Ohio population, race and demographics

Ohio's 11.9 million residents on July 1, 2025 are the most the state has ever had: across every census count and July 1 estimate, the peak year is 2025. Ohio is the 7th largest state by population, larger than Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and West Virginia; smaller than Pennsylvania¹. City figures, such as those for Columbus or Toledo, are outside this site's scope: it covers states only.

From third-largest state to seventh

The first census to count the area of present-day Ohio, in 1800, found 42,159 people. The state grew fast in the decades that followed: by 1840 it had 1,519,467 residents and ranked 3rd of 31 among the present states counted that year. It held that place through the 1880 Census (3rd of 49⁹).

Source: Census Bureau, Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals by Race, 1790 to 1990; Census Bureau, 2020 Census apportionment results and historical resident population 1910-2020; Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Census counts every ten years (April 1); estimates for July 1 after 2020.

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Year	Ohio
1800	42,159
1810	230,760
1820	581,434
1830	937,903
1840	1,519,467
1850	1,980,329
1860	2,339,511
1870	2,665,260
1880	3,198,062
1890	3,672,329
1900	4,157,545
1910	4,767,121
1920	5,759,394
1930	6,646,697
1940	6,907,612
1950	7,946,627
1960	9,706,397
1970	10,652,017
1980	10,797,630
1990	10,847,115
2000	11,353,140
2010	11,536,504
2020	11,799,448
2021	11,761,443
2022	11,764,950
2023	11,808,390
2024	11,860,621
2025	11,900,510

Since then Ohio has kept growing, but other states have passed it. It was 5th of 51 in 1950, 6th of 51 in 1970 and has been 7th of 51⁹ at every census since 1990. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses the population rose 2.3%, 5.1 percentage points below the US figure (7.4%) and tied for 6th lowest⁶ among the states. After the 2020 Census Ohio lost a seat in the House of Representatives (−1), leaving 15, each representing about 787,257¹⁰ people.

The recent path has one dip. The July 1 estimate fell from 11,798,534 in 2020 to 11,761,443 in 2021, then rose every year to 11,900,510¹ in 2025.

What percent of Ohio is Black?

Three official figures answer this, each counting a different group:

• Non-Hispanic Black, 2025 survey: 12.2% (±0.1 percentage points) of residents, 0.5 percentage points above the US figure (11.7%). The share was up from 11.9% in 2024².
• Black alone, of any ethnicity, July 1, 2025 estimate: 13.4%, 0.2 percentage points below the US figure (13.5%), and up from 13.0% in 2020¹¹.
• Black alone or in combination with another race, 2025 survey: 15.1%, 0.6 percentage points above the US figure (14.5%)¹².

By count, the 2025 survey puts the number of Black residents (alone, any ethnicity) at 1,477,816 (±18,880), or 12.4%¹³ of residents; the survey and the population estimates use different methods, so their shares differ. On the 2020–2024 five-year data that allow every state to be compared, Ohio has the 10th largest Black population in the country; Texas has the largest, with 3,692,993¹⁴.

Regionally the share stands out more: it is the 3rd highest in the Midwest, and higher than Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and West Virginia; lower than Michigan¹¹.

Michigan13.9%

United States13.5%

Ohio13.4%

Pennsylvania12.3%

Indiana10.6%

Kentucky8.7%

West Virginia4.0%

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Period: July 1, 2025.

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State	Black alone
Michigan	13.9%
United States	13.5%
Ohio	13.4%
Pennsylvania	12.3%
Indiana	10.6%
Kentucky	8.7%
West Virginia	4.0%

White, Hispanic, Asian and multiracial Ohioans

Non-Hispanic white residents remain the large majority, at 73.4% in the 2025 survey, 18.4 percentage points above the US figure (55.0%). The share was down from 75.0% in 2024², and the population estimates show the same direction since the census: 74.5% on July 1, 2025, down from 76.8% in 2020¹¹. Counting everyone who reports white alone or with another race, the share is 82.1%¹⁵.

