Hamilton County is located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 830,639, making it the third-most populous county in Ohio. The county seat and most populous city is Cincinnati. The county is named for the first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton County is part of the Cincinnati–Middletown, OH–KY–IN Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History The southern portion of Hamilton County was originally owned and surveyed by John Cleves Symmes, and the region was a part of the Symmes Purchase. The first settlers rafted down the Ohio River in 1788 following the American Revolutionary War. They established the towns of Losantiville (later Cincinnati), North Bend, and Columbia.
Hamilton County was organized in 1790 by order of Arthur St. Clair, governor of the Northwest Territory, as the second county in the Northwest Territory. Cincinnati was named as the seat. Residents named the county in honor of Alexander Hamilton, who was the first Secretary of the Treasury of the United States and a founder of the Federalist Party. Its original boundaries were those defined for the Symmes purchase contract in 1788:However, the Symmes purchase was later reduced to just the southern third of the original tract. the Ohio River in the South, Great Miami River to the west, the Lesser Miami River to the east, and the Cuyahoga River to the North. Its area then included about one-eighth of Ohio and had about 2,000 inhabitants (not including the remaining Native Americans).
The county was greatly expanded in 1792 to include what is today the lower peninsula of Michigan. Since 1796, other counties were created from Hamilton, reducing the county to its present size. The county was the location of much of the Northwest Indian War before and after its organization.
The United States forcibly removed most of the Shawnee and other Indian peoples to move to locations west of the Mississippi River in the 1820s.
Rapid growth occurred during the 1830s and 1840s as the area attracted many German and Irish immigrants, especially after the Great Famine in Ireland and the revolutions in Germany in 1848.
During the Civil War, Morgan's Raid (a Confederate cavalry campaign from Kentucky) passed through the northern part of the county during the summer of 1863.
The Sharonville Engineer Depot was constructed by the United States Army in northern Hamilton County in 1942, and continued to be used by the General Services Administration and then the Defense Logistics Agency after 1949. It is currently mostly redeveloped for industrial purposes.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.6%) is water.
Adjacent counties Franklin County, Indiana (northwest) Dearborn County, Indiana (west) Butler County (north) Warren County (northeast) Clermont County (east) Campbell County, Kentucky (southeast) Kenton County, Kentucky (south) Boone County, Kentucky (southwest)
Geographic features
The county lies in a region of gentle hills formed by the slopes of the Ohio River valley and its tributaries. The Great Miami River, the Little Miami River, and the Mill Creek also contribute to this system of hillsides and valleys. No naturally occurring lakes exist, but three major humanmade lakes are part of the Great Parks of Hamilton County.Hamilton County Water Resources The largest lake by far is Winton Woods Lake, covering 188 surface acres, followed by Miami Whitewater Lake, covering 85 surface acres, and Sharon Lake, covering 36 surface acres.
The county boundaries include the lowest point in Ohio, in Miami Township, where the Ohio River flows out of Ohio and into Indiana. This is the upper pool elevation behind the Markland Dam, above sea level.
The highest land elevation in Hamilton County is the Rumpke Sanitary Landfill at above sea level in Colerain Township.
Major highways
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had 830,639 residents, which yielded a population density of 2,045.91 people per square mile (791.08/km2). The median age was 36.9 years, with 22.3% of residents under the age of 18 and 16.2% aged 65 or older; for every 100 females there were 93.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.9 males.
There were 347,126 households in the county, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 37.9% were married-couple households, 21.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The county had 379,015 housing units, 8.4% of which were vacant; of the occupied units, 57.4% were owner-occupied and 42.6% were renter-occupied, and the homeowner and rental vacancy rates were 1.4% and 8.6%, respectively.
The racial makeup of the county was 63.3% White, 25.2% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.0% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.4% from some other race, and 5.7% from two or more races; Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.4% of the population.
97.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 2.4% lived in rural areas.
Racial and ethnic composition
+Hamilton County, Ohio – racial and ethnic compositionRace / ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)695,958669,704611,767542,273519,73479.70%77.31%72.37%67.58%62.57%Black or African American alone (NH)164,744180,531197,192204,748207,76418.87%20.84%23.33%25.52%25.01%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)7631,1251,3301,2191,1730.09%0.13%0.16%0.15%0.14%Asian alone (NH)4,8468,96513,53016,08025,1600.55%1.03%1.60%2.00%3.03%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census207474618xx0.02%0.06%0.07%Other race alone (NH)1,3977051,6161,6653,9590.16%0.08%0.19%0.21%0.48%Mixed-race or multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census10,14715,30835,981xx1.20%1.91%4.33%Hispanic or Latino (any race)5,5165,1989,51420,60736,2500.63%0.60%1.13%2.57%4.36%Total873,224866,228845,303802,374830,639 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2016–2020 American Community Survey
According to the U.S. Census American Community Survey, for the period 2016-2020 the estimated median annual income for a household in the county was $66,878, and the median income for a family was $92,480. About 15.3% of the population were living below the poverty line, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over. About 64.1% of the population were employed, and 41.8% had a bachelor's degree or higher.
2010 census As of the 2010 census, there were 802,374 people, 333,945 households, and 197,571 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 377,364 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 68.8% white, 25.7% black or African American, 2.0% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.1% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 31.0% were German, 14.7% were Irish, 7.7% were English, and 6.6% were American.
Of the 333,945 households, 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.4% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 40.8% were non-families, and 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age was 37.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $48,234 and the median income for a family was $64,683. Males had a median income of $48,344 versus $37,310 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,799. About 11.1% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.9% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
2000 census As of the 2000 census, there were 845,303 people, 346,790 households, and 212,582 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 373,393 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 69.2% White, 26.0% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 2.3% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. 2.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 346,790 households, out of which 30.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.40% were married couples living together, 14.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.70% were non-families. 32.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.80% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 29.70% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,964, and the median income for a family was $53,449. Males had a median income of $39,842 versus $28,550 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,053. About 8.80% of families and 11.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.20% of those under age 18 and 8.70% of those age 65 or over.
Population The county's highest population was recorded in the 1970 U.S. Census. Since then, the county has lost population at an average rate of three percent per decade. Although Hamilton County is experiencing a decline in birth rates and has higher death rates in older age groups (cohorts), out-migration of residents is the key factor in population loss. In the last decade, this population loss has been reversed, and it is estimated that both Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati have grown their populations. The Cincinnati Metropolitan Statistical Area, over the last three decades has seen a 19 percent increase in population. Much of the region's growth has been through movement of Cincinnati and Hamilton County residents into neighboring counties.
Government
As of 2020, the members of the Hamilton Board of County Commissioners are Denise Driehaus, Stephanie Summerow Dumas, and Alicia Reece.
Since 1963, the Board has employed an administrator to run the day-to-day operations of the county; the current administrator is Jeffrey Aluotto. Other elected officers include Dusty Rhodes (Auditor), Connie Pillich (Prosecutor), Charmaine McGuffey (Sheriff), Eric Beck (Engineer), Scott Crowley (Recorder), Jill Schiller (Treasurer), and Lakshmi Sammarco (Coroner).
As of 2021, the elected Common Pleas Court include Judge Jody Luebbers, Judge Lisa Allen, Judge Jennifer Branch, Judge Wende Cross, Judge Leslie Ghiz, Judge Robert Goering, Judge Tom Heekin, Judge Christian Jenkins, Judge Charles Kubicki, Judge Melba Marsh, Judge Terry Nestor, Judge Robert Ruehlman, Judge Nicole Sanders, Judge Megan Shanahan, Judge Alan Triggs, and Judge Christopher Wagner.
Politics