Erie County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the northern portion of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 75,622. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

and largest city is Sandusky. The county is named for the Erie tribe, whose name was their word for "wildcat". It was formed in 1838 from the northern third of Huron County and a portion of Sandusky County. Erie County is included in the Sandusky, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

- Akron- Canton, OH Combined Statistical Area.

History

Erie County was created in 1838 from a portion of Huron County. A few subsequent changes to Erie County's boundaries occurred shortly after its initial formation.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (60%) is water. It is the second-smallest county in Ohio by land area after Lake County. The county is bordered on the north by

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...

; the opposite shore is made up of two counties in Ontario, Canada. It is drained by the Huron and

Vermilion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color family and pigment most often used between antiquity and the 19th century from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide). It is synonymous with red orange, which often takes a moder ...

rivers. Near the Huron River are several ancient earthwork mounds and enclosures constructed by early indigenous peoples. Sandusky has extensive quarries of valuable limestone. The surface is generally level, and the soil

alluvial Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...

and exceedingly fertile.

Adjacent counties and municipalities

* Essex County,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

(north, across Lake Erie) * Chatham-Kent municipality,

(north, across Lake Erie) * Lorain County (east) * Huron County (south) * Sandusky County (west) * Ottawa County (northwest)

Major highways

* ( Ohio Turnpike) * * * * * * * * * * *

Demographics

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 79,551 people, 31,727 households, and 21,764 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 35,909 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 88.64%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 8.64%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.21% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.53% from other races, and 1.60% from two or more races. 2.09% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 35.7% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 9.2% Irish, 8.2% English, 8.1%

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

, and 7.8% American ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 31,727 households, out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.70% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.40% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.97. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.70% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 27.00% from 25 to 44, 25.50% from 45 to 64, and 15.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $42,746, and the median income for a family was $51,756. Males had a median income of $39,249 versus $23,697 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $21,530. About 6.00% of families and 8.30% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 11.60% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or over. In 2008, the Census Bureau announced that the county's population had declined to an estimated 77,323 by July 1, 2007.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 77,079 people, 31,860 households, and 21,011 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 37,845 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 87.0% white, 8.6% black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.7% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 38.8% were

, 15.2% were Irish, 11.7% were English, 8.5% were

, and 4.6% were American. Of the 31,860 households, 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.1% were non-families, and 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age was 43.4 years. The median income for a household in the county was $46,593 and the median income for a family was $61,247. Males had a median income of $46,211 versus $32,621 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,290. About 8.5% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the

, including 17.1% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Patrick Shenigo is the Chairman of the Erie County Commission, the highest elected position in the county. From 1992 to 2012, Erie County consistently voted Democratic. In 2016, however, it swung from a 12.3% margin for

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

to a 9.5% margin for

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

, tracking with Trump's unexpectedly strong showing in the

Rust Belt The Rust Belt, formerly the Steel Belt or Factory Belt, is an area of the United States that underwent substantial Deindustrialization, industrial decline in the late 20th century. The region is centered in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (Uni ...

. Trump further increased his margin of victory to 11.5% in 2020. In 2024, Trump won the highest percentage of the vote in the county since 1984.

County officials

Courthouse

Erie County's courthouse at 323 Columbus Avenue in Sandusky was built in 1872 by Cleveland architects Myer and Holmes in a richly ornamented Second Empire style. Most of the façade was remodeled beginning in 1936 in Art Deco in a WPA project led locally by architect Henry Millott. Some of the original façade remains visible around the bottom row of windows.

Education

All or part of eleven school districts serve Erie County and its residents: * Bellevue City School District: includes parts of

Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. Bellevue or Belle Vue may refer to: Places Australia * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales Canada * Bellevue, Alberta * Bellevue, Newfoundlan ...

and Groton Township. * Edison Local School District: includes parts of Berlin Heights and

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, and

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, Huron,

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, Perkins, and

Townships. * Firelands Local School District: includes parts of Florence Township. * Huron City School District: includes parts of Huron and

, Huron, and

Townships. * Kelleys Island Local School District: includes all of

Kelleys Island Kelleys Island is both a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Erie County, Ohio, and the island which it fully occupies in Lake Erie. The island has a total area of and was formed by Glacier, glacial action on limestone and Dolomite (rock) ...

. * Margaretta Local School District: includes parts of Bay View and Castalia, and Groton and Margaretta Townships. * Monroeville Local School District: includes parts of Oxford Township. * Perkins Local School District: includes parts of Groton, Huron, Margaretta,

, and Perkins Townships. * Sandusky Central Catholic Schools: includes Sandusky's three catholic Parishes (St. Mary's, Sts. Peter & Paul, and Holy Angels). * St. Peter's School: a private catholic elementary school in Huron * Sandusky City School District: includes all of Sandusky. * Vermilion Local School District: includes parts of

and

Townships. * Western Reserve Local School District: including parts of Florence Township.

Communities

Cities

(part) * Huron * Sandusky (county seat) *

(part)

Villages

* Bay View * Berlin Heights * Castalia *

(part)

Townships

* Groton * Huron * Margaretta *

* Perkins *

Census-designated places

* Beulah Beach * Crystal Rock * Mitiwanga * Whites Landing

Unincorporated communities

* Avery * Axtel *

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

* Bloomingville * Bogart *

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

* Fairview Lanes *

* Ruggles Beach * Sandusky South

Places of interest

Blue Hole A blue hole is a large marine cavern or sinkhole, which is open to the surface and has developed in a bank or island composed of a carbonate bedrock (limestone or coral reef). Blue holes typically contain tidally influenced water of fresh, ma ...

Cedar Point Cedar Point is a amusement park located on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio, United States, owned and operated by Six Flags. It opened in 1870 and is considered the second-oldest operating amusement park in the US behind Lake Compounc ...

* Plum Brook Station * Thomas Alva Edison Birthplace

References

External links

Erie County Government's website
{{coord, 41.51, -82.61, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-OH_source:UScensus1990 1838 establishments in Ohio Populated places established in 1838 Ohio counties in the Western Reserve