Single group (adds to 100%)Alone or in combination with other races

White, not Hispanic73.4% 82.1%

Black, not Hispanic12.2% 15.1%

Hispanic or Latino (any race)5.4%

Two or more races, not Hispanic5.4%

Asian, not Hispanic2.9% 3.9%

Some other race, not Hispanic0.4%

American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic0.1% 2.1%

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic0.0% 0.2%

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B03002; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B02009. The dark bars are mutually exclusive and add to 100%. The light bars count everyone who reported the race, alone or with another race and of any ethnicity, so they overlap and add to more than 100%.

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Group	Share (single group)	MOE	Alone or in combination
White, not Hispanic	73.4%	±0.1	82.1%
Black, not Hispanic	12.2%	±0.1	15.1%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	5.4%		–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	5.4%	±0.2	–
Asian, not Hispanic	2.9%	±0.1	3.9%
Some other race, not Hispanic	0.4%	±0.1	–
American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic	0.1%		2.1%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic	0.0%		0.2%

The groups that are growing as a share are small. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 5.5% of the population in July 2025, up from 4.4% in 2020 and still the 7th lowest¹¹ share among the states. People of Mexican origin make up 2.0% of all Ohioans and Puerto Ricans 1.2%¹⁶. Non-Hispanic Asian residents were 2.9% in the 2025 survey, up from 2.7% in 2024, and non-Hispanic residents of two or more races 5.4%, up from 4.7% in 2024².

On the diversity index, the chance that two residents chosen at random belong to different race or ethnic groups, Ohio scores 44.0, the 14th least diverse¹⁷ state.

More deaths than births: growth now comes from migration

Ohio recorded more deaths than births in each year from July 2020 to June 2025. Between April 2020 and June 2025 the state had 671,533 births and 717,272 deaths, a natural decrease of −45,739, the 4th lowest figure among the states. The gap was widest in the years to June 2021 (−18,790) and June 2022 (−20,376) and has nearly closed since: −729¹ in the year to June 2025.

Births and deaths now occur at the same rate, 10.7 per 1,000 residents. The birth rate is close to the national 10.6 per 1,000 residents; the death rate is 18% above the US figure (9.1 per 1,000 residents), a rate that ranks tied for 10th highest¹ among the states.

Migration therefore decides whether Ohio grows. In the year to June 2025 net migration added 40,431 people. International migration supplied 28,505, 71% of the year's population change, down from 55,855 the year before. Movement between states, which cost Ohio −32,482 people in the year to June 2021, turned into a gain of 11,926, the largest of the five years and the 15th highest in the country. Over the full period since April 2020 net domestic migration was still −30,482, while gaining 176,953¹ from abroad.

A state of people born in Ohio

73.3% of Ohio residents were born in the state, 16.9 percentage points above the US figure (56.4%). Only Louisiana (76.4%) and Michigan (75.2%) have higher shares. The share was down from 74.3% in 2024, a small but statistically significant decline. Another 19.7% were born in another state, 7.3 percentage points below the US figure (27.0%)¹⁸.

Louisiana76.4% ±0.4

Michigan75.2% ±0.3

Ohio73.3% ±0.3

Mississippi69.4% ±0.6

Wisconsin69.2% ±0.4

Pennsylvania69.1% ±0.3

Iowa68.8% ±0.6

Minnesota66.4% ±0.4

Indiana66.2% ±0.4

Illinois65.6% ±0.3

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B05002. Whiskers show the 90% margin of error; states whose whiskers overlap may not differ significantly. Period: 2025.

