Summit County, Ohio

Summit County is an urban county located in the northeast region of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 540,428, making it the fourth-most populous county in Ohio. Its county seat and largest city is Akron. The county was formed on March 3, 1840, from portions of Medina, Portage and Stark counties. It was named Summit County because the highest elevation on the Ohio and Erie Canal is in the county.

Summit County
County
Summit County Courthouse
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Ohio
Ohio's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°08′N 81°32′W / 41.13°N 81.53°W / 41.13; -81.53
Country	United States
State	Ohio
Founded	March 3, 1840
Named for	the highest elevation on the Ohio and Erie Canal
Seat	Akron
Largest city	Akron
Government
• County Executive	Ilene Shapiro (D)
Area
• Total	419.38 sq mi (1,086.2 km^2)
• Land	412.08 sq mi (1,067.3 km^2)
• Water	7.3 sq mi (19 km^2)  1.7%
Population  (2020)
• Total	540,428
• Estimate  (2022)	535,882
• Density	1,300/sq mi (500/km^2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	13th
Website	co.summitoh.net

Summit County is part of the Akron, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH Combined Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 419.38 square miles (1,086 km²), of which 412.08 square miles (1,067 km²) is land and 7.3 square miles (19 km²) (1.7%) is water. The largest portion of Cuyahoga Valley National Park is in the northern part of the county. The southern border of the former Connecticut Western Reserve passes through the southern part of the county, leading to jogs in the east and west borders of the county.

Major highways

• I-76
• I-77
• I-80 / Ohio Turnpike
• I-271
• I-277
• I-480
• US 224
• SR 8
• SR 18
• SR 21
• SR 59
• SR 82
• SR 91
• SR 93
• SR 162
• SR 176
• SR 236
• SR 241
• SR 261
• SR 303
• SR 585
• SR 619
• SR 764

Adjacent counties

• Cuyahoga County – northwest
• Geauga County – northeast
• Portage County – east
• Stark County – south
• Wayne County – southwest
• Medina County – west

National protected area

• Cuyahoga Valley National Park (also extends north into Cuyahoga County)

Government

Summit County, along with Cuyahoga County, is one of two of Ohio's 88 counties that have a charter government, as authorized by Article X of the Ohio Constitution. Under its charter, rather than three elected commissioners, Summit County has an elected county executive and an eleven-member county council. Eight members of the council are elected from individual districts; the other three are elected at large. Summit County also has an appointed medical examiner rather than an elected coroner, and an elected fiscal officer, who exercises the powers and performs the duties of a county auditor, treasurer and recorder. The remaining officials are similar to the officials in other counties. They include the following:

SWAT vehicle of the Summit County Sheriff's Office

• Clerk of courts – Tavia Galonski (D) (elected)
• Prosecuting attorney – Elliot Kolkovich (D) (elected)
• Engineer – Alan Brubaker (D) (elected)
• Sheriff – Kandy Fatheree (D) (elected)
• Fiscal officer – Kristen Scalise (D) (elected)

Summit County currently has 14 Common Pleas judges. They are:

• Kelly McLaughlin (D),
• Kathryn Michael (D),
• Christine Croce (R),
• Jennifer Towell (D),
• Alison McCarty (R),
• Tammy O'Brien (R),
• Joy Oldfield (D),
• Mary Margaret Rowlands (D),
• Alison Breaux (D)
• Susan Baker Ross (D)
• Linda Tucci Teodosio (D) (Juvenile Court Judge)
• Katarina Cook (R) (Domestic Relations Judge)
• Kani Hightower (D) (Domestic Relations Judge)
• Elinore Marsh Stormer (D) (Probate Judge)

Summit County Council

Summit County has an 11-member council. Three members are elected at-large in midterm cycles, while eight members are elected from districts coinciding with the presidential election. The current members of Summit County Council are:

• Erin Dickinson (D) (at-large)
• Elizabeth Walters* (D) (at-large)
• John Donofrio (D) (at-large)
• Rita Darrow (D) (District 1)
• John Schmidt (D) (District 2)
• David Licate (D) (District 3)
• Jeff Wilhite (D) (District 4)
• Brandon Ford (D) (District 5)
• Christine Higham (D) (District 6)
• Beth McKenney (R) (District 7)
• Joseph Kacyon (R) (District 8)

* Indicates Council President

County Executives

• John R. Morgan, 1981–1989
• Tim Davis, 1989–2001
• James B. McCarthy (D), 2001–2007
• Russell M. Pry (D), 2007-2016
• Ilene Shapiro (D), 2016–present

Politics

Like much of Northeast Ohio, Summit is heavily Democratic. It has voted Republican only three times since 1932, all in national Republican landslides– Dwight D. Eisenhower's 1956 victory, and the 49-state sweeps by Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan in 1972 and 1984, respectively.

