Lorain County, Ohio

Lorain County is a county in Ohio, United States, about 25 miles west of Cleveland along the
Lake Erie shore. It had a population of 312,964 at the 2020 census, an estimated 323,219 by
2024, and covers 923 square miles (2,390 km2) centred near 41°28′N 82°09′W.

Elyria is the county seat; its postal code is 44035. Lorain, on Lake Erie, is the county’s
largest city. The county holds 9 cities, 7 villages and 2 census-designated places across 18
townships, and it runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 39093.

Towns & Villages in Lorain County

Lorain County has 27 named places on record: 9 incorporated cities, 7 incorporated villages,
2 census-designated places and 9 unincorporated hamlets with no local government of their own.
CDP stands for census designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural communities with
no formal boundary.

Two entries need a note. Vermilion straddles the Lorain–Erie county line; its 10,659
residents are counted county-wide, but the bulk of the built-up city sits on the Lorain side,
with only a smaller share reaching into Erie County to the west. South Amherst also splits
across township lines — most of the village lies in Amherst Township, with a smaller
northwest section reaching into New Russia Township.

Townships

ZIP Codes

• 44052, 44053, 44054, 44055 — Lorain (44054 also serves Sheffield Lake and Sheffield village)
• 44035 — Elyria (also serves 44036 to the north)
• 44039 — North Ridgeville
• 44012 — Avon Lake
• 44011 — Avon
• 44001 — Amherst (also serves South Amherst)
• 44089 — Vermilion
• 44074 — Oberlin
• 44044 — Grafton
• 44090 — Wellington (also serves Rochester, which has no post office of its own)
• 44050 — LaGrange
• 44049 — Kipton

Henrietta, Pittsfield, Columbia Station, Columbia Hills Corners, North Eaton, Brighton,
Brentwood Lake, Belden and Whiskyville have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered
under the nearest incorporated city or village’s code.

Geography

Lorain County sits in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, where flat glacial
till plains meet the lakeshore. Of its 923 square miles, only 491 are land; the remaining 432
square miles, 47 percent of the total, are Lake Erie waters counted within the county’s
boundary — giving Lorain the fourth-largest total area of any Ohio county despite a
comparatively modest land footprint. The Black River runs north through Elyria and Lorain to
its mouth on Lake Erie, and the Vermilion River crosses the county’s western edge before
reaching the lake at Vermilion.

Cuyahoga County lies to the east, Medina County to the southeast, Ashland County to the
south, Huron County to the southwest and Erie County to the west. Cuyahoga County, Ashland County, Huron County and Erie County all border Lorain
directly; Medina County has no live profile on this site yet.

Demographics

Lorain County had a population of 312,964 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts
the county near 323,219 residents by 2024. Lorain and Elyria are by far the two largest
communities, together holding well over a third of the county’s population. Median
household income runs $73,347 (2024 estimate), above Ohio’s statewide figure of $67,769
(2023 ACS). Population density works out to roughly 637 people per square mile of land, typical
for a county inside the Cleveland metropolitan area away from the urban core.

Economy & Local Life

Health care and social assistance employs the most workers in the county, about 24,687
people, followed by manufacturing at 23,626 and retail trade at 16,977. University Hospitals’
Elyria Medical Center is Elyria’s largest single employer, and Lorain County Community
College, based in Elyria with a satellite campus in North Ridgeville, is both a major employer
and the county’s primary public higher-education institution. Oberlin College, a liberal
arts college and conservatory founded in 1833, anchors Oberlin’s economy and gave the
village its national profile as an early center of racially integrated education. Manufacturing
still runs through Lorain’s Black River corridor, a legacy of the city’s shipbuilding
and steel history, and Avon Lake hosts Ford Motor Company and Lubrizol industrial operations.
The county’s biggest annual event is Vermilion’s Woollybear Festival each October,
built around what organizers call the longest parade in Ohio and drawing more than 150,000
visitors.

History

Ohio’s legislature physically established Lorain County in 1822 and made it judicially
independent in 1824. Heman Ely, the founder of Elyria, chose the name after the French province
of Lorraine. Elyria, founded by Ely in 1817, became the county seat.

The county carries a significant abolitionist history. In 1858, residents of Oberlin and
Wellington intercepted federal marshals holding a fugitive, John Price, at Wellington’s
American House Hotel and helped him escape to Canada — the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue,
which put slavery’s enforcement mechanics before a national audience through the trials
that followed. In 1924, Lorain suffered Ohio’s deadliest single-building tornado disaster
when a twister killed 72 people in the city, 15 of them in a collapsed theater.

Getting There

Interstate 90 crosses the county’s northern half through Avon, Avon Lake and Sheffield
Lake; the Ohio Turnpike, Interstate 80, runs along the county’s southern tier. US Route 6
and US Route 20 run east–west across the county, with numerous Ohio state routes filling
in local connections.

• Cleveland — about 25 miles east
• Sandusky — about 30 miles west
• Akron — about 35 miles southeast
• Ashland — about 35 miles south

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, about 20 miles east of Elyria, is the nearest major
commercial airport. Lorain County Regional Airport, near South Amherst, handles general
aviation. Amtrak’s Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited trains stop at the Elyria
station, connecting to Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Washington and New York.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Lorain County located?
It sits on Lake Erie in northeastern Ohio, about 25 miles west of Cleveland, bordered by
Cuyahoga, Medina, Ashland, Huron and Erie counties.

What is the population of Lorain County?
312,964 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 323,219.

How big is Lorain County?
923 square miles (2,390 km2) in total, of which 491 square miles are land and 432 square miles
are Lake Erie water.

What is the county seat of Lorain County?
Elyria, founded in 1817, is the county seat; Lorain is the county’s largest city.

How many towns and villages are in Lorain County?
Nine cities — Lorain, Elyria, North Ridgeville, Avon Lake, Avon, Amherst, Vermilion,
Sheffield Lake and Oberlin — plus seven villages: Grafton, Wellington, Sheffield,
LaGrange, South Amherst, Kipton and Rochester.

What ZIP codes does Lorain County use?
44052 through 44055 for Lorain; 44035 and 44036 for Elyria; 44001 for Amherst and South
Amherst; 44011 for Avon; 44012 for Avon Lake; 44039 for North Ridgeville; 44074 for Oberlin;
and 44044, 44049, 44050 and 44090 for the county’s smaller villages.

What is Lorain County known for?
Oberlin College’s history as an early center of racially integrated higher education, the
1858 Oberlin-Wellington Rescue, and Lake Erie shoreline communities including the port city of
Lorain.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Ohio.