Founded March 1, 1815 Largest village Woodsfield Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4 Population 14,585 (2013) Named for James Monroe | Seat Woodsfield Congressional district 6th Area 1,184 km² Unemployment rate 8.5% (Apr 2015) | |
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Website www.monroecountyohio.net Cities Woodsfield, Beallsville, Clarington, Lewisville, Sardis Rivers Little Muskingum River, Crabapple Creek, Oldcamp Run | ||
Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 14,642, making it the second-least populous county in Ohio. Its county seat is Woodsfield. The county was created in 1813 and later organized in 1815.
Contents
- Map of Monroe County OH USA
- History
- Geography
- Adjacent counties
- National protected area
- 2000 census
- 2010 census
- Government
- Education
- Census designated places
- Notable people
- References
Map of Monroe County, OH, USA
History
Monroe County was formed on January 28, 1813 from portions of Belmont, Guernsey and Washington counties. It was named after James Monroe, the U.S. Secretary of State when the county was formed, and later fifth President of the United States.
On or about December 20, 2011, Exxon Mobil Corp., a New Jersey petroleum company, via its subsidiary XTO Energy, acquired 20,056 acres of Monroe County Utica Shale gas leases from Beck Energy.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 457 square miles (1,180 km2), of which 456 square miles (1,180 km2) is land and 1.7 square miles (4.4 km2) (0.4%) is water.
Adjacent counties
National protected area
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,180 people, 6,021 households, and 4,413 families residing in the county. The population density was 33 people per square mile (13/km²). There were 7,212 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.72% White, 0.26% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 0.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 6,021 households out of which 29.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.70% were married couples living together, 8.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.70% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county, the population was spread out with 23.60% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 25.90% from 25 to 44, 27.20% from 45 to 64, and 16.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 97.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,467, and the median income for a family was $36,297. Males had a median income of $33,308 versus $19,628 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,096. About 11.00% of families and 13.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.30% of those under age 18 and 11.40% of those age 65 or over.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 14,642 people, 6,065 households, and 4,183 families residing in the county. The population density was 32.1 inhabitants per square mile (12.4/km2). There were 7,567 housing units at an average density of 16.6 per square mile (6.4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.1% white, 0.4% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 34.8% were German, 14.5% were Irish, 10.6% were English, and 9.6% were American.
Of the 6,065 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.0% were non-families, and 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 44.7 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,030 and the median income for a family was $43,261. Males had a median income of $39,261 versus $24,922 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,738. About 12.3% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.7% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Monroe County has three County Commissioners who oversee the various County departments, similar to 85 of the other 88 Ohio counties. Current Commissioners are: Mick Schumacher (R), Tim Price (D), and Carl Davis (D).
Monroe County is served by the Monroe County District Library from its administrative offices in Woodsfield, Ohio; it also offers a bookmobile service.
In 2005, the library loaned more than 141,000 items to its 6,000 cardholders. Total holding are over 64,000 volumes with over 140 periodical subscriptions. This library is a member of the SOLO Regional Library System.
Education
Monroe County contains the following schools through the Switzerland of Ohio Local School District: