Ohio is a first-level division of United States, in North America. Its mapped cities centre on 40.5332° N, 82.7978° W.

What is the largest city in Ohio?

Cleveland is the largest city mapped in Ohio, with a metropolitan population of about 1.89 million.

How many cities are in Ohio?

YearMaps maps 14 cities and towns in Ohio, with a combined metropolitan population of about 7.67 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.

Ohio Map — Cities & Geography, United States

Interactive Map of Ohio

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About Ohio

Ohio ( oh-HY-oh) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Canadian province of Ontario to the north (through Lake Erie), Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the west, and Michigan to the northwest. Ohio is the 34th-largest state by area, at 44,825 sq mi (116,100 km2), and the seventh-most populous state, with a population of nearly 11.9 million. Its capital and most populous city is Columbus, with other major metropolitan cities including Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Akron, and Toledo.

Ohio derives its name from the Ohio River that forms its southern border, which, in turn, originated from the Seneca word ohiːyo', meaning "good river", "great river", or "large creek". Its geography is varied, with rolling glaciated plains across most of the state, rugged unglaciated hills in the southeastern Allegheny Plateau, and Lake Erie coastline to the north. At the time of European contact, the area known as the Ohio Country was inhabited by Algonquian and Iroquoian nations, and was contested among Native American tribes, Britain, and France. Following American independence, Ohio was organized as part of the Northwest Territory and achieved statehood in 1803. Ohio was the first state admitted under the Northwest Ordinance and the first post-colonial free state admitted to the union.

Historically known as the heart of American industry, Ohio has the third-largest manufacturing sector and second-largest automobile production in the U.S.; it also has a large agriculture sector. The state has shifted to a more information and service-based economy in the 21st century, ranking seventh in GDP as of 2025. Tourism in Ohio is driven by attractions such as Cedar Point, the National Museum of the United States Air Force and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as well as recreation areas including Cuyahoga Valley National Park and 76 state parks.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Ohio (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Ohio in Depth

History

Archeological evidence of spear points of both the Folsom and Clovis types indicate that the Ohio Valley was inhabited by nomadic people as early as 13,000 BC. These early nomads disappeared from Ohio by 1,000 BC. Between 1,000 and 800 BC, the sedentary Adena culture emerged. The Adena established "semi-permanent" villages because they domesticated plants, including sunflowers, and "grew squash and possibly corn"; with hunting and gathering, this cultivation supported more settled, complex villages. The most notable remnant of the Adena culture is the Great Serpent Mound, located in Adams County, Ohio.

Around 100 BC, the Adena evolved into the Hopewell tradition, who were also mound builders.

Geography

Bounded on the east by the Pennsylvania line, on the south by the Ohio River, to the mouth of the Great Miami River, on the west by the line drawn due north from the mouth of the Great Miami aforesaid, and on the north by an east and west line drawn through the southerly extreme of Lake Michigan, running east after intersecting the due north line aforesaid, from the mouth of the Great Miami until it shall intersect Lake Erie or the territorial line, and thence with the same through Lake Erie to the Pennsylvania line aforesaid.

Ohio is bounded by the Ohio River, but nearly all of the river belongs to Kentucky and West Virginia.

Economy

In 2023, there were 5,081,279 people employed in Ohio. There were 255,049 unique employer establishments, and 909,227 non-employer establishments. In 2010, Ohio was ranked second in the country for best business climate by Site Selection magazine, based on a business-activity database. Ohio has won three consecutive Governor's Cup awards from the magazine, based on business growth and developments. Ohio's gross domestic product (GDP) was $626 billion in 2016. This ranks Ohio's economy as the seventh-largest among all 50 states and Washington, D.C. In 2025, 99.6% of businesses in Ohio were small businesses, which employed 2.2 million people, or 43.8% of the state's work force.

Ohio's unemployment rate was 4.9% in May 2025, down from 10.7% in May 2010.