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State	Born in the state where they live	MOE
Louisiana	76.4%	±0.4
Michigan	75.2%	±0.3
Ohio	73.3%	±0.3
Mississippi	69.4%	±0.6
Wisconsin	69.2%	±0.4
Pennsylvania	69.1%	±0.3
Iowa	68.8%	±0.6
Minnesota	66.4%	±0.4
Indiana	66.2%	±0.4
Illinois	65.6%	±0.3

In 2025, 1.5% of residents aged one and older had lived in a different state a year earlier, 0.6 percentage points below the US figure (2.1%) a share that ranks tied for 4th lowest¹⁹. The Census Bureau's state-to-state flows for 2024 count 197,890 people moving to Ohio and 177,385 leaving for other states. Florida was the largest source of new residents (20,338), statistically larger than the flow from Michigan, the next largest (14,467). Florida also received the most people leaving Ohio (19,342), though that flow is not statistically different from the flow to Kentucky; Michigan and Texas come next. The net gain, 20,505 (±16,363), was the highest in the Midwest²⁰ on the point estimates, but its margin of error is wide.

Tax returns cover an earlier period and point the other way: on returns filed for 2022 and 2023, the net movement of filers and dependents into Ohio was −6,312, and the departing households reported more income than arriving ones (net −$1.6 billion²¹). Both sources describe net flows that are small next to a population of 11.9 million¹, so the sign can change from one period to the next.

Immigrants: a small share, mostly from Asia and Africa

699,143 Ohio residents were born outside the United States in 2025, 5.9% of the population, 8.8 percentage points below the US figure (14.7%). The share was up from 5.5% in 2024¹⁸.

Where Ohio's immigrants come from differs sharply from the national pattern. 40.8% were born in Asia, 8.9 percentage points above the US figure (31.9%), and 16.7% in Africa, 10.8 percentage points above the US figure (5.9%). Latin America accounts for 25.9%, 24.4 percentage points below the US figure (50.3%). Europe supplies 13.6%. About half of Ohio's foreign-born residents, 51.9%¹⁸, are naturalized citizens.

At home, 8.9% of residents aged five and older speak a language other than English, the 14th lowest share; 2.9%²² speak Spanish.

Density and rural Ohio

With 291.3 people per square mile on 40,859 square miles²⁴ of land, Ohio is the 11th most densely populated state, denser than Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and West Virginia; less dense than Pennsylvania²³. Yet a larger share of Ohioans live outside urban areas than nationally: 23.7% were rural at the 2020 Census, against 20.0% for the country, and 76.3%²⁵ lived in urban areas.

An older population

The median age was 40.3 years (±0.1 years) in 2025, 0.8 years above the US figure (39.5 years), making Ohio the 19th oldest³ state. In 2005 the median was 37.6 years²⁶.

OhioUnited States

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2005-2019 and 2021-2025. ACS 1-year estimates; no standard 1-year release for 2020. Shaded band: 90% margin of error.

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Year	Ohio	United States
2005	37.6 ±0.2	36.4 ±0.2
2006	37.6 ±0.1	36.4 ±0.2
2007	37.8 ±0.1	36.7 ±0.1
2008	38.2 ±0.2	36.9 ±0.1
2009	38.5 ±0.2	36.8 ±0.1
2010	38.9 ±0.1	37.2 ±0.1
2011	39.1 ±0.1	37.3 ±0.1
2012	39.3 ±0.1	37.4 ±0.1
2013	39.3 ±0.1	37.5 ±0.1
2014	39.4 ±0.1	37.7 ±0.1
2015	39.3 ±0.1	37.8 ±0.1
2016	39.3 ±0.1	37.9 ±0.1
2017	39.3 ±0.1	38.1 ±0.1
2018	39.5 ±0.1	38.2 ±0.2
2019	39.6 ±0.1	38.5 ±0.1
2021	39.6 ±0.1	38.8 ±0.1
2022	39.9 ±0.1	39.0 ±0.1
2023	39.9 ±0.2	39.2 ±0.1
2024	39.8 ±0.1	39.2 ±0.1
2025	40.3 ±0.1	39.5 ±0.1

On July 1, 2025 Ohio had 2,398,129 residents aged 65 and older (up from 2,126,981 in 2020) and 2,531,907 children under 18 (down from 2,601,858 in 2020). Older residents are now 20.2% of the population, 1.2 percentage points above the US figure (18.9%)¹¹. Women outnumber men by 237,544²⁷.

