Lucas County, Ohio

Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

Lucas County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is bordered to the east by Lake Erie, and to the southeast by the Maumee River, which runs to the lake. As of the 2020 census, the population was 431,279.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat and largest city is Toledo, located at the mouth of the Maumee River on the lake.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county was named for Robert Lucas, 12th governor of Ohio, in 1835 during his second term.<ref name="osuedc">Template:Cite web Template:Dead link Template:Cbignore</ref> Its establishment provoked the Toledo War conflict with the Michigan Territory, which claimed some of its area. Lucas County is the central county of the Toledo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Exterior view of Lucas County Courthouse with man walking and pile of snow.

Lucas County Courthouse, 1910s

On August 20, 1794, near the site of the present-day town of Maumee, American forces led by General Anthony Wayne won a decisive victory over allied Indian forces at the Battle of Fallen Timbers after years of conflict in what was known as the Northwest Indian War. The defeat of the Native forces resulted in the opening of the entire Northwest Territory for white settlement. Northwest Ohio was occupied chiefly by villages and bands of the Odawa people, who had trading relations with the French at Fort Detroit since 1701. Other Odawa were located in southeast Michigan and further north on the peninsula. They ceded much of that territory in the Treaty of Greenville but retained control of lands along the Maumee River until after the War of 1812. The last Odawa band, that of Ottokee, grandson of Chief Pontiac, left the Maumee River area for Kansas in 1839.<ref>Helen Hornbeck Tanner, ed., Atlas of Great Lakes Indian History (University of Oklahoma Press: Norman, 1986) pp. 3, 58–59</ref><ref>Larry Angelo (2nd chief of the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma), The Migration of the Ottawas from 1615 to Present, (1997), pp. 3-6</ref>

File:Disputed Toledo Strip.png

The disputed portion of Michigan Territory claimed by the state of Ohio known as the Toledo Strip.

Lucas County was established in 1835. At that time, both Ohio and Michigan Territory claimed sovereignty over a Template:Convert region along their border (see Toledo War). When Michigan petitioned Congress for statehood in 1835, it sought to include the disputed territory within its bounds. In response, the Ohio General Assembly formally organized part of the area as Lucas County, naming it after the incumbent governor of Ohio, Robert Lucas. Template:Clear left

Geography

File:Paraspirifer bownockeri.fond.jpg

Devonian shell of Sylvania

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (43%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> It is the fourth-smallest county in Ohio by land area. Much of the county lies within what was at the time of its establishment, a vast network of forests, wetlands, and grasslands known as the Great Black Swamp.

Rivers

Adjacent counties

Monroe County, Michigan (north)
Essex County, Ontario (northeast)
Ottawa County (southeast)
Wood County (south)
Henry County (southwest)
Fulton County (west)
Lenawee County, Michigan (northwest)

National protected areas

Major highways

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Demographics

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2020 census

**Lucas County, Ohio – Racial and ethnic composition**
Template:Nobold
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	% 2000	% 2010	Template:Partial
White alone (NH)	343,146	313,596	284,663	75.41%	70.98%	66.00%
Black or African American alone (NH)	76,495	82,541	83,398	16.81%	18.68%	19.34%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	942	955	817	0.21%	0.22%	0.19%
Asian alone (NH)	5,470	6,676	7,089	1.20%	1.51%	1.64%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)	76	91	115	0.02%	0.02%	0.03%
Other race alone (NH)	699	678	1,926	0.15%	0.15%	0.45%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	7,556	10,304	21,104	1.66%	2.33%	4.89%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	20,670	26,974	32,167	4.54%	6.11%	7.46%
Total	455,054	441,815	431,279	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 441,815 people, 180,267 households, and 111,016 families living in the county.<ref name="census-dp1">Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 202,630 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref name="census-density">Template:Cite web</ref> The racial makeup of the county was 74.0% white, 19.0% black or African American, 1.5% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 2.0% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.1% of the population.<ref name="census-dp1"/> In terms of ancestry, 29.8% were German, 13.2% were Irish, 9.7% were Polish, 8.0% were English, and 3.8% were American.<ref name="census-dp2">Template:Cite web</ref>

Of the 180,267 households, 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.4% were non-families, and 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age was 37.0 years.<ref name="census-dp1"/>

The median income for a household in the county was $42,072 and the median income for a family was $54,855. Males had a median income of $46,806 versus $33,394 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,981. About 14.0% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="census-dp3">Template:Cite web</ref>

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 455,054 people, 182,847 households, and 116,290 families living in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 196,259 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 77.50% White, 16.98% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.21% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.86% from other races, and 2.16% from two or more races. 4.54% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 182,847 households, out of which 31.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.70% were married couples living together, 14.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.40% were non-families. 30.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.30% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 29.10% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,004, and the median income for a family was $48,190. Males had a median income of $39,415 versus $26,447 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,518. About 10.70% of families and 13.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.70% of those under age 18 and 8.70% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Top Employers

According to the county's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,<ref name="CAFR">Template:Cite web</ref> the top ten employers in the county are:

#	Employer	# of employees
1	Promedica Health Services	11,517
2	University of Toledo	8,502
3	Fiat Chrysler - Toledo North Plant; Toledo South Plant	6,759
4	Mercy Health Partners	5,880
5	Toledo Public Schools	3,193
6	Lucas County	2,821
7	City of Toledo	2,748
8	Kroger	2,300
9	Walmart	1,954
10	General Motors - Powertrain	1,778

Politics

Like most populous urban counties, Lucas County is a Democratic stronghold. The only Republicans to win a majority or plurality in the county since 1932 have been Thomas E. Dewey in 1944, Dwight D. Eisenhower in both 1952 and 1956, and Ronald Reagan in 1980 (plurality) and 1984.<ref>Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016</ref> Although Ronald Reagan carried the county twice, no other Republican has won the county in the last 50 years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1972, for instance, it was one of only two counties in the entire state that supported George McGovern.

In the last five presidential elections, the Democratic candidate's margin of victory has ranged from 12.4% in 2024, the narrowest margin in the county since 1988, to 30.5% in the case of Barack Obama.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The entirety of Lucas County, including Toledo, lies in Ohio's 9th congressional district, and it is represented by Marcy Kaptur, who is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Government

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County officials

Office	Name	Party
Commissioner	Lisa Sobecki	Democratic
Commissioner	Peter L. Gerken	Democratic
Commissioner	Anita L. Lopez	Democratic
Prosecutor	Julia R. Bates	Democratic
Sheriff	Mike Navarre	Democratic
Clerk of Courts	J. Bernie Quilter	Democratic
Recorder	Michael Ashford	Democratic
Treasurer	Lindsay Webb	Democratic
Engineer	Mike Pniewski	Democratic
Coroner	Tom Blomquist	Democratic
Auditor	Katie Moline	Democratic