From the files of Project Blue Book, this event was thought to have been an aircraft, but never confirmed. An eyewitness letter is included in the files, but the writing has become so faint as to be mostly unreadable.
For more incidents around the world, visit the following links.
UFO Database
Mutual UFO Network
National UFO Reporting Center
In the last few decades, the Columbus Bhutanese community has grown into one of the largest in the world outside of Bhutan, itself. Many of these immigrants were resettled in other parts of Canada and the US, but an increasing number of them have made their way to Columbus and Central Ohio. According to the Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio, the area’s Bhutanese population now numbers upwards of 27,000, and projected to surpass 30,000 over the next few years.
This community has already made a local impact, opening new restaurants, shops and cultural and religious centers across the city and region.
With the latest US Census data for 2020, we can once again take a closer look at how the Downtown area is doing.
Looking at the graph above, we can see that the Downtown population peaked in 1950 and declined through 2000. The last 20 years have seen accelerating growth and the population was the highest in 2020 since 1970. One caveat with this is that the census tract boundaries that are used to make up this graph have changed some over the years. They haven’t changed significantly, but the area that’s being covered in 2020 is slightly different than it was in 1950. As such, it’s more of an approximation per year rather than exact figures based on the exact same area. Still, the rapid decline after 1950 is well-documented. Highways were either being planned or already under construction through the neighborhood during the 1950s, and this also helped the beginning stages of the suburban flight from the urban core.
The urban core of the city overall reached its population peak in 1950, and the 1950 boundaries represent the oldest, arguably most urban part of the city today. Let’s examine how the population within that boundary changed over the same time.
The 1950 boundary peaked in 1960 and then declined through 2010. Between 2010-2020, the 1950 boundary area gained more than 22,000 new residents, a significant increase which puts the area back to where it was around 1995.
So in both cases, the urban core of Columbus is in recovery, though it is unlikely to ever regain its 1950 population. Average household size is much smaller now than it was 70 years ago, so it would require a massive amount of infill that would be far denser than much of what is getting built in recent years. Outdated zoning codes, among other reasons, have been limiting many projects in the urban core from reaching their potential.
Breaking things down a bit further, let’s look at the census tracts that made up the 1950 boundary in 2020 and rank them for population and growth.
1950 Boundary Census Tracts by Population Rank 2010 and 2020
2010————————————2020
1. 1121: 7,300——————–1. 1121: 12,131
2. 13: 6,583———————–2. 49: 5,686
3. 10: 5,830———————–3. 10: 5,613
4. 49: 5,651———————–4. 12: 5,201
5. 43: 5,613———————–5. 47: 5,138
6. 50: 5,205———————–6. 45: 5,048
7. 45: 5,154———————–7. 1810: 4,324
8. 47: 4,971———————–8. 22: 4,279
9. 12: 4,822———————–9. 4002: 4,245
10. 1810: 4,434—————–10. 30: 4,189
11. 55: 4,228———————11. 5: 4,187
12. 5: 4,057———————–12. 220: 4,186
13. 26: 4,028———————13. 1902: 4,063
14. 6: 3,780———————–14. 55: 4,062
15. 220: 3,727——————–15. 1901: 4,059
16. 1110: 3,688——————-16. 17: 3,994
17. 57: 3,629———————-17. 26: 3,920
18. 1902: 3,410——————-18. 6: 3,839
19. 910: 3,409———————19. 1110: 3,751
20. 4610: 3,368——————-20. 57: 3,715
21. 110: 3,344———————21. 910: 3,693
22. 37: 3,303———————-22. 730: 3,629
23. 20: 3,252———————-23: 32: 3,500
24. 120: 3,162———————24. 4301: 3,532
25. 1122: 3,159——————–25. 110: 3,489
26. 310: 3,147———————-26. 37: 3,389
27. 420: 3,139———————-27. 310: 3,377
