Erie County is a county in Ohio, United States, in the north-central part of the state, along the Lake Erie shoreline. It had a population of 75,622 at the 2020 census and covers 626 square miles (1,620 km2), of which 252 square miles (650 km2) is land and the remainder is water, centred near 41°31′N 82°37′W.
Sandusky is the county seat and largest city, and its postal code is 44870. The county has four cities, five villages, six census-designated places, several unincorporated lakeshore communities, and nine townships. Erie County lies in the Eastern time zone and carries FIPS code 39043.
Towns & Villages in Erie County
Erie County’s incorporated municipalities sit alongside a large number of small Lake Erie shoreline communities — cottage colonies, mobile-home parks, and beach subdivisions that never incorporated. In the table below, City and Village are incorporated; CDP is a census-designated place (a community the Census Bureau tracks but that has no city government); Unincorp. covers everything else, mostly shoreline hamlets and parks.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandusky | City · seat | — | — | 44870 |
| Huron | City | Huron | — | 44839 |
| Vermilion | City (part) | Vermilion | — | 44089 |
| Bellevue | City (part) | Oxford | — | — |
| Berlin Heights | Village | Berlin | — | 44814 |
| Castalia | Village | Margaretta | — | 44824 |
| Kelleys Island | Village | — | — | 43438 |
| Milan | Village (part) | Milan | — | 44846 |
| Bay View | Village | — | — | — |
| Beulah Beach | CDP | Vermilion | — | — |
| Birmingham | CDP | Florence | — | 44816 |
| Bloomingville | CDP | Groton | — | — |
| Crystal Rock | CDP | — | — | — |
| Mitiwanga | CDP | Huron | — | — |
| Whites Landing | CDP | — | — | — |
| Anchor MH Park | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Anderson | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Avery | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Axtel | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Bayshore Estates MH Park | Unincorp. | Huron | — | — |
| Baywater Estates | Unincorp. | Huron | — | — |
| Berlin Heights Station | Unincorp. | Berlin | — | — |
| Berlinville | Unincorp. | Berlin | — | — |
| Bluebird Beach | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Bogart | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cedar Point | Unincorp. | Perkins | — | — |
| Ceylon | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Chaska Beach | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Colonial Villa | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Columbus Park | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Darby Place MH Park | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Fairview Lanes | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Florence | Unincorp. | Florence | — | — |
| Grand Forest Beach | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Greenfield Village MH Park | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Heidelberg Beach | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Holiday Estates | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hoopers MH Park | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Joppa | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Kimball | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Lincolnshire | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Lions Park | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| MacArthur Park | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| North Milan | Unincorp. | Milan | — | — |
| North Monroeville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| North Palm Beach | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Oberlin Beach | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ogontz | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Orchard Beach | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Parkertown | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Portland Court | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ranch Wood | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ruggles Beach | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Rye Beach | Unincorp. | Huron | — | — |
| Sand Hill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Shinrock | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Southgate Acres | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Spears Corners | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Springbrook | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sunset Point Trailer Park | Unincorp. | Huron | — | — |
| Vacationland MH Park | Unincorp. | Huron | — | — |
| Venice | Unincorp. | Perkins | — | — |
| Volunteer Bay | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Westview Estates | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Weyers | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wilmer | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Vermilion and Bellevue both straddle a county line: Vermilion’s older core sits in Erie County while most of its newer subdivisions lie across the line in Lorain County, and Bellevue’s downtown sits mostly in neighboring Huron and Seneca counties with only its western edge in Erie County’s Oxford Township. Milan Village likewise sits mostly in Erie County with a small slice in Huron County.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Perkins | — | Cedar Point, Venice |
| Margaretta | — | Castalia |
| Huron | — | Rye Beach, Mitiwanga, Bayshore Estates |
| Vermilion | — | Vermilion (part), Beulah Beach |
| Berlin | — | Berlin Heights, Berlinville |
| Milan | — | Milan (part), North Milan |
| Florence | — | Florence, Birmingham |
| Oxford | — | Bellevue (part) |
| Groton | — | Bloomingville |
ZIP Codes
- 44870 — Sandusky (also serves Bay View and the Perkins Township lakeshore)
- 44871 — Sandusky (P.O. box ZIP)
- 44839 — Huron
- 44089 — Vermilion
- 44824 — Castalia
- 44846 — Milan
- 44814 — Berlin Heights
- 43438 — Kelleys Island (P.O. box ZIP)
- 44816 — Birmingham (P.O. box ZIP)
Bellevue’s Erie County edge uses the Bellevue post office, whose ZIP is centered in neighboring Huron County; the small unincorporated hamlets scattered through Perkins and Huron townships mostly draw mail through the Sandusky or Huron ZIPs above rather than carrying a code of their own.
