Cuyahoga County ( or , see ) is a large urban county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. The county seat and most populous city is Cleveland. As of the 2025 census estimates, its population was 1,232,925, a decrease of 2.5% or decline of 31,892 residents since the 2020 census. Cuyahoga County is still the second-most populous county in the state despite continued population decline.
Cuyahoga County is situated on the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S.–Canada maritime border. The county is bisected by the Cuyahoga River, after which it was named. "Cuyahoga" is an Iroquoian word meaning "crooked river". It is the core county of the Cleveland, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area and Cleveland–Akron–Canton, OH Combined Statistical Area.
History
thumb|left|200px|Cuyahoga County in 1874
The land that became Cuyahoga County was previously part of the French colony of Canada (New France), which was ceded in 1763 to Great Britain and renamed Province of Quebec. In the early 1790s, the land became part of the Connecticut Western Reserve in the Northwest Territory, and it was purchased by the Connecticut Land Company in 1795. Cleveland was established one year later by General Moses Cleaveland near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River.
Cuyahoga County was created on June 7, 1807, and organized on May 1, 1810. Cleveland (then known as "Cleaveland") was selected as the county seat in 1809. The county was later reduced in size by the creation of Huron, Lake, and Lorain counties.
In 1831, future U.S. President James A. Garfield was born in what was at the time Cuyahoga County's Orange Township.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which are land and (63%) are water. It is the second-largest county in Ohio by area. A portion of Cuyahoga Valley National Park is in the county's southeastern section.
Adjacent counties
- Lake County (northeast)
- Geauga County (east)
- Summit County (southeast)
- Medina County (southwest)
- Lorain County (west)
- Portage County (southeast)