28. 820: 3,121———————-28. 710: 3,339
29. 30: 3,105———————–29. 2760: 3,331
30. 710: 3,102———————30. 420: 3,316
31. 730: 3,090———————31. 4610: 3,298
32. 2760: 3,066——————-32. 1122: 3,268
33. 53: 3,054———————–33. 20: 3,259
34. 40: 2,941———————–34. 120: 3,220
35: 210: 2,935———————35. 820: 3,193
36. 4810: 2,891——————-36. 2510: 3,144
37. 2510: 2,856——————-37. 52: 3,125
38. 17: 2,704———————–38. 5002: 3,095
39. 4620: 2,659——————–39. 210: 3,049
40. 2520: 2,648——————–40. 1302: 3,039
41. 28: 2,629————————41. 4810: 2,929
42. 4820: 2,589———————42. 1301: 2,903
43. 810: 2,540———————–43. 29: 2,887
44. 410: 2,419———————–44. 2520: 2,784
45. 320: 2,390———————–45. 810: 2,747
46. 720: 2,384———————–46. 5810: 2,719
47. 330: 2,314———————–47. 4820: 2,685
48. 1820: 2,598———————-48. 53: 2,676
49. 52: 2,584————————-49. 4620: 2,609
50. 5810: 2,548———————-50. 720: 2,583
51. 59: 2,546————————-51. 2750: 2,554
52. 2780: 2,423———————-52. 51: 2,548
53. 61: 2,398————————-53. 61: 2,534
54. 29: 2,368————————-54. 320: 2,505
55. 2750: 2,349———————-55. 1820: 2,478
56. 60: 2,345————————-56. 28: 2,461
57. 2740: 2,316———————-57. 21: 2,456
58. 5820: 2,230———————-58. 2740: 2,447
59. 5420: 2,151———————-59. 410: 2,439
60. 32: 2,147————————-60. 330: 2,427
61. 2730: 2,104———————-61. 5620: 2,422
62. 920: 2,069————————62. 16: 2,399
63. 15: 2,031————————-63. 59: 2,365
64. 1901: 2,031———————-64. 2780: 2,353
65. 2770: 1,995———————-65. 2770: 2,300
66. 51: 1,928————————–66. 60: 2,224
67. 38: 1,896————————–67. 920: 2,209
68. 2710: 1,858———————-68. 2730: 2,183
69. 22: 1,851————————-69. 5820: 2,127
70. 21: 1,808————————-70. 38: 2,105
71. 5610: 1,784———————-71. 15: 2,092
72. 16: 1,682————————-72. 5420: 2,082
73. 14: 1,543————————-73. 36: 2,039
74. 23: 1,453————————-74. 2710: 1,908
75. 36: 1,442————————-75. 4302: 1,740
76. 42: 1,370————————-76. 5001: 1,647
77. 5410: 1,362———————-77. 5610: 1,646 ———————————————78. 14: 1,531
——————————————79. 23: 1,503
——————————————80. 5410: 1,418
——————————————81. 4001: 1,253
——————————————82. 42: 1,107
The color coding is Green: Growing since 2010, Red: Declining since 2010, and Pink: New Tracts that did not exist in 2010. New tracts: 13 became 1301 and 1302, 40 became 4001 and 4002, 43 became 4301 and 4302, 50 became 5001 and 5002.
Top 10 Fastest-Growing 1950 Boundary Census Tracts by Total 2010-2020
1. 1121: +4,831
The tract is the main OSU Campus. The explosive growth is mostly due to the recent requirement that sophomores also have to now live on Campus, prompting thousands of students to move to the tract from nearby neighborhoods.
2. 4002: +2,592
This new tract was split off of Tract 40 and includes the southwest area of Downtown, including RiverSouth.
3. 22: +2,428
This tract is the heart of Italian Village and includes the large, new Jeffrey Park development.
4. 1901: +2,028
Includes the 5th Avenue corridor to just east of 5thxNW.
5. 32: +1,353
This tract covers the southern part of Victorian Village/Harrison West, as well as the far western sections of the Arena District where the new White Castle HQ complex is.
6. 17: +1,290
Western Weinland Park, which has seen rapid revitalization in recent years.
7. 30: +1,084
This area includes all of the norther half of Downtown north of Broad Street and west to Neil Avenue in the Arena District.
8. 16: +717
Eastern Weinland Park, which has seen hundreds of new housing units constructed along and near Grant Avenue.
9. 1902: +653
Includes the 5th Avenue corridor through 5thxNW.
10. 21: +648
The heart of the High Street strip in the Short North continued to add people. It reached its highest population in 60 years.
Top 10 Tracts with the Highest Population Densities in 2020
1. 1121: 34,888.8
2. 1810: 28,351.1
3. 1302: 24,740.7
4. 1301: 20,549.1
5. 17: 20,158.6
6. 12: 20,069.6
7. 1110: 18,353.2
8. 10: 16,260.2
9. 16: 12,675.6
10. 21: 12,196.7
All of these tracts are either in the Short North or surrounding Ohio State’s campus. They include the highest densities anywhere in Ohio.
