Knox County, Ohio

Knox County
Knox County
County
	The Knox County Courthouse in 2013
	Flag Seal
	Location within the U.S. state of Ohio
	Ohio's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 40°23′N 82°28′W / 40.38°N 82.47°W
Country	United States
State	Ohio
Founded	March 1, 1808
Named for	Henry Knox
Seat	Mount Vernon
Largest city	Mount Vernon
Area
• Total	530 sq mi (1,400 km2)
• Land	525 sq mi (1,360 km2)
• Water	4.1 sq mi (11 km2) 0.8%
Population (2020)
• Total	62,721
• Density	120/sq mi (46/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	12th
Website	www.co.knox.oh.us

Knox County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 62,721.^[2] Its county seat is Mount Vernon.^[3] The county is named for Henry Knox, an officer in the American Revolutionary War who was later the first Secretary of War.^[4] Knox County comprises the Mount Vernon, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH Combined Statistical Area.

History

Knox County was formed from Fairfield County^[5] in 1808.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 530 square miles (1,400 km²), of which 525 square miles (1,360 km²) is land and 4.1 square miles (11 km²) (0.8%) is water.^[6] Approximately 58% of the county is farmland and 28% is forested.^[7] Most of the county lies in the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau with rolling hills and valleys. Although the relief is not sharp, some elevations in the county reach over 1400 feet above sea level.

Adjacent counties

Richland County (north)
Ashland County (far northeast)
Holmes County (northeast)
Coshocton County (east)
Licking County (south)
Delaware County (southwest)
Morrow County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1810	2,149	—
1820	8,326	287.4%
1830	17,085	105.2%
1840	29,579	73.1%
1850	28,872	−2.4%
1860	27,735	−3.9%
1870	26,333	−5.1%
1880	27,431	4.2%
1890	27,600	0.6%
1900	27,768	0.6%
1910	30,181	8.7%
1920	29,580	−2.0%
1930	29,338	−0.8%
1940	31,024	5.7%
1950	35,287	13.7%
1960	38,808	10.0%
1970	41,795	7.7%
1980	46,304	10.8%
1990	47,473	2.5%
2000	54,500	14.8%
2010	60,921	11.8%
2020	62,721	3.0%
U.S. Decennial Census^[8] 1790–1960^[9] 1900–1990^[10] 1990–2000^[11] 2020 ^[2]

2000 census

As of the census^[12] of 2010,^[13] there were 60,921 people, 22,607 households, and 15,693 families living in the county. There were 24,997 housing units. The racial makeup of the county was 96.7% White, 0.8% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. 1.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 22,607 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 27.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.0% under the age of 20, 7.9% from 20 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.3 years. For every 100 females there were 99.4 males.^[14]

The median income for a household in the county was $48,734, and the median income for a family was $50,034. The per capita income for the county was $22,628. About 9.4% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.2% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

In Knox county, the 2000 census reported that the number of same-sex couples was 91 and the percent of same-sex couples out of all households was 0.46%.^[15]

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 60,921 people, 22,607 households, and 15,693 families living in the county.^[16] The population density was 115.9 inhabitants per square mile (44.7/km²). There were 25,118 housing units at an average density of 47.8 per square mile (18.5/km²).^[17] The racial makeup of the county was 96.7% white, 0.8% black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population.^[16] In terms of ancestry, 30.5% were German, 14.4% were Irish, 13.9% were English, and 9.2% were American.^[18]

Of the 22,607 households, 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.6% were non-families, and 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age was 38.3 years.^[16]

The median income for a household in the county was $45,655 and the median income for a family was $55,881. Males had a median income of $41,762 versus $30,836 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,204. About 9.1% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.8% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.^[19]

Politics

Knox County is a Republican stronghold county in presidential elections. The last time it supported Democrats was for Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

United States presidential election results for Knox County, Ohio^[20]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	22,340	71.01%	8,589	27.30%	530	1.68%
2016	19,131	66.14%	8,171	28.25%	1,625	5.62%
2012	17,266	60.66%	10,470	36.78%	727	2.55%
2008	16,640	58.83%	11,014	38.94%	631	2.23%
2004	17,068	63.11%	9,820	36.31%	157	0.58%
2000	13,393	63.00%	7,133	33.55%	734	3.45%
1996	10,159	50.62%	7,562	37.68%	2,347	11.70%
1992	9,044	41.59%	7,259	33.38%	5,442	25.03%
1988	12,180	63.44%	6,882	35.84%	138	0.72%
1984	14,062	70.66%	5,730	28.79%	109	0.55%
1980	10,384	57.07%	6,586	36.20%	1,225	6.73%
1976	9,290	54.39%	7,361	43.09%	430	2.52%
1972	10,705	63.95%	5,370	32.08%	664	3.97%
1968	9,072	55.01%	5,725	34.71%	1,695	10.28%
1964	7,258	39.27%	11,222	60.73%	0	0.00%
1960	12,711	65.94%	6,565	34.06%	0	0.00%
1956	12,347	71.35%	4,958	28.65%	0	0.00%
1952	12,705	69.05%	5,694	30.95%	0	0.00%
1948	8,607	58.33%	6,120	41.48%	28	0.19%
1944	9,963	64.13%	5,573	35.87%	0	0.00%
1940	10,303	59.27%	7,081	40.73%	0	0.00%
1936	7,956	47.81%	8,315	49.97%	370	2.22%
1932	8,272	53.42%	7,008	45.25%	206	1.33%
1928	10,028	73.07%	3,601	26.24%	95	0.69%
1924	7,519	57.43%	4,721	36.06%	853	6.51%
1920	8,178	55.98%	6,361	43.54%	71	0.49%
1916	3,646	43.49%	4,578	54.61%	159	1.90%
1912	2,530	32.05%	3,632	46.01%	1,732	21.94%
1908	4,318	49.09%	4,233	48.12%	245	2.79%
1904	4,235	56.17%	3,036	40.27%	269	3.57%
1900	4,011	50.56%	3,797	47.86%	125	1.58%
1896	3,762	47.72%	4,062	51.52%	60	0.76%
1892	3,347	45.98%	3,489	47.93%	444	6.10%
1888	3,588	48.68%	3,528	47.86%	255	3.46%
1884	3,573	49.03%	3,530	48.44%	185	2.54%
1880	3,432	48.82%	3,475	49.43%	123	1.75%
1876	3,151	48.15%	3,301	50.44%	92	1.41%
1872	2,773	49.44%	2,730	48.67%	106	1.89%
1868	2,908	51.25%	2,766	48.75%	0	0.00%
1864	2,899	53.25%	2,545	46.75%	0	0.00%
1860	2,860	51.48%	2,060	37.08%	636	11.45%
1856	2,735	51.64%	2,437	46.02%	124	2.34%

Government

People, who represent the county in various elected positions, at different levels of the government include:

County Commissioners

Theresa Bemiller, Republican
Bill Pursel, Republican
Thom Collier, Republican

Economy

A large portion of Knox County's economy is based on agriculture, with gross cash receipts for crops and livestock at $110 million for 2011. Corn is the primary crop, followed by soybeans and livestock.^[7] Mount Vernon, the county seat, is home to major employers in the county, Siemens Energy Inc. (formerly Rolls-Royce Energy Systems, Inc. and Cooper Industries before that) and Ariel Corporation, both of which are manufacturers of components used in the natural gas industry. Major employers in the county also include Kenyon College located in Gambier, Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Mount Vernon, and the Kokosing Construction Company near Fredericktown.