Portage County, Ohio Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Portage 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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B
Health Around averageHealthier than 86% of counties in Ohio
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C
Income Below average
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C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 83% of counties in Ohio
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Portage County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 161,954 | 11,799,428 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 321.6 | 263.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.01% | 0.23% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.4 | 38.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 65,228 | 4,857,236 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Portage County grew by 3.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 161,954 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Portage County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 26.1% of residents. That is 5.3 points above Ohio as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 42,330 26.1% +5.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 29,982 18.5% -2.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 32,912 20.3% +0.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 29,696 18.3% +0.2 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 50.6% of the people living in Portage County and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% Ohio 50.8%
- Men 49.4% Ohio 49.2%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Portage County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Portage County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Portage County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $75,724 | $71,509 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.65% | 4.38% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.3% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Portage County is about 6% higher than in Ohio.
Housing
| Metric | Portage County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $251,635 | $139,044 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,064 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 70.1% | 67.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Portage County is about 19.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,064 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Portage County spend about 46 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 190 hours, about 7.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Portage County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.8 | 21.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 45.5 | 42.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 190 | 176 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,883 | $5,447 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 14.9% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,650 | 8,648 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,529 | 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 Portage 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
Portage County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Portage County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 27.6% | 28.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.37 | 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
Portage County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Portage County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.7 | 77.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 14.7% | 17.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.7% | 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).
Portage County, OH Compared With Nearby Counties
Portage County, OH is the 5th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 161,954 residents against a local median of 226,483. The measure that sets Portage County, OH apart most is median home price: $251,635, 111% above the local median of $119,164.
The counties themselves spread $396,346 on median home price, so Portage County, OH sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Portage County, OH has the 2nd highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portage County, OH | 161,954 | $75,724 #2/6 | $251,635 #2/6 | 22.8 min #5/6 |
| Geauga County, OH | 95,481 | $108,407 | $473,893 | 26.5 min |
| Summit County, OH | 537,091 | $71,501 | $119,164 | 20.8 min |
| Stark County, OH | 373,683 | $68,031 | $132,462 | 18.7 min |
| Mahoning County, OH | 226,483 | $57,417 | $97,785 | 18.3 min |
| Trumbull County, OH | 200,835 | $57,254 | $77,547 | 20.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Portage County, Ohio.
How many people live in Portage County, Ohio?
About 161,954 people live in Portage County, Ohio, in 65,228 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 38.4, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Portage County, Ohio mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Portage County, Ohio has 322 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 3.7 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Portage County, Ohio an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 3.3 times the median household income ($251,635 against $75,724), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,064 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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