Geography
Erie County sits on the south shore of Lake Erie in Ohio’s north-central Lake Erie shoreline region. Roughly 60% of the county’s total area is open water, including the lake itself and the Sandusky Bay estuary, which cuts into the county’s northern edge and separates the city of Sandusky from the Marblehead peninsula in neighboring Ottawa County. Kelleys Island, the largest American island in Lake Erie, lies offshore and is part of Erie County. The Huron River and Vermilion River both drain the county’s inland townships north into the lake, and the county’s low, glacial-till terrain supports the fruit and vegetable farms found around Berlin Heights and Castalia.
Erie County borders Sandusky County to the west, Ottawa County to the northwest across Sandusky Bay, Lorain County to the east, and Huron County to the south. Its northern edge is open Lake Erie water, facing Essex County and Chatham-Kent, Ontario, across the international boundary.
Demographics
Erie County had 75,622 residents at the 2020 census. Sandusky and Huron are its two largest communities, and Sandusky alone accounts for roughly a third of the county’s population. Median household income in Erie County runs below the Ohio median of $67,769, reflecting the mix of manufacturing, tourism-service, and retirement-age households along the lakeshore. Population density is low relative to the county’s total area because more than half of that area is open water; measured against land area alone, the county is moderately dense for rural Ohio, concentrated around Sandusky, Huron, and Vermilion.
Economy & Local Life
Tourism anchors Erie County’s economy. Cedar Point, the Sandusky-based amusement park on a Lake Erie peninsula, is one of Ohio’s largest seasonal employers and draws visitors from across the Midwest each summer. Sandusky’s harbor also supports commercial and charter fishing, and the county’s lakeshore vineyards and orchards, concentrated around Berlin Heights, Castalia, and Kelleys Island, produce wine grapes and tree fruit. Firelands Regional Medical Center in Sandusky is a major regional employer outside tourism, and NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility (formerly Plum Brook Station) in Perkins and Oxford townships supports aerospace research. Kelleys Island’s limestone quarries and the Blue Hole and Castalia’s cold-water springs draw additional seasonal visitors to the county’s inland communities.
History
Erie County was organized in 1838 from the northern third of Huron County and part of Sandusky County. It is named for the Erie people, whose name is commonly translated as meaning “wildcat” or “long tail.” Sandusky’s harbor made it an active Underground Railroad terminus before the Civil War, with escaped slaves crossing Lake Erie to Canada from its docks, and the city later became a Great Lakes shipping and rail hub. Johnson’s Island, in Sandusky Bay, held a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp during the Civil War; its cemetery is a National Historic Landmark.
Getting There
The Ohio Turnpike (I-80/I-90) crosses the southern part of the county, with State Route 4 and US 250 running north into Sandusky. US 6 and State Route 2 follow the lakeshore through Vermilion, Huron, and Sandusky.
- Cleveland — about 50 miles east
- Toledo — about 55 miles west
- Columbus — about 100 miles south
- Bowling Green — about 45 miles southwest
The nearest commercial airport is Cleveland Hopkins International Airport; Erie County also has a small general-aviation field, Griffing Sandusky Airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Erie County, Ohio?
It is on the south shore of Lake Erie in north-central Ohio, between Sandusky and Lorain counties.
What is the population of Erie County?
75,622 at the 2020 census.
How big is Erie County?
626 square miles (1,620 km2) total, of which 252 square miles (650 km2) is land and the rest is Lake Erie water.
What is the county seat of Erie County?
Sandusky, also the county’s largest city.
How many towns and villages are in Erie County?
Four cities, five villages, six census-designated places, and dozens of smaller unincorporated lakeshore communities across nine townships.
What ZIP codes are in Erie County?
Sandusky uses 44870, Huron 44839, Vermilion 44089, Castalia 44824, Milan 44846, Berlin Heights 44814, and Kelleys Island 43438.
What is Erie County best known for?
Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky and Kelleys Island, the largest American island in Lake Erie.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Ohio.