So there you have it. The urban core of Columbus is clearly on a positive path. So long as infill development continues, population growth should also continue to increase. Perhaps someday, this increasing population and density may facilitate the construction of more amenities, including rail lines, BRT and more biking infrastructure, all of which lags in the area.
To see Census Tract data in map form, the Census Tract Maps page provides it.
Continuing with the data from the 2020 Census, we break down the population rank for every community and census-designated place in the Columbus metro area. Census-designated places are areas with concentrations of population, but are not part of incorporated villages, towns or cities.
Columbus Metro Area Places Population Rank by Year
2010—————————————————–2020
1. Columbus: 787,033———————–1. Columbus: 905,748
2. Newark: 47,573—————————-2. Newark: 49,934
3. Dublin: 41,751——————————3. Dublin: 49,328
4. Lancaster: 38,780————————-4. Delaware: 41,302
5. Westerville: 36,120————————5. Grove City: 41,252
6. Reynoldsburg: 35,893——————–6. Reynoldsburg: 41,076
7. Grove City: 35,575————————-7. Lancaster: 40,552
8. Delaware: 34,753————————–8. Westerville: 39,190
9. Upper Arlington: 33,771——————9. Hilliard: 37,114
10. Gahanna: 33,248———————–10. Upper Arlington: 36,800
11. Hilliard: 28,435—————————11. Gahanna: 35,726
12. Marysville: 22,094———————-12. Marysville: 25,571
13. Pickerington: 18,291——————-13. Pickerington: 23,094
14. Whitehall: 18,062———————–14. Whitehall: 20,127
15. Pataskala: 14,962———————-15. Pataskala: 17,886
16. Worthington: 13,575——————-16. Worthington: 14,786
17. Circleville: 13,314———————-17. Powell: 14,163
18. Bexley: 13,057————————–18. Bexley: 13,928
19. Powell: 11,500—————————19. Circleville: 13,927
20. Heath: 10,310—————————20. New Albany: 10,825
21. London: 9,904—————————21. Heath: 10,412
22. Lincoln Village CDP: 9,032———–22. London: 10,279
23. Blacklick Estates CDP: 8,682——–23. Lincoln Village CDP: 9,702
24. New Albany: 7,724———————-24. Canal Winchester: 9,107
25. Logan: 7,152—————————–25. Blacklick Estates CDP: 8,990
26. Canal Winchester: 7,101————–26. Grandview Heights: 8,085
27. Grandview Heights: 6,536————-27. Logan: 7,296
28. Granville: 5,646————————–28. Sunbury: 6,614
29. Groveport: 5,363————————-29. Groveport: 6,009
30. New Lexington: 4,731——————30. Granville: 5,946
31. Johnstown: 4,632————————31. Obetz: 5,489
32. Huber Ridge CDP: 4,604————–32. Johnstown: 5,182
33. Lake Darby CDP: 4,592—————-33. Huber Ridge CDP: 4,940
34. Obetz: 4,532——————————-34. Lake Darby CDP: 4,731
35. Sunbury: 4,389—————————-35. Ashville: 4,529
36. Plain City: 4,225————————–36. New Lexington: 4,435
37. West Jefferson: 4,222——————-37. West Jefferson: 4,137
38. Ashville: 4,097—————————–38. Plain City: 4,065
39. Mount Gilead: 3,660———————-39. Mount Gilead: 3,503
40. Beechwood Trails CDP: 3,020———40. Beechwood Trails CDP: 3,276
41. Baltimore: 2,966—————————41. Commercial Point: 3,078
42. Buckeye Lake: 2,746———————42. Baltimore: 2,981
43. Crooksville: 2,534————————-43. Buckeye Lake: 2,520
44. Hebron: 2,336——————————44. Crooksville: 2,418
45. Richwood: 2,229—————————45. Hebron: 2,326
46. Utica: 2,132———————————46. New California CDP: 2,225
47. Cardington: 2,047————————-47. Richwood: 2,222
48. Roseville: 1,852—————————48. South Bloomfield: 2,143
49. Mount Sterling: 1,782——————–49. Lithopolis: 2,134
50. South Bloomfield: 1,744—————–50. Cardington: 2,079
51. Commercial Point: 1,582—————-51. Utica: 2,064
52. Choctaw Lake CDP: 1,546————–52. Choctaw Lake CDP: 2,047
