Lorain County, Ohio Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Lorain County, OH Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below average
-
C
Income Below average
-
D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 77% of counties in Ohio
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Lorain County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 317,119 | 11,799,428 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 343.9 | 263.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.53% | 0.23% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.6 | 38.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 127,541 | 4,857,236 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Lorain County grew by 4.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 317,119 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Lorain County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.6% of residents. That is 1.4 points above Ohio as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 62,123 19.6% -1.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 63,980 20.2% -1.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 68,392 21.6% +1.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 59,164 18.7% +0.6 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Ohio, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.4% of the people living in Lorain County and men 49.6%.
- Women 50.4% Ohio 50.8%
- Men 49.6% Ohio 49.2%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Lorain County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Lorain County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Lorain County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $73,279 | $71,509 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.88% | 4.38% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.3% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Lorain County is about 2% higher than in Ohio.
Housing
| Metric | Lorain County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $157,826 | $139,044 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $965 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 74.0% | 67.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Lorain County is about 13.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $965 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Lorain County spend about 45 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 188 hours, about 7.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Lorain County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.6 | 21.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 45.2 | 42.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 188 | 176 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,837 | $5,447 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.7% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 9,430 | 8,648 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,603 | 1,212 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Ohio:
Hancock County (15.3 min), Van Wert County (15.5 min), Mercer County (16.0 min).
Slowest:
Morgan County (32.5 min), Vinton County (32.0 min), Brown County (32.0 min).
The average commute time in Lorain County is 23 minutes, longer than the 21 minutes in Ohio.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Lorain County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Lorain County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 25.4% | 28.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.42 | 2.37 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Ohio:
Delaware County (0.4), Warren County (0.4), Greene County (0.3).
Lowest:
Holmes County (0.1), Vinton County (0.2), Noble County (0.2).
Health
Lorain County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Lorain County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.1 | 77.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.6% | 17.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.4% | 24.3% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Ohio:
Delaware County (0.8), Union County (0.8), Warren County (0.8).
Lowest:
Adams County (0.8), Holmes County (0.8), Scioto County (0.8).
Lorain County, OH Compared With Nearby Counties
Lorain County, OH is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 317,119 residents against a local median of 74,571. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Lorain County, OH an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is commute, 11% above the local median at 22.6 min against 20.3 min. Lorain County, OH has the 5th lowest commute of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lorain County, OH | 317,119 | $73,279 #2/6 | $157,826 #3/6 | 22.6 min #5/6 |
| Medina County, OH | 183,656 | $94,530 | $205,434 | 25.0 min |
| Erie County, OH | 74,571 | $71,843 | $323,498 | 17.3 min |
| Cuyahoga County, OH | 1,244,625 | $64,955 | $151,206 | 21.7 min |
| Huron County, OH | 58,319 | $68,867 | $153,030 | 20.3 min |
| Ashland County, OH | 52,253 | $69,984 | $18,604 | 18.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Lorain County, Ohio.
What is the population of Lorain County, Ohio?
About 317,119 people live in Lorain County, Ohio, in 127,541 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 43.6, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
Is Lorain County, Ohio mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Lorain County, Ohio has 344 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 4.0 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Lorain County, Ohio?
The median home costs 2.2 times the median household income ($157,826 against $73,279), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $965 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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