Hocking County is a county in Ohio, United States, centred on Logan and the sandstone gorges of the Hocking Hills. It had a population of 28,050 at the 2020 census and covers 424 square miles (1,100 km2) centred near 39°30′N 82°29′W.
Logan is the county seat, and its postal code is 43138. The county has one city, three villages, five census-designated places, several unincorporated communities and eleven townships, and observes Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 39073.
Towns & Villages in Hocking County
Hocking County’s population centers range from Logan, its only city, down to small unincorporated crossroads scattered through the Hocking Hills. Villages are self-governing; CDPs are Census Bureau statistical areas with no municipal government; Unincorp. communities have neither.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logan | City · seat | Falls / Laurel | 7,296 | 43138 |
| Laurelville | Village | Salt Creek | 512 | 43135 |
| Murray City | Village | Falls | — | 43144 |
| Carbon Hill | CDP | Falls | — | — |
| Haydenville | CDP | Green | — | — |
| Hide-A-Way Hills | CDP | Marion | — | — |
| Rockbridge | CDP | Marion | — | 43149 |
| West Logan | CDP | Falls | — | — |
| South Bloomingville | Unincorp. | Good Hope | — | 43152 |
| Union Furnace | Unincorp. | Falls | — | 43158 |
| Ewing | Unincorp. | Falls | — | — |
| Ilesboro | Unincorp. | Perry | — | — |
| Sand Run | Unincorp. | Ward | — | — |
| Starr | Unincorp. | Starr | — | — |
| South Perry | Unincorp. | Perry | — | — |
Logan straddles Falls and Laurel townships. The old list’s “Sand Run Junction” and “Monday Creek Junction” are historic rail-siding names for the same Sand Run and Monday Creek areas and are folded into their parent entries above rather than listed twice.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Falls | — | Logan (part), Murray City, West Logan, Union Furnace |
| Laurel | — | Logan (part) |
| Green | — | Haydenville |
| Marion | — | Rockbridge, Hide-A-Way Hills |
| Good Hope | — | South Bloomingville |
| Salt Creek | — | Laurelville |
| Perry | — | Ilesboro, South Perry |
| Starr | — | Starr |
| Ward | — | Sand Run |
| Benton | — | rural |
| Washington | — | rural |
ZIP Codes
- 43138 — Logan (also serves West Logan and the county seat area)
- 43135 — Laurelville (also serves Salt Creek Township)
- 43144 — Murray City
- 43149 — Rockbridge
- 43152 — South Bloomingville
- 43158 — Union Furnace
Smaller unincorporated places such as Ewing, Ilesboro, Sand Run and Starr use a neighboring post office’s ZIP rather than one of their own.
Geography
Hocking County lies in the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau of southeastern Ohio, where Blackhand sandstone has eroded into the cliffs, gorges and waterfalls of the Hocking Hills — Old Man’s Cave, Cedar Falls, Ash Cave and Conkle’s Hollow all sit within the county. The Hocking River, which gives the county its name, runs roughly north to south through Logan. The county covers 421 square miles of land and 2.3 square miles of water.
Hocking County borders Athens County to the southeast, and Perry, Vinton, Ross, Pickaway and Fairfield counties to the northeast, south, southwest, west and northwest respectively.
Demographics
The county’s population was 28,050 at the 2020 census, with a density of about 66 people per square mile. Logan (7,296) and Laurelville (512) are its two largest incorporated communities; most residents live in unincorporated areas and townships outside them. Median household income in the county runs below the Ohio median of $67,769, reflecting the rural, tourism- and timber-dependent local economy.
Economy & Local Life
Tourism tied to Hocking Hills State Park is the county’s largest economic driver, supporting cabins, campgrounds and outfitters across Falls and Marion townships. Logan is also home to the Columbus Washboard Company, the last washboard manufacturer in the United States, which hosts the annual Washboard Music Festival on the Thursday before Father’s Day weekend. Government, healthcare and light manufacturing round out local employment, and the county retains a legacy coal-mining history around Carbon Hill and Murray City.
History
Hocking County was organized on March 1, 1818, from parts of Athens, Fairfield and Ross counties. It takes its name from the Hocking River, itself from a Delaware (Lenape) word usually translated as “bottle river,” describing a narrows in the riverbed near present-day Lancaster. Coal mining shaped many of its smaller communities, including the company towns of Carbon Hill and Murray City, through the late 19th and early 20th centuries; commercial logging and quarrying later gave way to the tourism economy that dominates the county today.
Getting There
U.S. Route 33 crosses the county and links Logan to Columbus and Athens; State Routes 56, 664, 180 and 93 connect the smaller communities and the Hocking Hills park areas.
- Columbus — 50 miles northwest
- Athens — 30 miles southeast
- Lancaster — 20 miles northwest
- Chillicothe — 35 miles southwest
The nearest commercial airport is John Glenn Columbus International Airport, about an hour’s drive northwest of Logan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Hocking County?
It is in southeastern Ohio, in the Hocking Hills region between Columbus and Athens.
What is the population of Hocking County?
28,050 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Hocking County?
424 square miles (1,100 km2), of which 421 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Hocking County?
Logan is the county seat.
How many towns and villages are in Hocking County?
One city (Logan), three villages, five census-designated places and several smaller unincorporated communities spread across eleven townships.
What ZIP codes are in Hocking County?
Logan uses 43138; other ZIPs in the county include 43135 (Laurelville), 43144 (Murray City), 43149 (Rockbridge), 43152 (South Bloomingville) and 43158 (Union Furnace).
What is Hocking County known for?
Hocking Hills State Park, with landmarks such as Old Man’s Cave, Cedar Falls and Ash Cave, and Logan’s annual Washboard Music Festival.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Ohio.