Households: many people living alone

32.6% of Ohio's 4,957,873 households are one person living alone, 3.4 percentage points above the US figure (29.2%). Only the District of Columbia and North Dakota have a higher share, and the figure is higher than every bordering state (Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia). Family households make up a low share, 60.6%, lower than every bordering state (Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia); married couples head 44.3% (8th lowest²⁸). The average household has 2.34²⁹ people.

The marriage rate was 4.9 per 1,000 residents in 2024, 22% below the US figure (6.3 per 1,000 residents); it ranks tied for 2nd lowest and is lower than every bordering state (Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia). The divorce rate, 2.3 per 1,000 residents, is the same as the US figure (2.3 per 1,000 residents)³⁰.

Income, prices and poverty

The median household income was $74,804 (±$615) in 2025, $9,976 (12%) below the US figure ($84,780); allowing for the margins of error Ohio ranks between 39th and 43rd. After inflation it was not statistically different from $74,112 in 2024 (in 2025 dollars)⁴.

OhioUnited States

Under $25,00015.3% 14.0%

$25,000–$49,99917.8% 15.4%

$50,000–$99,99930.3% 27.8%

$100,000–$199,99926.7% 28.0%

$200,000 or more9.9% 14.8%

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B19001. Share of households in each band of income in the past 12 months, in 2025 dollars.

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Household income	Ohio	MOE	United States
Under $25,000	15.3%	±0.3	14.0%
$25,000–$49,999	17.8%	±0.4	15.4%
$50,000–$99,999	30.3%	±0.5	27.8%
$100,000–$199,999	26.7%	±0.4	28.0%
$200,000 or more	9.9%	±0.2	14.8%

Incomes are bunched in the middle. 30.3% of households had income between $50,000 and $100,000, 2.5 percentage points above the US figure (27.8%), while 9.9% had $200,000 or more, 4.9 percentage points below the US figure (14.8%)³². The Gini index of income inequality, 0.465, is 4% below the US figure (0.482)³³.

Lower prices close much of the gap. The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Ohio's overall price level at 92.8 for 2024 (US = 100), 7% below the US figure (100.0). Prices for goods rank tied for 2nd least expensive in the country and are less expensive than every bordering state (Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia); the price index for housing is 73.0, 27% below the US figure (100.6). Per person, income was $9,444 (12%) below the US figure ($77,028)³⁵ in 2024; adjusted for state price levels, the gap narrows to $2,963 (5%) below the US figure ($59,195)³⁴.

Homes cost less, and are older, than nationally. The median owner-occupied home was valued at $254,100 (±$1,892), $117,000 (32%) below the US figure ($371,100)³⁶, and the median gross rent was $1,155, $402 (26%) below the US figure ($1,557)³⁷. 18.9% of housing units were built before 1940, 7.6 percentage points above the US figure (11.3%), and only 8.9% in 2010 or later, 6.0 percentage points below the US figure (14.9%)⁴⁰.

A broader measure of poverty puts Ohio below the national rate. The Census Bureau's Supplemental Poverty Measure, which counts benefits and taxes and adjusts the poverty line for local housing costs, puts Ohio at 9.9% on average over 2023 to 2025, 3.1 percentage points below the US figure (13.0%). On the official measure from the same survey Ohio was 10.8%, not statistically different from the US figure (10.7%)³⁹. In the 2025 American Community Survey, child poverty was 16.4%, 1.6 percentage points above the US figure (14.8%)⁵.

Catholic parishes and non-denominational churches

In the 2020 U.S. Religion Census the Catholic Church was Ohio's largest religious body, with 15.4% of residents, but non-denominational churches were close behind: 12.0% of Ohioans, the 3rd highest share in the country, in 1,867 congregations. The United Methodist Church had 1,659⁴¹ congregations, about twice as many as the Catholic Church.

