Williams County, Ohio
Williams County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,102,[1] and was estimated to be 36,549 in 2025.[2] The county seat and the largest city is Bryan.[3]
History
[edit | edit source]The county was created on April 1, 1820 and later organized on February 2, 1824.[4] It is named for David Williams, one of the captors of John André in the American Revolutionary War.[5]
Geography
[edit | edit source]According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 423.092 square miles (1,095.80 km2), of which 420.660 square miles (1,089.50 km2) is land and 2.432 square miles (6.30 km2) (0.57%) is water.[6] It is the 53rd largest county in Ohio by total area.[7]
Adjacent counties
[edit | edit source]- Hillsdale County, Michigan (north)
- Fulton County (east)
- Henry County (southeast)
- Defiance County (south)
- DeKalb County, Indiana (southwest)
- Steuben County, Indiana (northwest)
Demographics
[edit | edit source]As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Williams County was $150,917.[8]
As of the 2023 American Community Survey, 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. 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.[2]
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.
2024 estimate
[edit | edit source]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 39.52 per square mile (15.3/km2). 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.[9]
2020 census
[edit | edit source]As of the 2020 census, there were 37,102 people, 15,262 households, and 9,858 families residing in the county.[10][11] The population density was 88.2 inhabitants per square mile (34.1/km2).[10] There were 16,561 housing units at an average density of 39.37 per square mile (15.2/km2).[10]
The racial makeup of the county was 92.1% White, 0.9% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.8% from some other race, and 4.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.0% of the population.[11]
The median age was 42.3 years, with 22.2% of residents under the age of 18 and 20.0% aged 65 years or older. For every 100 females there were 100.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.5 males.[10]
There were 15,262 households in the county, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.7% were married-couple households, 19.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[10]
There were 16,561 housing units, of which 7.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.3% were owner-occupied and 25.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.3%.[10]
24.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 75.1% lived in rural areas.[12]
Racial and ethnic composition
[edit | edit source]| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[13] | Pop 1990[14] | Pop 2000[15] | Pop 2010[16] | Pop 2020[17] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 35,544 | 35,934 | 37,338 | 35,283 | 33,483 | 97.73% | 97.23% | 95.28% | 93.73% | 90.25% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 9 | 20 | 278 | 358 | 323 | 0.02% | 0.05% | 0.71% | 0.95% | 0.87% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 49 | 44 | 77 | 65 | 55 | 0.13% | 0.12% | 0.20% | 0.17% | 0.15% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 63 | 125 | 199 | 212 | 198 | 0.17% | 0.34% | 0.51% | 0.56% | 0.53% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | x [18] | x [19] | 3 | 7 | 0 | x | x | 0.01% | 0.02% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 30 | 7 | 12 | 14 | 92 | 0.08% | 0.02% | 0.03% | 0.04% | 0.25% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x [20] | x [21] | 232 | 313 | 1,089 | x | x | 0.59% | 0.83% | 2.94% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 674 | 826 | 1,049 | 1,390 | 1,862 | 1.85% | 2.24% | 2.68% | 3.69% | 5.02% |
| Total | 36,369 | 36,956 | 39,188 | 37,642 | 37,102 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2010 census
[edit | edit source]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 89.4 inhabitants per square mile (34.5/km2). There were 16,668 housing units at an average density of 39.59 per square mile (15.3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.95% White, 0.96% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 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 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 for the county was $21,381. About 9.1% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
[edit | edit source]Williams County is a Republican stronghold county in presidential elections. The last Democrat to win the county was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1856 | 1,327 | 55.34% | 1,022 | 42.62% | 49 | 2.04% |
| 1860 | 1,713 | 56.52% | 1,180 | 38.93% | 138 | 4.55% |
| 1864 | 2,154 | 60.27% | 1,420 | 39.73% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1868 | 2,280 | 55.69% | 1,814 | 44.31% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1872 | 2,213 | 59.84% | 1,419 | 38.37% | 66 | 1.78% |
| 1876 | 2,701 | 51.26% | 2,546 | 48.32% | 22 | 0.42% |