53. Harbor Hills CDP: 1,509—————–53. Minerva Park: 2,009
54. Somerset: 1,481—————————54. Mount Sterling: 1,945
55. Bremen: 1,425—————————–55. Roseville: 1,746
56. New California CDP: 1,411————-56. Harbor Hills CDP: 1,565
57. Granville South CDP: 1,410————57. Somerset: 1,481
58. Ashley: 1,330——————————-58. Bremen: 1,479
59. Fairfield Beach CDP: 1,292————59. Granville South CDP: 1,420
60. Minerva Park: 1,272———————-60. Candlewood Lake CDP: 1,329
61. Etna CDP: 1,215—————————61. Hanover: 1,270
62. Candlewood Lake CDP: 1,147———62. Fairfield Beach CDP: 1,267
63. Logan Elm Village CDP: 1,118———63. Etna CDP: 1,209
64. Lithopolis: 1,106—————————64. Ashley: 1,198
65. Millersport: 1,044————————–65. Ostrander: 1,094
66. Williamsport: 1,023———————–66. Thornville: 1,087
67. Thornville: 991—————————–67. Logan Elm Village CDP: 1,045
68. Pleasantville: 960————————-68. Urbancrest: 1,031
69. Urbancrest: 960—————————69. Millersport: 978
70. Hanover: 921——————————70. Hide-A-Way-Hills CDP: 976
71. Junction City: 819————————71. Williamsport: 970
72. New Holland: 801————————72. Pleasantville: 934
73. Hide-A-Way Hills CDP: 794———–73. Galena: 924
74. Darbydale CDP: 793——————–74. Shawnee Hills: 835
75. Milford Center: 792———————-75. Milford Center: 807
76. Marne CDP: 783————————-76. New Holland: 804
77. Amanda: 737——————————77. Marne CDP: 772
78. New Straitsville: 722——————–78. Darbydale CDP: 768
79. Shawnee Hills: 681———————-79. Junction City: 721
80. Shawnee: 655—————————-80. Amanda: 673
81. Galena: 653——————————-81. Valleyview: 669
82. Ostrander: 643—————————82. New Straitsville: 652
83. Valleyview: 620————————–83. Marble Cliff: 634
84. Thurston: 604—————————-84. Thurston: 603
85. Corning: 583—————————–85. Riverlea: 599
86. Marble Cliff: 573————————-86. Stoutsville: 579
87. Stoutsville: 560—————————87. Buchtel: 518
88. Buchtel: 558——————————-88. Laurelville: 512
89. Riverlea: 545——————————89. Shawnee: 505
90. Laurelville: 527—————————-90. Carroll: 501
91. Kirkersville: 525—————————91. Corning: 488
92. Carroll: 524——————————–92. Alexandria: 483
93. Alexandria: 517—————————93. Kirkersville: 471
94. Murray City: 449————————–94. Sugar Grove: 429
95. Edison: 437——————————–95. Edison: 422
96. Sugar Grove: 426————————96. Hartford: 404
97. Derby CDP: 408————————–97. Derby CDP: 355
98. Hartford: 397——————————98. St. Louisville: 352
99. Haydenville CDP: 381——————99. Murray City: 341
100. St. Louisville: 373———————100. Haydenville CDP: 337
101. South Solon: 355—————————-101. South Solon: 329
102. Marengo: 342——————————–102. Harrisburg: 315
103. Midway: 322———————————-103. Rushville: 304
104. Harrisburg: 320——————————104. Marengo: 283
105. Plumwood CDP: 319———————–105. Raymond CDP: 280
106. Rushville: 302——————————–106. Midway: 269
107. Tarlton: 282———————————–107. Magnetic Springs: 267
108. Orient CDP: 270—————————–108. Plumwood CDP: 257
109. Magnetic Springs: 268———————109. Tarlton: 254
110. Fulton: 258————————————110. Fulton: 250
111. Raymond CDP: 257————————111. Orient CDP: 246
112. Lockbourne: 237—————————-112. Unionville Center: 241
113. Carbon Hill CDP: 233———————113. Lockbourne: 236
114. Unionville Center: 233——————–114. Gratiot: 215
115. Chesterville: 228—————————-115. Brownsville CDP: 214
116. Darbyville: 222——————————116. Lafayette CDP: 206
117. Gratiot: 221———————————-117. Chesterville: 191
118. Brownsville CDP: 220———————118. Darbyville: 186
119. Lafayette CDP: 202————————119. Radnor CDP: 180
120. Radnor CDP: 201————————–120. Carbon Hill CDP: 178
121. Rockbridge CDP: 182———————121. West Rushville: 166
122. Glenford: 173——————————–122. Glenford: 165
