran through the southern parts of the county towards Sandusky. Throughout the second half of the 18th century, starting with Christopher Gist in 1750, American colonists explored the area as the Ohio Company surveyed. George Washington, while engaged in land examinations, camped in the area of present-day East Liverpool in October 1770.

The first permanent settlement in the area was in 1792 or 1793, by hunter John Quinn, who settled in St. Clair Township near present-day Calcutta. Other chief industries included iron and brick making, as well as transportation via the Ohio River, Sandy and Beaver Canal, and Pennsylvania Railroad system.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water.

The Little Beaver Creek watershed is home to Beaver Creek State Forest, Beaver Creek State Park, and Sheepskin Hollow State Nature Preserve. Yellow Creek State Forest is in the southern part of the county.

Adjacent counties

  • Mahoning County (north)
  • Lawrence County, Pennsylvania (northeast)
  • Beaver County, Pennsylvania (east)
  • Hancock County, West Virginia (southeast)
  • Jefferson County (south)
  • Carroll County (southwest)
  • Stark County (west)

Major highways

Demographics

left|thumb|225px|Map showing 2012 [[Appalachian Regional Commission economic designations for Appalachian Ohio, with Columbiana County marked as "transitional".]]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 101,877. The median age was 45.1 years. 20.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.1 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 92.4% White, 2.1% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race, and 4.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.7% of the population.

44.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 55.5% lived in rural areas.

There were 41,706 households in the county, of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.2% were married-couple households, 19.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

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

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

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

|-

|White alone (NH)

|111,322

|106,057

|107,045

|102,326

|style='background: #ffffe6; |93,466

|98.02%

|97.95%

|95.51%

|94.89%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |91.74%

|-

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|1,400

|1,406

|2,423

|2,323

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,082

|1.23%

|1.30%

|2.16%

|2.15%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.04%

|-

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|132

|165

|178

|164

|style='background: #ffffe6; |161

|0.12%

|0.15%

|0.16%

|0.15%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.16%

|-

|Asian alone (NH)

|200

|215

|248

|319

|style='background: #ffffe6; |345

|0.18%

|0.20%

|0.22%

|0.30%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.34%

|-

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|x

|x

|17

|20

|style='background: #ffffe6; |16

|x

|x

|0.02%

|0.02%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.02%

|-

|Other race alone (NH)

|105

|28

|45

|55

|style='background: #ffffe6; |217

|0.09%

|0.03%

|0.04%

|0.05%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.21%

|-

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|x

|x

|810

|1,286

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,838

|x

|x

|0.72%

|1.19%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.77%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|413

|405

|1,309

|1,348

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,752

|0.36%

|0.37%

|1.17%

|1.25%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.72%

|-

|Total

|113,572

|108,276

|112,075

|107,841

|style='background: #ffffe6; |101,877

|100.00%

|100.00%

|100.00%

|100.00%

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

|}

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 107,841 people, 42,683 households, and 29,101 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 47,088 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.5% white, 2.2% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population.

Of the 42,683 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.8% were non-families, and 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 42.3 years.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 112,075 people, 42,973 households, and 30,682 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 46,083 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.43% White, 2.20% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. 1.17% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.0% were of German, 12.9% English, 12.8% American, 12.3% Irish and 9.3% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 42,973 households, out of which 31.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.10% were married couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.60% were non-families. 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.30% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,226, and the median income for a family was $40,486. Males had a median income of $32,134 versus $20,331 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,655. About 9.00% of families and 11.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.20% of those under age 18 and 8.40% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Unlike most counties in Northeast Ohio, Columbiana County has been predominantly Republican throughout most of its history. In only eight elections from 1856 to the present has a Democratic Party candidate won the county, the most recent being Bill Clinton in 1996. Despite this, the county was a swing county in the latter half of the 20th century, voting for the national winner in all but two elections from 1952 to 2004. However, it has trended heavily Republican in more recent elections, with the party's candidates garnering increasing amounts of the vote in each presidential election from 2000 on. This trend was most apparent in 2016 when Donald Trump posted the best showing by a Republican in the county since Herbert Hoover in 1928 with a 41.4-point margin of victory over Hillary Clinton.