| 1880 | 2,881 | 50.92% | 2,596 | 45.88% | 181 | 3.20% |
| 1884 | 2,907 | 48.62% | 2,897 | 48.45% | 175 | 2.93% |
| 1888 | 3,071 | 48.99% | 2,977 | 47.50% | 220 | 3.51% |
| 1892 | 2,745 | 46.76% | 2,583 | 44.00% | 542 | 9.23% |
| 1896 | 3,191 | 47.16% | 3,530 | 52.17% | 45 | 0.67% |
| 1900 | 3,416 | 51.70% | 3,049 | 46.15% | 142 | 2.15% |
| 1904 | 3,827 | 57.91% | 2,565 | 38.82% | 216 | 3.27% |
| 1908 | 3,625 | 50.84% | 3,329 | 46.69% | 176 | 2.47% |
| 1912 | 1,145 | 17.85% | 2,875 | 44.81% | 2,396 | 37.34% |
| 1916 | 3,132 | 45.57% | 3,552 | 51.68% | 189 | 2.75% |
| 1920 | 7,000 | 61.75% | 4,183 | 36.90% | 153 | 1.35% |
| 1924 | 5,802 | 56.41% | 2,795 | 27.18% | 1,688 | 16.41% |
| 1928 | 8,138 | 71.81% | 3,136 | 27.67% | 58 | 0.51% |
| 1932 | 5,459 | 43.34% | 6,860 | 54.46% | 278 | 2.21% |
| 1936 | 7,050 | 53.00% | 5,628 | 42.31% | 624 | 4.69% |
| 1940 | 9,463 | 69.95% | 4,065 | 30.05% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 8,738 | 71.89% | 3,417 | 28.11% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 6,784 | 64.79% | 3,662 | 34.98% | 24 | 0.23% |
| 1952 | 9,888 | 74.65% | 3,358 | 25.35% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 9,784 | 75.21% | 3,225 | 24.79% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 10,319 | 71.84% | 4,044 | 28.16% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 5,653 | 42.83% | 7,547 | 57.17% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 8,059 | 59.76% | 4,456 | 33.04% | 970 | 7.19% |
| 1972 | 9,083 | 66.76% | 4,278 | 31.44% | 244 | 1.79% |
| 1976 | 7,596 | 59.52% | 4,920 | 38.55% | 246 | 1.93% |
| 1980 | 9,146 | 64.31% | 4,015 | 28.23% | 1,060 | 7.45% |
| 1984 | 10,804 | 74.11% | 3,624 | 24.86% | 150 | 1.03% |
| 1988 | 10,782 | 69.18% | 4,666 | 29.94% | 137 | 0.88% |
| 1992 | 7,614 | 43.60% | 4,862 | 27.84% | 4,988 | 28.56% |
| 1996 | 7,747 | 49.67% | 5,524 | 35.41% | 2,327 | 14.92% |
| 2000 | 9,941 | 62.45% | 5,454 | 34.26% | 524 | 3.29% |
| 2004 | 12,040 | 64.60% | 6,481 | 34.77% | 118 | 0.63% |
| 2008 | 9,879 | 53.70% | 8,174 | 44.43% | 343 | 1.86% |
| 2012 | 10,047 | 56.74% | 7,266 | 41.04% | 393 | 2.22% |
| 2016 | 11,939 | 68.98% | 4,358 | 25.18% | 1,011 | 5.84% |
| 2020 | 13,452 | 72.12% | 4,842 | 25.96% | 357 | 1.91% |
| 2024 | 13,461 | 73.50% | 4,644 | 25.36% | 209 | 1.14% |
| 2016 | 1 | 33.33% | 1 | 33.33% | 1 | 33.33% |
Government
[edit | edit source]Williams County has three county commissioners who oversee the various county departments. Current commissioners are: Brian Davis, Lewis Hilkert, and Terry Rummel.[23]
Communities
[edit | edit source]
City
[edit | edit source]- Bryan (county seat)
Villages
[edit | edit source]Townships
[edit | edit source]Census-designated places
[edit | edit source]Unincorporated communities
[edit | edit source]- Berlin
- Bridgewater Center
- Columbia
- Cooney
- Hamer
- Lock Port
- Melbern
- Mina
- West Jefferson
- Williams Center
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Williams County, Ohio". www.census.gov. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Ohio: Individual County Chronologies". publications.newberry.org. The Newberry Library. 2007. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Williams County data". Ohio State University Extension Data Center. Retrieved April 28, 2007.[dead link]
- ↑ "2024 County Gazetteer Files – Ohio". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ↑ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Williams County, Ohio". www.census.gov. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ↑ "County Median Home Price". National Association of Realtors. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ↑ "County Population by Characteristics: 2020-2023". www.census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ↑ "1980 Census of Population - General Social and Economic Characteristics - Ohio- Table 59 - Persons by Spanish Origin, Race, and Sex: 1980 AND Table 58 - Race by Sex: 1980" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. pp. 49–67 and 27–47.
- ↑ "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Ohio: Table 6 - Race and Hispanic Origin" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. pp. 21–95.
- ↑ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Williams County, Ohio". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Williams County, Ohio". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Williams County, Ohio". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
- ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
- ↑ not an option in the 1980 Census
- ↑ not an option in the 1990 Census
- ↑ "Williams County Election Results". Williams County Board of Elections. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ↑ "Williams County Commissioners". Williams County Ohio Homepage. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
External links
[edit | edit source]- Williams County – official website
- https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheWilliamsCountyOhioVirtualMuseum/ The Williams County, Ohio Virtual Museum on Facebook