United States presidential election results for Summit County, Ohio

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	125,910	45.88%	145,005	52.83%	3,539	1.29%
2020	124,833	44.38%	151,668	53.92%	4,779	1.70%
2016	112,026	43.03%	134,256	51.57%	14,064	5.40%
2012	111,001	41.36%	153,041	57.03%	4,316	1.61%
2008	113,284	40.66%	160,858	57.73%	4,487	1.61%
2004	118,558	42.91%	156,587	56.67%	1,175	0.43%
2000	96,721	43.02%	119,759	53.26%	8,359	3.72%
1996	73,555	34.18%	112,050	52.07%	29,590	13.75%
1992	77,530	32.10%	107,881	44.67%	56,081	23.22%
1988	101,155	46.92%	112,612	52.23%	1,822	0.85%
1984	115,637	50.99%	109,569	48.32%	1,574	0.69%
1980	92,299	43.35%	102,459	48.12%	18,161	8.53%
1976	80,415	38.41%	123,711	59.09%	5,224	2.50%
1972	112,419	49.92%	108,534	48.19%	4,263	1.89%
1968	82,649	39.56%	100,068	47.89%	26,224	12.55%
1964	68,000	32.33%	142,319	67.67%	0	0.00%
1960	109,066	49.59%	110,852	50.41%	0	0.00%
1956	102,872	52.42%	93,378	47.58%	0	0.00%
1952	91,168	48.34%	97,443	51.66%	0	0.00%
1948	60,174	42.69%	78,096	55.41%	2,680	1.90%
1944	64,696	41.61%	90,783	58.39%	0	0.00%
1940	63,405	41.45%	89,555	58.55%	0	0.00%
1936	38,991	29.16%	91,836	68.69%	2,869	2.15%
1932	47,691	45.03%	53,965	50.95%	4,255	4.02%
1928	78,504	70.86%	31,506	28.44%	775	0.70%
1924	53,774	65.28%	17,533	21.29%	11,064	13.43%
1920	43,721	59.60%	27,857	37.97%	1,785	2.43%
1916	11,593	35.63%	19,343	59.45%	1,603	4.93%
1912	3,502	15.10%	7,786	33.57%	11,904	51.33%
1908	10,365	47.31%	9,930	45.32%	1,614	7.37%
1904	12,451	66.04%	4,618	24.49%	1,786	9.47%
1900	10,072	53.08%	8,413	44.33%	491	2.59%
1896	8,584	51.25%	8,020	47.88%	146	0.87%
1892	6,322	46.45%	6,499	47.75%	790	5.80%
1888	6,455	51.43%	5,495	43.78%	602	4.80%
1884	6,588	55.97%	4,586	38.96%	597	5.07%
1880	5,890	57.73%	4,071	39.90%	241	2.36%
1876	5,055	56.59%	3,804	42.59%	73	0.82%
1872	4,534	62.01%	2,738	37.45%	40	0.55%
1868	4,634	65.47%	2,444	34.53%	0	0.00%
1864	4,204	69.88%	1,812	30.12%	0	0.00%
1860	3,607	65.52%	1,785	32.43%	113	2.05%
1856	3,185	63.64%	1,746	34.89%	74	1.48%

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	22,560		—
1850	27,485		21.8%
1860	27,344		−0.5%
1870	34,674		26.8%
1880	43,788		26.3%
1890	54,089		23.5%
1900	71,715		32.6%
1910	108,253		50.9%
1920	286,065		164.3%
1930	344,131		20.3%
1940	339,405		−1.4%
1950	410,032		20.8%
1960	513,569		25.3%
1970	553,371		7.8%
1980	524,472		−5.2%
1990	514,990		−1.8%
2000	542,899		5.4%
2010	541,781		−0.2%
2020	540,428		−0.2%
2022 (est.)	535,882		−0.8%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 541,781 people, 222,781 households, and 141,110 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,312.6 inhabitants per square mile (506.8/km²). There were 245,109 housing units at an average density of 593.8 per square mile (229.3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 80.6% white, 14.4% black or African American, 2.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 24.9% were German, 15.3% were Irish, 10.6% were English, 10.1% were Italian, 5.1% were Polish, and 4.5% were American.

