Paulding is a village in and the county seat of Paulding County, Ohio, United States. It is located predominantly in Paulding Township about southwest of Toledo. The population was 3,555 at the 2020 census.
History
thumb|left|[[Paulding County Carnegie Library]]
Paulding was a planned community, founded in 1848 at the center of the county, and named after the county by speculators who expected to profit by moving the county seat. In 1851, the county seat was moved from Charloe, which had been the county seat for a decade; prior to that, court was held at New Rochester.
The town square is devoted to the courthouse, an orange brick structure surrounded by trees upon a spacious lawn. In the centennial year of 1876, the county commissioners determined to build a new courthouse, and visited many courthouses, finally deciding to erect a duplicate of the courthouse in Adrian, Michigan at a cost of $40,000. The courthouse was finished in 1886.
Built in the 1910s, the Paulding County Carnegie Library was the first Carnegie library to serve an entire county instead of a single city.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is 723 feet above sea level.
Climate
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Demographics
thumb|Paulding Village Hall
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Paulding had a population of 3,555. The median age was 39.3 years. 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 84.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 80.9 males age 18 and over.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 1,528 households in Paulding, of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.7% were married-couple households, 17.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 35.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 3,605 people, 1,510 households, and 957 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 1,718 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 91.6% White, 2.4% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 2.8% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.5% of the population.
There were 1,510 households, of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.6% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.93.
The median age in the village was 38.4 years. 25.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.4% were from 25 to 44; 27% were from 45 to 64; and 16% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 46.6% male and 53.4% female.
2000 census
As of the census