Jackson County is a county in Ohio, United States, in the south-central part of the state, about
75 miles south of Columbus. It had a population of 32,653 at the 2020 census, an estimated 32,650
by 2024, and covers 420 square miles (1,088 km2) of land centred near 39°01′N 82°37′W.
Jackson is the county seat and the county’s largest city; its postal code is 45640. The
county holds 2 cities, 2 villages and dozens of smaller unincorporated communities across 12
townships, and it runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 39071.
Towns & Villages in Jackson County
Jackson County has 57 named places on record: 2 cities, 2 incorporated villages and 53
unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. CDP stands for census
designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads, rail sidings and rural hamlets with no formal
boundary.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson | City · seat | Jackson | 6,252 | 45640 |
| Wellston | City | Milton | 5,412 | 45692 |
| Oak Hill | Village | Jefferson | 1,407 | 45656 |
| Coalton | Village | Coal | 445 | 45621 |
| Altoona | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Banner | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Big Rock | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Blackfork Junction | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Brocks Corner | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Buckeye | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Buffalo | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Byer | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Camba | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Chapman | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Clay | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Comet | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Davisville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Englishville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Four Mile | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Garfield | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Glade | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Glen Nell | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Glen Roy | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Goldsboro | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Grahamsville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hitchcock | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Horeb | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ironton Junction | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Jackson Heights | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Jonestown | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Keystone | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Keystone Kitchen | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Leo | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Lesmil | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Limerick | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mabee Corner | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| McCoy | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Monroe | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mulga | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Oakland | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Orpheus | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pattonsville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Petersburg | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Petrea | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pine Grove | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pyro | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ratchford | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Rempel | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ridgeland | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Roads | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Rocky Hill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Savageville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sharon | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Tom Corwin | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Vega | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wainwright | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Winchester | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Two names on this list are easy to mix up. Ironton Junction is a rail siding inside Jackson
County, not Ironton itself, which is the seat of neighboring Lawrence County to the south.
Keystone and Keystone Kitchen are two separate hamlets a few miles apart, both former mining
camps, not one place under two spellings.
Townships
Jackson County has 12 civil townships. The Census Bureau does not publish a standalone 2020
population for each township, so the column below is left blank rather than estimated; the third
column names the incorporated place, if any, that anchors each township.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Jackson | — | Jackson (city) |
| Milton | — | Wellston (city) |
| Jefferson | — | Oak Hill (village) |
| Coal | — | Coalton (village) |
| Bloomfield | — | — |
| Franklin | — | — |
| Hamilton | — | — |
| Liberty | — | — |
| Lick | — | — |
| Madison | — | — |
| Scioto | — | — |
| Washington | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 45640 — Jackson (the county’s largest ZIP by population served)
- 45692 — Wellston
- 45656 — Oak Hill
- 45621 — Coalton
The county’s 53 unincorporated communities have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is
delivered under whichever of the four post-office towns above is nearest.
Geography
Jackson County sits in the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau of south-central Ohio, a hill country
of steep ridges and narrow valleys left untouched by the last ice age. Of its total 422 square
miles, 420 are land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2), about 0.3 percent, are water — there is
no large natural lake, and most surface water runs in creeks feeding the Scioto and Ohio River
watersheds.
Vinton County lies to the north, Gallia County to the east, Lawrence County to the south,
Scioto County to the southwest, Pike County to the west and Ross County to the northwest. Vinton County, Gallia County, Lawrence County, Scioto County, Pike County and Ross County all border Jackson County
directly.
Demographics
Jackson County had a population of 32,653 at the 2020 census, and the 2024 estimate puts the
county at 32,650 — essentially unchanged over four years. Jackson and Wellston are the two
largest communities, together holding roughly a third of the county’s population. Median
household income runs $57,106 (2024, Data USA), well below Ohio’s statewide figure of
$67,769 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to about 78 people per square mile of land, low
for Ohio, reflecting the county’s hill-country terrain and limited flat buildable land.
Economy & Local Life
Manufacturing employs the most workers in the county, about 2,636 people, followed by health
care and social assistance at 2,254 and retail trade at 1,808 (Data USA, 2024). Wellston’s
General Mills plant is the county’s single largest private employer, with roughly 900
workers. Gem Beverages, based in Wellston since 1923, bottles and distributes the citrus soda
brand Ski, a local fixture in southern Ohio grocery stores. Jackson and Oak Hill both carry strong
Welsh-American heritage — Cardiganshire immigrants began settling the Oak Hill area in
1818, and the Welsh-American Heritage Museum in Oak Hill’s former Welsh Congregational
Church was the first Welsh museum in the United States. The county markets itself as “The
Little Wales of Ohio” on the strength of that history.
History
The Ohio General Assembly organized Jackson County on 1 March 1816, naming it for Andrew
Jackson, then a War of 1812 hero who was later elected president. Iron ore and coal drove the
county’s 19th-century economy; furnaces around Jackson and Wellston produced pig iron
through the Civil War era, and iron from Jackson County furnaces went into the armor plating of
the USS Monitor. Wellston itself was laid out in 1873 on land owned by Harvey Wells, with a blast
furnace built the following year and city incorporation in 1876. Oak Hill was formally organized
on 12 January 1873 from parts of Jefferson and Madison townships, growing around the same iron
and firebrick industries and the Welsh community that gave the county its nickname.
Getting There
No interstate highway crosses Jackson County. US Route 35 runs through the county on an
expressway alignment skirting Jackson, meeting State Routes 32, 93, 124 and 327 at various points
along the way.
- Chillicothe — about 27 miles northwest
- Portsmouth — about 30 miles southwest
- Gallipolis — about 30 miles southeast
- Huntington, West Virginia — about 50 miles south
James A. Rhodes Airport, about 6 miles southeast of downtown Jackson, handles general aviation
only. John Glenn Columbus International Airport, roughly 75 miles north, is the nearest major
commercial airport. Amtrak’s Cardinal line calls at Huntington, West Virginia, the closest
Amtrak station to the county.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Jackson County located?
It sits in the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau of south-central Ohio, about 75 miles south of
Columbus, bordered by Vinton, Gallia, Lawrence, Scioto, Pike and Ross counties.
What is the population of Jackson County?
32,653 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 32,650.
How big is Jackson County?
422 square miles total, of which 420 square miles are land and 1.2 square miles are water.
What is the county seat of Jackson County?
Jackson, the county’s largest city, incorporated as the seat and named for Andrew Jackson.
How many towns and villages are in Jackson County?
Two cities — Jackson and Wellston — two incorporated villages, Oak Hill and Coalton,
and 53 unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes does Jackson County use?
45640 for Jackson, 45692 for Wellston, 45656 for Oak Hill and 45621 for Coalton.
What is Jackson County known for?
Its Welsh-American heritage around Oak Hill, earning it the nickname “The Little Wales of
Ohio,” and 19th-century iron production that supplied armor plate for the USS Monitor.
More counties in this state: Towns and
villages in Ohio.