Williams 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 ...

located in the U.S. state of

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 37,102, and was estimated to be 36,554 in 2024. The

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 the largest city is Bryan.

History

The county was created on April 1, 1820 and later organized on February 2, 1824. It is named for David Williams, one of the captors of John André in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.57%) is water. It is the 53rd largest county in Ohio by total area.

Adjacent counties

* Hillsdale County, Michigan (north) * Fulton County (east) * Henry County (southeast) * Defiance County (south) * DeKalb County, Indiana (southwest) * Steuben County, Indiana (northwest)

Demographics

As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Williams County was $150,917. As of the 2023

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

, there are 15,455 estimated households in Williams County with an average of 2.32 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $61,834. Approximately 11.1% of the county's population lives at or 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 ...

. Williams County has an estimated 61.6% employment rate, with 14.2% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 91.4% holding a high school diploma. The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (96.3%), Spanish (2.4%), Indo-European (0.7%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.6%), and Other (0.1%). The median age in the county was 41.8 years. Williams County, Ohio – racial and ethnic composition

2024 estimate

As of the 2024 estimate, there were 36,554 people and 15,455 households residing in the county. There were 16,624 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.1% White ''(91.1% NH White)'', 1.4% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 5.6% of the population.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 37,102 people, 15,262 households, and 9,858 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 16,561 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.08%

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 ...

, 0.90%

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 ...

, 0.23% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.02%

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 ...

, 1.77% from some other races and 4.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 5.02% of the population.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 37,642 people, 15,075 households, and 10,260 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 16,668 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.95%

, 0.96%

, 0.23% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.02%

, 1.08% from some other races and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.69% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 46.1% were German, 12.0% were Irish, 10.7% were English, and 7.8% were American. There were 15,075 households, 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% 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, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.9% were non-families, and 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 40.7 years. The median income for a household in the county was $44,538 and the median income for a family was $52,975. Males had a median income of $40,658 versus $29,064 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 $21,381. About 9.1% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the

, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Williams County is a Republican stronghold county in presidential elections. The last Democrat to win the county was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

Government

Williams County has three county commissioners who oversee the various county departments. Current commissioners are: Brian Davis, Lewis Hilkert, and Terry Rummel.

Communities

City

* Bryan (county seat)

Villages

* Blakeslee * Edgerton * Edon * Holiday City * Montpelier * Pioneer * Stryker * West Unity

Townships

* Brady * Bridgewater * Center *

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 ...

* Jefferson * Madison * Mill Creek *

Northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west— ...

* Pulaski * St. Joseph * Springfield * Superior

Census-designated places

* Alvordton * Kunkle * Lake Seneca * Nettle Lake * Pulaski

Unincorporated communities

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 ...

* Bridgewater Center * Columbia * Cooney * Hamer * Lock Port * Melbern * Mina * West Jefferson * Williams Center

References

External links

Williams County – official website
* https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheWilliamsCountyOhioVirtualMuseum/ The Williams County, Ohio Virtual Museum on Facebook {{authority control 1824 establishments in Ohio Populated places established in 1824