Of the 222,781 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.7% were non-families, and 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age was 40.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,926 and the median income for a family was $62,271. Males had a median income of $47,892 versus $35,140 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,676. About 10.0% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.8% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public School Districts in Summit County and Surrounding Areas

Colleges and universities

• University of Akron, Akron
• Kent State University Twinsburg Academic Center, Twinsburg
• Stark State College Akron

Recreation

• Summit Metro Parks

Communities

Map of Summit County, Ohio With Municipal and Township Labels. The map denotes New Franklin and Franklin Township as separate entities, predating their 2003 merger.

Cities

• Akron (county seat)
• Barberton
• Cuyahoga Falls
• Fairlawn
• Green
• Hudson
• Macedonia
• Munroe Falls
• New Franklin
• Norton (partly in Wayne County)
• Reminderville
• Stow
• Tallmadge
• Twinsburg

Villages

• Boston Heights
• Clinton
• Lakemore
• Mogadore
• Northfield
• Peninsula
• Richfield
• Silver Lake

Townships

• Bath
• Boston
• Copley
• Coventry
• Northfield Center
• Richfield
• Sagamore Hills
• Springfield
• Twinsburg

Defunct townships

• Franklin
• Green
• Hudson
• Norton
• Northampton
• Portage
• Stow

Census-designated places

• Montrose-Ghent
• Pigeon Creek
• Portage Lakes
• Sawyerwood
• Twinsburg Heights

Unincorporated communities

• Bath
• Boston
• Botzum
• Brandywine
• Comet
• Copley
• Everett
• Ghent
• Greensburg
• Montrose
• Myersville
• Western Star

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Summit County, Ohio

References

1. "Ohio County Profiles: Summit County" (PDF). Ohio Department of Development. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 8, 2007. Retrieved April 28, 2007.
2. "Summit County data". Ohio State University Extension Data Center. Archived from the original on April 24, 2006. Retrieved April 28, 2007.
3. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
5. "Communities in Summit County". County of Summit, Ohio. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
6. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
7. rarmon. "Summit County Democrats appoint Tavia Galonski as clerk of courts". ohio.com. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
8. warsmith. "Summit-County-Democrats-appoint-Elliot-Kolkovich-to-fill-county-prosecutor-vacancy". ohio.com. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
9. "Incumbent judges Susan Steinhauer, Thomas Teodosio defeated". Akron Beacon Journal. November 9, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
10. swarsmith. "Four Summit County judges elected to other courts must be replaced". ohio.com. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
11. "2022 election results".
12. "Local". ohio.com. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
13. https://www.beaconjournal.com/elections/results/2024-11-05/ohio/39153/summit-county
14. rarmon. "Democrats appoint Jeff Wilhite to Summit County Council". ohio.com. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
15. Mackinnon, Jim. "Wilhite named Summit County Council president, but not without a fight". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
16. "Summit County Democrats appoint Elliot Kolkovich to fill county prosecutor vacancy". February 12, 2024.
17. "Summit County Council at-large, District 6 races go to Democrats".
18. McCarthy retired on June 30, 2007. "McCarthy, 67, Turns New Corner,". Akron Beacon Journal, June 30, 2007.
19. "Pry Biography". summit.oh.us. Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
20. On July 12, 2007, Pry was appointed by a majority vote of the Summit County Democratic Party's Central Committee to finish the remainder of McCarthy's second term. "Pry Named County Executive." Akron Beacon Journal, July 13, 2007
21. On November 4, 2008, Pry was elected to a four-year term as County Executive with over 60% of the vote. "Republicans Lose More Ground in Summit Races, Democrats Gain Spot with Brubaker Beating Incumbent Engineer." Akron Beacon Journal, November 6, 2008
22. On November 6, 2012, Pry was elected to a second four-year term as County Executive with over 62% of the vote. "Democrats Maintain Summit County Seats." Akron Beacon Journal, November 7, 2012
23. Pry died in office on July 31, 2016, at age 58. "Summit County Executive Russ Pry dies at 58". August 2016. Archived from the original on August 4, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
24. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
25. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
26. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
27. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
28. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 14, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
29. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
30. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
31. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 – County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
32. "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
33. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.

External links

• Official Summit County page
• Akron-Summit Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Summit Memory, an online scrapbook capturing the history of Summit County, Ohio by the Akron-Summit County Public Library

41°08′N 81°32′W / 41.13°N 81.53°W / 41.13; -81.53