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Government

County officials

{| class=wikitable

|+County officials

|-

! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"|Party

! style="text-align:center;" | Name

! valign=bottom | Position

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| Mike Halleck

| Commissioner

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| Roy Paparodis

| Commissioner

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| Tim Weigle

| Commissioner

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| Nancy Gause Milliken

| Auditor

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| Anthony J. Dattilio

| Clerk of Courts

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| George Scott Wilson

| Coroner

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| Bert Dawson

| Engineer

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| Vito J. Abruzzino

| Prosecuting Attorney

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| James Armeni, Sr.

| Recorder

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| Brian McLaughlin

| Sheriff

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| Bryan Blakeman

| Treasurer

|}

Judicial representation

{| class=wikitable

|+Judgeships

|-

! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"|Party

! style="text-align:center;" | Name

! valign=bottom | Position

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| Megan L. Bickerton

| Court of Common Pleas

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| Scott A. Washam

| Court of Common Pleas

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| Thomas M. Baronzzi

| Court of Common Pleas Probate Court

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| Kelly Linger

| Columbiana County Municipal Court

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| Timothy J. McNicol

| Columbiana County Municipal Court

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| D

| Cheryl L. Waite

| 7th District Court of Appeals

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| Carol Ann Robb

| 7th District Court of Appeals

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| Katelyn D. Dickey

| 7th District Court of Appeals

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| Mark A. Hanni

| 7th District Court of Appeals

|}

Legislative representation

{| class=wikitable

|+Legislators

|-

! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"|Party

! style="text-align:center;" | Name

! valign=bottom | District

! valign=bottom | Body

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| Monica Robb Blasdel

| 79

| Ohio House of Representatives

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| Alessandro Cutrona

| 33

| Ohio Senate

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| Michael Rulli

| 6

| U.S. House of Representatives

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| Bernie Moreno

| Statewide

| U.S. Senate

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

| R

| Jon Husted

| Statewide

| U.S. Senate

|}

Education

Colleges and universities

  • Allegheny Wesleyan College
  • Kent State University at East Liverpool
  • Kent State University at Salem

Community, junior, and technical colleges

  • Columbiana County Career and Technical Center
  • East Ohio College
  • New Castle School of Trades

Public school districts

  • Beaver Local School District
  • Columbiana Exempted Village School District
  • Crestview Local School District
  • East Liverpool City School District
  • East Palestine City School District
  • Leetonia Exempted Village School District
  • Lisbon Exempted Village School District
  • Minerva Local School District
  • Salem City School District
  • Southern Local School District
  • United Local School District
  • Wellsville Local School District
  • West Branch Local School District

High schools

  • Beaver Local High School
  • Columbiana High School
  • Crestview High School
  • David Anderson Junior/Senior High School
  • East Liverpool Junior/Senior High School
  • East Palestine High School
  • Leetonia High School
  • Salem High School
  • Southern Local Junior/Senior High School
  • United High School
  • Wellsville Junior/Senior High School

Private schools

  • Heartland Christian School – Columbiana
  • East Liverpool Christian School – Glenmoor
  • St. Paul Elementary School – Salem

Communities

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

Cities

  • Columbiana
  • East Liverpool
  • Salem

Villages

  • East Palestine
  • Hanoverton
  • Leetonia
  • Lisbon (county seat)
  • Minerva
  • New Waterford
  • Rogers
  • Salineville
  • Summitville
  • Washingtonville
  • Wellsville

Townships

  • Butler
  • Center
  • Elkrun
  • Fairfield
  • Franklin
  • Hanover
  • Knox
  • Liverpool
  • Madison
  • Middleton
  • Perry
  • Salem
  • St. Clair
  • Unity
  • Washington
  • Wayne
  • West
  • Yellow Creek

Census-designated places

  • Calcutta
  • Damascus
  • East Rochester
  • Glenmoor
  • Homeworth
  • La Croft
  • Lake Tomahawk
  • Negley
  • Salem Heights