123. Sparta: 161———————————–123. Rockbridge CDP: 160
124. Hemlock: 155——————————–124. Hemlock: 142
125. Kilbourne CDP: 139————————125. Kilbourne CDP: 127
126. West Rushville: 134————————126. Sparta: 121
127. Brice: 115————————————-127. Brice: 93
128. Rendville: 36———————————128. Rendville: 28
Population Change Rank 2010-2020 for Columbus Metro Places
1. Columbus: +118,715
2. Hilliard: +8,679
3. Dublin: +7,577
4. Delaware: +6,549
5. Grove City: +5,677
6. Reynoldsburg: 5,183
7. Pickerington: +4,803
8. Marysville: +3,477
9. New Albany: +3,101
10. Westerville: +3,070
11. Upper Arlington: +3,029
12. Pataskala: +2,924
13. Powell: +2,663
14. Gahanna: +2,478
15. Newark: +2,361
16. Sunbury: +2,225
17. Whitehall: +2,065
18. Canal Winchester: +2,006
19. Lancaster: +1,772
20. Grandview Heights: +1,549
21. Commercial Point: +1,496
22. Worthington: +1,211
23. Lithopolis: +1,028
24. Obetz: +957
25. Bexley: +871
26. New California CDP: +814
27. Minerva Park: +737
28. Lincoln Village CDP: +670
29. Groveport: +646
30. Circleville: +613
31. Johnstown: +550
32. Choctaw Lake CDP: +501
33. Ostrander: +451
34. Ashville: +432
35. South Bloomfield: +399
36. London: +375
37. Hanover: +349
38. Huber Ridge CDP: +336
39. Blacklick Estates CDP: +308
40. Granville: +300
41. Galena: +271
42. Beechwood Trails CDP: +256
43. Candlewood Lake CDP: +182
44. Hide-A-Way Hills CDP: +182
45. Mount Sterling: +163
46. Shawnee Hills: +154
47. Logan: +144
48. Lake Darby CDP: +139
49. Heath: +102
50. Thornville: +96
51. Urbancrest: +71
52. Marble Cliff: +61
53. Harbor Hills CDP: +56
54. Bremen: +54
55. Riverlea: +54
56. Valleyview: +49
57. Cardington: +32
58. West Rushville: +32
59. Raymond CDP: +23
60. Stoutsville: +19
61. Baltimore: +15
62. Milford Center: +15
63. Granville South CDP: +10
64. Unionville Center: +8
65. Hartford: +7
66. Lafayette CDP: +4
67. New Holland: +3
68. Sugar Grove: +3
69. Rushville: +2
70. Somerset: +0
71. Lockbourne: -1
72. Magnetic Springs: -1
73. Thurston: -1
74. Harrisburg: -5
75. Brownsville CDP: -6
76. Etna CDP: -6
77. Gratiot: -6
78. Richwood: -7
79. Fulton: -8
80. Glenford: -8
81. Rendville: -8
82. Hebron: -10
83. Marne CDP: -11
84. Kilbourne CDP: -12
85. Hemlock: -13
86. Edison: -15
87. Laurelville: -15
88. St. Louisville: -21
89. Radnor CDP: -21
90. Brice: -22
91. Rockbridge CDP: -22
92. Carroll: -23
93. Orient CDP: -24
94. Darbydale CDP: -25
95. Fairfield Beach CDP: -25
96. Pleasantville: -26
97. South Solon: -26
98. Tarlton: -28
99. Alexandria: -34
100. Darbydale CDP: -36
101. Chesterville: -37
102. Buchtel: -40
103. Sparta: -40
104. Haydenville CDP: -44
105. Derby CDP: -53
106. Midway: -53
107. Williamsport: -53
108. Kirkersville: -54
109. Carbon Hill CDP: -55
110. Marengo: -59
111. Plumwood CDP: -62
112. Amanda: -64
113. Millersport: -66
114. Utica: -68
115. New Straitsville: -70
116. Logan Elm Village CDP: -73
117. West Jefferson: -85
118. Corning: -95
119. Junction City: -98
120. Roseville: -106
121. Murray City: -108
122. Crooksville: -116
123. Ashley: -132
124. Shawnee: -150
125. Mount Gilead: -157
126. Plain City: -160
127. Buckeye Lake: -226
128. New Lexington: -296
The main story with the 2020 census numbers is that smaller communities in rural counties generally declined the past decade. This followed a similar story with non-metro counties, not only in Ohio, but nationally. Population continues to concentrate closer to more urban areas, which tend to be the job centers. If such population declines continue in the decades ahead, many of these small towns and villages may die out.