For readers asking about Christian and Muslim Ohioans: Christian congregations counted 46.0% of the population, and the mosque study estimated 120,077 people taking part in mosques (1.02%). Synagogues counted 56,052⁴¹ members. The figures describe congregational ties, not belief, and churches that did not report are missing (religion overview).

Health: shorter lives than the nation

Life expectancy at birth was 75.6 years in 2022, 1.9 years below the US figure (77.5 years) and the 13th shortest among the states. It is longer than Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia; shorter than Michigan and Pennsylvania⁴².

West Virginia 72.2Hawaii 80.0

Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. State Life Tables, 2022. Each dot is a state. Period: 2022.

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State	Life expectancy
Hawaii	80.0
Massachusetts	79.8
New Jersey	79.6
New York	79.5
Connecticut	79.4
California	79.3
Minnesota	79.3
Rhode Island	79.2
Utah	79.0
New Hampshire	78.7
Colorado	78.5
Idaho	78.4
Washington	78.4
Nebraska	78.3
Vermont	78.3
Wisconsin	78.1
Florida	77.9
Iowa	77.9
North Dakota	77.9
Maryland	77.8
Oregon	77.7
Illinois	77.5
Virginia	77.5
Montana	77.3
Pennsylvania	77.3
South Dakota	77.3
Texas	77.1
Michigan	76.8
Wyoming	76.8
Arizona	76.7
District of Columbia	76.6
Maine	76.6
Delaware	76.5
Kansas	76.5
Nevada	76.4
Georgia	75.9
North Carolina	75.9
Alaska	75.8
Ohio	75.6
Indiana	75.4
Missouri	75.2
South Carolina	75.1
New Mexico	74.5
Arkansas	73.9
Alabama	73.8
Louisiana	73.8
Oklahoma	73.8
Tennessee	73.8
Kentucky	73.6
Mississippi	72.6
West Virginia	72.2

Infant mortality was 6.7 per 1,000 live births in 2024, 20% above the US figure (5.5 per 1,000 live births) and higher than every bordering state (Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia). The age-adjusted drug overdose death rate was 27.2 per 100,000, age-adjusted in 2024, 18% above the US figure (23.1 per 100,000, age-adjusted)⁴³. In the CDC's 2024 health survey, 36.9% of adults reported obesity, 2.7 percentage points above the US figure (34.2%), and 14.1% smoked, 2.5 percentage points above the US figure (11.6%)⁴⁴. Health insurance coverage is wider than nationally: 7.1% of residents were uninsured in 2025, 1.3 percentage points below the US figure (8.4%)⁴⁵.

Education

92.7% of adults aged 25 and older have at least a high school diploma, 2.1 percentage points above the US figure (90.6%). The share with a bachelor's degree or higher is 32.5% (±0.3 percentage points), 4.9 percentage points below the US figure (37.4%) and the 11th lowest among the states. Associate degrees are more common than nationally, at 9.4%⁴⁶.

German roots and other ancestries

German is the most common ancestry Ohioans report: 22.3% of residents in 2020–2024, about 2.3 million⁴⁸ people in the 2025 survey. Ohio has the 3rd largest population of German ancestry among the states, and by share it ranks 9th highest. Irish (12.3%), English (11.0%) and Italian (5.8%) ancestry follow, and Hungarian ancestry, reported by 1.3%⁴⁷, completes the ten largest. People may report more than one ancestry, so the groups overlap.

Veterans and work

561,908 veterans lived in Ohio in 2025, the 8th highest number in the country and the highest in the Midwest. As a share of civilian adults, 6.0%, Ohio is not statistically different from the US figure (5.9%)⁴⁹. Veterans of the Vietnam era are 32.6% of them, 1.7 percentage points above the US figure (30.9%)⁵⁰.

Unemployment averaged 4.6% in 2025, 0.3 percentage points above the US figure (4.3%)⁵¹, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average one-way commute was 24.1 minutes, 3.3 minutes below the US figure (27.4 minutes)⁵².