Demographics

From just over 45,000 residents in 1800, Ohio's population grew faster than 10% per decade (except for the 1940 census) until the 1970 census, which recorded just over 10.65 million Ohioans. Growth then slowed for the next four decades. The United States Census Bureau counted 11,808,848 in the 2020 census, a 2.4% increase since the 2010 United States census. Ohio's population growth lags that of the entire United States, and whites are found in a greater density than the U.S. average. As of 2000, Ohio's center of population is located in Morrow County, in the county seat of Mount Gilead. This is approximately 6,346 feet (1,934 m) south and west of Ohio's population center in 1990.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Ohio (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Ohio: Key Facts

Key facts about Ohio
Population	11,799,448 (2020)
Area	116,096 km²
Capital	Columbus
Head of government	Mike DeWine
Highest point	Campbell Hill
Established	1 March 1803

Facts from Wikidata Q1397 (CC0).

History of Ohio: Empires and States

The atlas records 2 polities whose mapped territory included part of Ohio, from Haudenosaunee in 1659 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.

Polities that held Ohio, in chronological order
Polity	Period here
Haudenosaunee	1659–1701 CE
United States of America	1791–2024 CE

Historical Maps of Ohio

Ohio on the world map in each year one of these states held it:

Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.

Visiting Ohio

Ohio's nickname is "the Heart of It All", purportedly because of its shape (kind of like a heart), its central location in the American Midwest, its mosaic of big commercial cities, small towns, industry and farmland, and its critical role in "America's Heartland".

The terrain is generally flat in the northwestern parts due to ancient glaciers, and gradually gets hillier as one heads east and southeast toward the Allegheny and Appalachian mountain ranges. Aside from a Great Lake (Erie) and a major navigable river (Ohio), the State of Ohio offers a national park (Cuyahoga Valley), a national forest (Wayne), a number of National Wildlife Refuges, and a bundle of islands on Lake Erie.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Ohio (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Largest Cities in Ohio

14 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.

Largest Cities in Ohio
#	Name	Population	Region	Role
1	Cleveland	1.89 million	Ohio	Populated place
2	Cincinnati	1.64 million	Ohio	Populated place
3	Columbus	1.27 million	Ohio	Admin-1 capital
4	Dayton	773,000	Ohio	Populated place
5	Akron	703,200	Ohio	Populated place
6	Toledo	469,924	Ohio	Populated place
7	Youngstown	311,990	Ohio	Populated place
8	Canton	258,660	Ohio	Populated place
9	Springfield	84,576	Ohio	Populated place
10	Mansfield	77,768	Ohio	Populated place
11	Lima	68,364	Ohio	Populated place
12	Lancaster	48,829	Ohio	Populated place
13	Zanesville	40,052	Ohio	Populated place
14	Bowling Green	37,080	Ohio	Populated place

Ports in Ohio

10 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.

Ports in Ohio
#	Name	Channel Depth	Class	Sea	Max Vessel
1	Vermilion	56.7 m	Very Small	Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway	medium vessels
2	Port Clinton	56.7 m	Very Small	Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway	medium vessels
3	Put In Bay	56.7 m	Very Small	Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway	medium vessels
4	Fairport	49.4 m	Small	Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway	medium vessels
5	Monroe	49.4 m	Very Small	Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway	large vessels
6	Lorain	45.7 m	Small	Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway	large vessels
7	Sandusky	45.7 m	Small	Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway	medium vessels
8	Huron	42.1 m	Small	Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway	large vessels
9	Cleveland	42.1 m	Major	Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway	large vessels
10	Toledo	42.1 m	Minor	Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway	large vessels

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ohio

1 World Heritage Site mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ohio
#	Name	Inscribed	Type	Criteria
1	Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks	2023	Cultural	(i) (iii)

Ohio: Quick Answers

Where is Ohio?: Ohio is a first-level division of United States, in North America. Its mapped cities centre on 40.5332° N, 82.7978° W.
What is the largest city in Ohio?: Cleveland is the largest city mapped in Ohio, with a metropolitan population of about 1.89 million.
How many cities are in Ohio?: YearMaps maps 14 cities and towns in Ohio, with a combined metropolitan population of about 7.67 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.