These trends also have potential impacts on the upcoming state redistricting. With conservative, rural areas emptying out and more liberal cities and urban areas growing, how will this affect how congressional districts get drawn?
For more historic population and demographic data, visit the following links:
Columbus City Population and Demographics
Suburban Population and Demographics
Columbus vs. Other Places
US Census
Continuing with the latest data dump, we’ll look at 2020 populations of Ohio counties.
Top 30 Largest Counties by Population by Year
Census 2010——————————–Census 2020
1. Cuyahoga: 1,280,122—————–1. Franklin: 1,323,807
2. Franklin: 1,163,414——————–2. Cuyahoga: 1,264,817
3. Hamilton: 802,374———————3. Hamilton: 830,639
4. Summit: 541,781———————–4. Summit: 540,428
5. Montgomery: 535,153—————–5. Montgomery: 537,309
6. Lucas: 441,815————————-6. Lucas: 431,279
7. Stark: 375,586————————–7. Butler: 390,357
8. Butler: 368,130————————-8. Stark: 374,853
9. Lorain: 301,356————————-9. Lorain: 312,964
10. Mahoning: 238,823—————–10. Warren: 242,337
11. Lake: 230,041————————11. Lake: 232,603
12. Warren: 212,693———————12. Mahoning: 228,614
13. Trumbull: 210,312——————-13. Delaware: 214,124
14. Clermont: 197,363——————-14. Clermont: 208,601
15. Delaware: 174,214——————-15. Trumbull: 201,977
16. Medina: 172,332———————-16. Medina: 182,470
17. Licking: 166,492———————–17. Licking: 178,519
18. Greene: 161,573———————-18. Greene: 167,966
19. Portage: 161,419———————-19. Portage: 161,791
20. Fairfield: 146,156———————-20. Fairfield: 158,921
21. Clark: 138,333————————–21. Clark: 136,001
22. Wood: 125,488————————-22. Wood: 132,248
23. Richland: 124,475———————23. Richland: 124,936
24. Wayne: 114,520————————24. Wayne: 116,894
25. Columbiana: 107,841—————–25. Miami: 108,774
26. Allen: 106,331————————–26. Allen: 102,206
27. Miami: 102,506————————-27. Columbiana: 101,877
28. Ashtabula: 101,497——————-28. Ashtabula: 97,574
29. Geauga: 93,389———————–29. Geauga: 95,397
30. Tuscarawas: 92,582——————30. Tuscarawas: 93,263
Franklin County moved into the top spot to be the state’s most populated county.
Top 20 Fastest-Growing Counties by Total Growth 2010-2020
1. Franklin: +160,393
2. Delaware: +39,910
3. Warren: +29,644
4. Hamilton: +28,265
5. Butler: +22,227
6. Fairfield: +12,765
7. Licking: +12,027
8. Lorain: +11,608
9. Clermont: +11,238
10. Union: +10,484
11. Medina: +10,138
12. Wood: +6,760
13. Greene: +6,393
14. Miami: +6,268
15. Pickaway: +2,841
16. Lake: +2,562
17. Wayne: +2,374
18. Montgomery: +2,156
19. Geauga: +2,008
20. Holmes: +1,857
Franklin blew away the competition, adding more than 4x as many people as 2nd place Delaware County. Delaware County may be called the state’s fastest-growing by percent, but it’s clear what the dominant destination is in Ohio.
Top 20 Shrinking Counties by Total Decline 2010-2020
1. Cuyahoga: -15,305
2. Lucas: -10,536
3. Mahoning: -10,209
4. Trumbull: -8,335
5. Columbiana: -5,964
6. Scioto: -5,491
7. Jefferson: -4,460
8. Lawrence: -4,210
9. Allen: -4,125
10. Ashtabula: -3,923
11. Belmont: -3,903
12. Athens: -2,326
13. Carroll: -2,115
14. Sandusky: -2,048
15. Washington: -2,007
16. Crawford: -1,759
17. Gallia: -1,714
18. Seneca: -1,676
19. Guernsey: -1,649
20. Pike: -1,621
Core counties in Northern Ohio, as well as pretty much all of Appalachia and rural counties saw large population losses. This pattern of urban/metro counties gaining while exurban and rural counties declined was repeated nationally. 52% of all US counties lost population, with the vast majority of them being exurban and rural. There was clearly a strong trend towards people moving to or near major cities.
All US counties can be found at 2020 Census Population and Housing Map, while Franklin County historic population and demographic data is located at the Franklin County page.