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Summit County, Ohio | |
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 Flag  Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofOhio | |
 Ohio's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:41°08′N81°32′W / 41.13°N 81.53°W /41.13; -81.53 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Ohio |
| Founded | March 3[1][2], 1840 |
| Named after | the highest elevation on theOhio and Erie Canal |
| Seat | Akron |
| Largest city | Akron |
| Government | |
| • County Executive | Ilene Shapiro (D) |
| Area | |
• Total | 419.38 sq mi (1,086.2 km2) |
| • Land | 412.08 sq mi (1,067.3 km2) |
| • Water | 7.3 sq mi (19 km2) 1.7% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 540,428 |
• Estimate (2022) | 535,882 |
| • Density | 1,311.5/sq mi (506.36/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 13th |
| Website | co |
Summit County is an urbancounty located in the northeast region of theU.S. state ofOhio. As of the2020 census, the population was 540,428,[3] making it the fourth-most populous county in Ohio. Itscounty seat and largest city isAkron.[4] The county was formed on March 3, 1840, from portions of Medina, Portage and Stark counties. It wasnamed Summit County because the highest elevation on theOhio and Erie Canal is in the county.[5] Summit County is part of theAkron, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in theCleveland-Akron-Canton, OH Combined Statistical Area.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 419.38 square miles (1,086 km2), of which 412.08 square miles (1,067 km2) is land and 7.3 square miles (19 km2) (1.7%) is water.[6] The largest portion ofCuyahoga Valley National Park is in the northern part of the county. The southern border of the formerConnecticut Western Reserve passes through the southern part of the county, leading to jogs in the east and west borders of the county.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 | 22,560 | — | |
| 1850 | 27,485 | 21.8% | |
| 1860 | 27,344 | −0.5% | |
| 1870 | 34,674 | 26.8% | |
| 1880 | 43,788 | 26.3% | |
| 1890 | 54,089 | 23.5% | |
| 1900 | 71,715 | 32.6% | |
| 1910 | 108,253 | 50.9% | |
| 1920 | 286,065 | 164.3% | |
| 1930 | 344,131 | 20.3% | |
| 1940 | 339,405 | −1.4% | |
| 1950 | 410,032 | 20.8% | |
| 1960 | 513,569 | 25.3% | |
| 1970 | 553,371 | 7.8% | |
| 1980 | 524,472 | −5.2% | |
| 1990 | 514,990 | −1.8% | |
| 2000 | 542,899 | 5.4% | |
| 2010 | 541,781 | −0.2% | |
| 2020 | 540,428 | −0.2% | |
| 2022 (est.) | 535,882 | [7] | −0.8% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10] 1990-2000[11] 2010-2020[3] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[12] | Pop 1990[13] | Pop 2000[14] | Pop 2010[15] | Pop 2020[16] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 461,122 | 444,821 | 450,620 | 431,624 | 397,536 | 87.92% | 86.37% | 83.00% | 79.67% | 73.56% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 56,418 | 60,846 | 71,218 | 77,373 | 78,922 | 10.76% | 11.81% | 13.12% | 14.28% | 14.60% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 602 | 1,021 | 997 | 901 | 777 | 0.11% | 0.20% | 0.18% | 0.17% | 0.14% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 2,341 | 4,906 | 7,604 | 11,841 | 22,506 | 0.45% | 0.95% | 1.40% | 2.19% | 4.16% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[17] | x[18] | 90 | 118 | 149 | x | x | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.03% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 1,257 | 379 | 610 | 755 | 2,096 | 0.24% | 0.07% | 0.11% | 0.14% | 0.39% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[19] | x[20] | 6,979 | 10,509 | 25,236 | x | x | 1.29% | 1.94% | 4.67% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2,732 | 3,017 | 4,781 | 8,660 | 13,206 | 0.52% | 0.59% | 0.88% | 1.60% | 2.44% |
| Total | 524,472 | 514,990 | 542,899 | 541,781 | 540,428 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of thecensus of 2010, there were 541,781 people, 222,781 households, and 141,110 families residing in the county.[21] The population density was 1,312.6 inhabitants per square mile (506.8/km2). There were 245,109 housing units at an average density of 593.8 per square mile (229.3/km2).[22] The racial makeup of the county was 80.6% white, 14.4% black or African American, 2.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.6% of the population.[21] In terms of ancestry, 24.9% wereGerman, 15.3% wereIrish, 10.6% wereEnglish, 10.1% wereItalian, 5.1% werePolish, and 4.5% wereAmerican.[23]
Of the 222,781 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.7% were non-families, and 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age was 40.0 years.[21]
The median income for a household in the county was $47,926 and the median income for a family was $62,271. Males had a median income of $47,892 versus $35,140 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,676. About 10.0% of families and 13.8% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 19.8% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.[24]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 125,910 | 45.88% | 145,005 | 52.83% | 3,539 | 1.29% |
| 2020 | 124,833 | 44.38% | 151,668 | 53.92% | 4,779 | 1.70% |
| 2016 | 112,026 | 43.03% | 134,256 | 51.57% | 14,064 | 5.40% |
| 2012 | 111,001 | 41.36% | 153,041 | 57.03% | 4,316 | 1.61% |
