Belmont County, Ohio

History

Belmont County was formed from Jefferson and Washington counties, September 7, 1801.
In 1976, Belmont County became the first American county to elect a female sheriff, Katherine Crumbly.

In 1987, Michael A Massa, a county resident, created and dedicated the County's first Official Seal and Flag to the people of Belmont County (photo of county seal featured above the county map- see vignette at above right). The citizens of the county held an informal election to select the winning seal and flag, and the event was featured nationally on the Paul Harvey Show.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 541 square miles (1,400 km²), of which 532 square miles (1,380 km²) is land and 9.1 square miles (24 km²) (1.7%) is water.

Adjacent counties

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 70,226 people, 28,309 households, and 19,250 families residing in the county. The population density was 131 people per square mile (50/km²). There were 31,236 housing units at an average density of 58 per square mile (22/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.98% White, 3.64% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 0.39% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 20.2% were of German, 12.5% Irish, 12.0% American, 10.3% English, 10.2% Italian and 9.0% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 28,309 households out of which 28.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.10% were married couples living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.00% were non-families. 28.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the county, the population was spread out with 21.80% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 18.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 96.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,714, and the median income for a family was $37,538. Males had a median income of $31,211 versus $19,890 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,221. About 11.70% of families and 14.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.40% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 70,400 people, 28,679 households, and 18,761 families residing in the county. The population density was 132.3 inhabitants per square mile (51.1/km²). There were 32,452 housing units at an average density of 61.0 per square mile (23.6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.0% white, 4.0% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.0% were German, 17.9% were Irish, 12.4% were English, 10.1% were Italian, 9.0% were Polish, and 6.2% were American.

Of the 28,679 households, 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.6% were non-families, and 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age was 43.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,320 and the median income for a family was $47,214. Males had a median income of $42,022 versus $26,926 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,266. About 12.1% of families and 15.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.4% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Almost all of the county's government offices are located in the Belmont County Courthouse.

Belmont County has a 3-member Board of County Commissioners that administer and oversee the various County departments, similar to all but 2 of the 88 Ohio counties. The elected commissioners serve four-year terms. Belmont County's elected commissioners are: Matt Coffland (D), Mark Thomas (D), and Ginny Favede (D).

Belmont County's county flag was designed in 1988 by local state official Michael Massa. Local citizens voted in a nationally covered election to choose it from a group of three designs by Massa. The seal (minus a Latin phrase) is featured on the county's flag.

Corrections

Belmont County is serviced by several detentional centers located around St. Clairsville. The Belmont Correctional Institution is located on 158 acres (0.64 km²) between St. Clairsville and Bannock on State Route 331. The facility currently houses 2,698 inmates. The Belmont County Jail is located in St. Clairsville and is located near Belmont College and Ohio University Eastern Campus. The facility contains 144 beds and also houses the county sheriff's offices. The county is also serviced by Sargus Juvenile Detention Center, a 17-bed facility that also services surrounding counties. Sargus Center is located next door to the county jail.

K-12

Belmont County is served by the following local school districts

A small part of the county is served by the following schools of the multicounty Switzerland of Ohio Local School District:

Higher education

Cities

Notable people