Despite being the 17th-largest state at 44,826 square miles (mi²), the Midwestern state of Ohio is the 7th-most-populated, with an estimated population of 11,878,330 people as of 2023 (3.52% of the nation's total).
Ohio is one of only three states with four-letter names. Politically, Ohio is considered a perennial swing state with the most independent voters of any state other than California. It is also widely regarded as one of the most gerrymandered states.
Ohio was the first state admitted under the Northwest Ordinance, entering the Union in March 1803. It participated in its first presidential election in 1804. Ohio has been a significant battleground in recent elections due to the closeness of the vote and its wealth of electoral votes (currently 18). This was particularly true in 2004 when the state put George W. Bush over the top in a close 2 percent victory over John Kerry. 2016 saw Donald Trump defeat Hillary Clinton by over 8 points, the largest here since 1988. Trump won over Joe Biden by a nearly identical amount in 2020.
The Buckeye State has proved to be a perfect presidential bellwether, although the 13-election streak of siding with the winner was broken in 2020. Ohio has been growing more slowly than the rest of the country, and it has lost about one-third of its electoral vote clout since the 1960s.
Ohio's population and many major cities are spread throughout the state. Columbus, the capital, has the highest population, with 850,000 residents, followed by Cleveland (388,072), Cincinnati (298,550), Toledo (298,550), and Akron (197,542).
According to a 2022 study from the U.S. Census Bureau, this state's local governments consist of 88 counties, 2,234 cities, towns, and villages, and 952 special districts.
The median age across the Ohio population is approximately 39.3. Regarding the ratio of females to males, Ohio has 51.1% females and 48.9% males.
In terms of preferred religions, 73% of the state's population is affiliated with a Christian-based faith, 4% are affiliated with non-Christian-based faiths, and 22% are unaffiliated with any faith in particular.
Ohio Demographics
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Ohio was:
White: 79.65%
Black or African American: 12.34%
Two or more races: 4.27%
Asian: 2.35%
Other race: 1.2%
Native American: 0.16%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.03%
Muslims are under 200,000.
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