| 2008 | 113,284 | 40.66% | 160,858 | 57.73% | 4,487 | 1.61% |
| 2004 | 118,558 | 42.91% | 156,587 | 56.67% | 1,175 | 0.43% |
| 2000 | 96,721 | 43.02% | 119,759 | 53.26% | 8,359 | 3.72% |
| 1996 | 73,555 | 34.18% | 112,050 | 52.07% | 29,590 | 13.75% |
| 1992 | 77,530 | 32.10% | 107,881 | 44.67% | 56,081 | 23.22% |
| 1988 | 101,155 | 46.92% | 112,612 | 52.23% | 1,822 | 0.85% |
| 1984 | 115,637 | 50.99% | 109,569 | 48.32% | 1,574 | 0.69% |
| 1980 | 92,299 | 43.35% | 102,459 | 48.12% | 18,161 | 8.53% |
| 1976 | 80,415 | 38.41% | 123,711 | 59.09% | 5,224 | 2.50% |
| 1972 | 112,419 | 49.92% | 108,534 | 48.19% | 4,263 | 1.89% |
| 1968 | 82,649 | 39.56% | 100,068 | 47.89% | 26,224 | 12.55% |
| 1964 | 68,000 | 32.33% | 142,319 | 67.67% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 109,066 | 49.59% | 110,852 | 50.41% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 102,872 | 52.42% | 93,378 | 47.58% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 91,168 | 48.34% | 97,443 | 51.66% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 60,174 | 42.69% | 78,096 | 55.41% | 2,680 | 1.90% |
| 1944 | 64,696 | 41.61% | 90,783 | 58.39% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 63,405 | 41.45% | 89,555 | 58.55% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 38,991 | 29.16% | 91,836 | 68.69% | 2,869 | 2.15% |
| 1932 | 47,691 | 45.03% | 53,965 | 50.95% | 4,255 | 4.02% |
| 1928 | 78,504 | 70.86% | 31,506 | 28.44% | 775 | 0.70% |
| 1924 | 53,774 | 65.28% | 17,533 | 21.29% | 11,064 | 13.43% |
| 1920 | 43,721 | 59.60% | 27,857 | 37.97% | 1,785 | 2.43% |
| 1916 | 11,593 | 35.63% | 19,343 | 59.45% | 1,603 | 4.93% |
| 1912 | 3,502 | 15.10% | 7,786 | 33.57% | 11,904 | 51.33% |
| 1908 | 10,365 | 47.31% | 9,930 | 45.32% | 1,614 | 7.37% |
| 1904 | 12,451 | 66.04% | 4,618 | 24.49% | 1,786 | 9.47% |
| 1900 | 10,072 | 53.08% | 8,413 | 44.33% | 491 | 2.59% |
| 1896 | 8,584 | 51.25% | 8,020 | 47.88% | 146 | 0.87% |
| 1892 | 6,322 | 46.45% | 6,499 | 47.75% | 790 | 5.80% |
| 1888 | 6,455 | 51.43% | 5,495 | 43.78% | 602 | 4.80% |
| 1884 | 6,588 | 55.97% | 4,586 | 38.96% | 597 | 5.07% |
| 1880 | 5,890 | 57.73% | 4,071 | 39.90% | 241 | 2.36% |
| 1876 | 5,055 | 56.59% | 3,804 | 42.59% | 73 | 0.82% |
| 1872 | 4,534 | 62.01% | 2,738 | 37.45% | 40 | 0.55% |
| 1868 | 4,634 | 65.47% | 2,444 | 34.53% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1864 | 4,204 | 69.88% | 1,812 | 30.12% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1860 | 3,607 | 65.52% | 1,785 | 32.43% | 113 | 2.05% |
| 1856 | 3,185 | 63.64% | 1,746 | 34.89% | 74 | 1.48% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 111,573 | 41.13% | 150,517 | 55.49% | 9,174 | 3.38% |
Summit County, along withCuyahoga County, is one of two of Ohio's 88 counties that have acharter government, as authorized by Article X of theOhio Constitution. Under its charter, rather than three elected commissioners, Summit County has an elected county executive and an eleven-member county council. Eight members of the council are elected from individual districts; the other three are elected at large. Summit County also has an appointed medical examiner rather than an elected coroner, and an elected fiscal officer, who exercises the powers and performs the duties of a county auditor, treasurer and recorder. The remaining officials are similar to the officials in other counties. They include the following:
Summit County currently has 14 Common Pleas judges. They are:
Summit County has an 11-member council. Three members are elected at-large in midterm cycles, while eight members are elected from districts coinciding with the presidential election. The current members of Summit County Council are:
* Indicates Council President[35]
Like much of Northeast Ohio, Summit is heavily Democratic. It has voted Republican only three times since 1932, all in national Republican landslides–Dwight D. Eisenhower's 1956 victory, and the 49-state sweeps byRichard Nixon andRonald Reagan in 1972 and 1984, respectively.
Overall, the county long-term has trended red since 1988, due to both Ohio's increasingly Republican political environment and a pronounced trend occurring across Donald Trump's three Republican candidacies starting with a sudden 7.13% swing to the right in 2016. In contrast, the leftward swing and John Kerry's substantial margin in the Democratic stronghold even amidst a national loss contributed to Ohio being the tipping-point state in 2004. Even in losing years, Democrats could count on Summit's reliably large margins contributing to closer overall statewide results and Ohio's swing state status. From 1992 to 2012, Democratic strength was such that only twice did Summit County swing to the right, with Barack Obama's margins of victory in the county even averaging 1.14% greater than Bill Clinton's, showing an overall Democratic trend over the years initially. Trump's campaigns dramatically reduced the average Democratic margin to 8.43%, only briefly interrupted by a 1% swing to the left amid Joe Biden's 2020 victory sandwiched in the rightward trend.
Places adjacent to Summit County, Ohio | |
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Municipalities and communities ofSummit County, Ohio,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Villages | ||
| Townships | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