Unincorporated communities

  • Achor
  • Bayard
  • Cannons Mill
  • Chambersburg
  • Clarkson
  • Dungannon
  • East Carmel
  • East Fairfield
  • Elkton
  • Franklin Square
  • Fredericktown
  • Gavers
  • Glasgow
  • Guilford
  • Highlandtown
  • Kensington
  • Lynchburg
  • Middleton
  • Mill Rock
  • Millport
  • Moultrie
  • New Alexander
  • New Garden
  • New Middleton
  • New Salisbury
  • North Georgetown
  • Reading
  • Signal
  • Teegarden
  • Unionville
  • Unity
  • Valley
  • West Point
  • Williamsport
  • Winona

Population ranking

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

* majority of municipality in Columbiana County<br>

** minority of municipality in Columbiana County<br>

† county seat

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

!Rank

!City/Town/etc.

!Population (2020 Census)

!Township

!Municipal type

|- style="background-color:#FFFF54;"

| 1

| Salem*

| 11,915

| Perry, Salem

| City

|- style="background-color:#FFFF54;"

| 2

| East Liverpool

| 9,958

| Liverpool

| City

|- style="background-color:#FFFF54;"

| 3

| Columbiana*

| 6,559

| Fairfield, Unity

| City

|- style="background-color:#DDA0DD;"

| 4

| East Palestine

| 4,761

| Unity

| Village

|- style="background-color:#ADFF2F;"

| 5

| Calcutta

| 3,941

| St. Clair

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DDA0DD;"

| 6

| Minerva**

| 3,684

| West

| Village

|- style="background-color:#DDA0DD;"

| 7

| Wellsville

| 3,113

| Yellow Creek

| Village

|- style="background-color:#DDA0DD;"

| 8

| † Lisbon

| 2,597

| Center, Elkrun

| Village

|- style="background-color:#DDA0DD;"

| 9

| Leetonia

| 1,833

| Salem, Fairfield

| Village

|- style="background-color:#ADFF2F;"

| 10

| Glenmoor

| 1,829

| St. Clair

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DDA0DD;"

| 11

| Salineville

| 1,206

| Washington

| Village

|- style="background-color:#DDA0DD;"

| 12

| New Waterford

| 1,194

| Unity

| Village

|- style="background-color:#ADFF2F;"

| 13

| La Croft

| 1,078

| Liverpool

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DDA0DD;"

| 14

| Washingtonville*

| 712

| Salem

| Village

|- style="background-color:#ADFF2F;"

| 15

| Lake Tomahawk

| 494

| Middleton

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#ADFF2F;"

| 16

| Homeworth

| 492

| Knox

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#ADFF2F;"

| 17

| Damascus**

| 418

| Butler

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DDA0DD;"

| 18

| Hanoverton

| 354

| Hanover

| Village

|- style="background-color:#ADFF2F;"

| 19

| Negley

| 274

| Middleton

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#ADFF2F;"

| 20

| East Rochester

| 224

| West

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DDA0DD;"

| 21

| Rogers

| 194

| Middleton

| Village

|- style="background-color:#DDA0DD;"

| 22

| Summitville

| 110

| Franklin

| Village

|}

Notable residents

  • Harvey Firestone, businessman and founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
  • William M. Fogo, Wisconsin legislator and newspaper editor
  • Mark Hanna, U.S. senator from Ohio; grew up in Lisbon
  • Ammon Hennacy, Christian anarchist; grew up in Negley
  • Lou Holtz, former college football coach; grew up in East Liverpool
  • Robert Justice, early Ohio statesman
  • Rich Karlis, former NFL placekicker for the Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions, from Salem, Ohio
  • William McKinley, 25th president of the United States; grew up in Lisbon
  • William Ralston, who founded the Bank of California and became for a time the richest man in California; born in Columbiana County
  • Clement Vallandigham, Copperhead leader; born and lived for several years in Lisbon
  • Derek Wolfe, former NFL defensive end for the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens; grew up in Negley

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Columbiana County, Ohio

References

  • Official Columbiana County website
  • Columbiana County Biographies