Vinton County is a county in Ohio, United States, on the edge of the Appalachian foothills in the south-central part of the state. It had a population of 12,800 at the 2020 census and covers 412 square miles (1,070 km2) of land, centred near 39°15′N 82°29′W — making it Ohio’s least populous county.
McArthur is the county seat, and its postal code is 45651. The county has 4 incorporated villages, roughly 30 unincorporated communities and historic settlements, and 12 civil townships. Vinton County runs on Eastern time.
Towns & Villages in Vinton County
Vinton County has no cities — only villages and small unincorporated communities, a legacy of its thin population and heavily wooded terrain. The table below marks incorporated villages as Village and everything else, including several 19th-century mill and furnace hamlets that survive only as place names, as Unincorp.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McArthur | Village · seat | Brown | 1,706 | 45651 |
| Hamden | Village | Clinton | 804 | 45634 |
| Wilkesville | Village | Wilkesville | 219 | 45695 |
| Zaleski | Village | Harrison | 226 | 45698 |
| Allensville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Arbaugh | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Bolins Mills | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Clarion | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Creola | Unincorp. | Richland | — | 45622 |
| Dundas | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Eagle Mills | Unincorp. | Eagle | — | — |
| Elk Fork | Unincorp. | Elk | — | — |
| Hawks | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hope | Unincorp. | Jackson | — | — |
| Hue | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Jimtown | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Knox | Unincorp. | Knox | — | — |
| Minerton | Unincorp. (historic) | — | — | — |
| Mount Pleasant | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| New Plymouth | Unincorp. | Madison | — | 45654 |
| Oreton | Unincorp. (historic) | — | — | — |
| Orland | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Prattsville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Puritan | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Radcliff | Unincorp. | Jackson | — | — |
| Ratcliffburg | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ray | Unincorp. | Swan | — | 45672 |
| Red Diamond | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Richland | Unincorp. (historic) | Richland | — | — |
| Royal | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Siverly | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Stella | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Vales Mills | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Vinton | Unincorp. | Vinton | — | — |
Two names in this list are easy to confuse: the village of Vinton is a small unincorporated hamlet in Vinton Township, distinct from Vinton County itself. Several other names on the list — Minerton, Oreton and Richland among them — are 19th-century iron-furnace or rail-stop communities that no longer have residents but remain documented place names on county maps.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Brown | — | McArthur (seat) |
| Clinton | — | Hamden |
| Eagle | — | Eagle Mills |
| Elk | — | Elk Fork |
| Harrison | — | Zaleski |
| Jackson | — | Hope, Radcliff |
| Knox | — | Knox |
| Madison | — | New Plymouth |
| Richland | — | Richland, Creola |
| Swan | — | Ray |
| Vinton | — | Vinton |
| Wilkesville | — | Wilkesville |
The Census Bureau does not publish separate 2020 population counts for Vinton County’s minor civil divisions, so township figures are omitted here rather than estimated.
ZIP Codes
- 45651 — McArthur (also serves the surrounding Brown Township)
- 45634 — Hamden
- 45622 — Creola
- 45654 — New Plymouth
- 45672 — Ray
- 45695 — Wilkesville
- 45698 — Zaleski (PO Box delivery only)
Smaller communities such as Allensville, Hope and Vinton have no post office of their own and are served by one of the ZIP codes above.
Geography
Vinton County sits in the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau, a rugged, heavily forested landscape of steep ridges and narrow valleys — more than 70 percent of the county is wooded, most of it inside the Zaleski State Forest. Lake Hope, a reservoir formed by damming Big Sandy Creek, lies within the forest near Zaleski. The county has no major river of its own; smaller streams such as Raccoon Creek and Big Sandy Creek drain toward the Ohio River.
Vinton County borders six other Ohio counties: Hocking County to the north, Athens County to the northeast, Meigs County to the east, Gallia County to the southeast, Jackson County to the south, and Ross County to the west.
Demographics
Vinton County had 12,800 residents at the 2020 census, the smallest population of any of Ohio’s 88 counties. McArthur, the county seat, and Hamden are its two largest incorporated places. Median household income in the county runs well below the Ohio median of $67,769, consistent with its long-standing status as one of the state’s most economically challenged rural counties. Population density is light, at roughly 31 people per square mile.
Economy & Local Life
Vinton County’s economy centers on forestry, small-scale agriculture, and public-sector employment, including Vinton County Local Schools and county government offices in McArthur. Zaleski State Forest and Lake Hope State Park, both largely within county lines, support a modest tourism trade of camping, hiking and fishing. The county was once a hub of the Hanging Rock Iron Region’s charcoal-furnace industry in the mid-19th century, a period that left behind the ghost-town names still marked on local maps today.
History
Vinton County was organized on March 23, 1850, carved from portions of Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, Meigs and Ross counties, and named for U.S. Representative Samuel Finley Vinton, who served Ohio in Congress from 1823 to 1837 and again from 1843 to 1851. The county’s iron industry, centered on furnaces such as Vinton Furnace, thrived briefly in the 1850s and 1860s before the ore played out. Its best-known landmark from that era is the Moonville Tunnel, a brick railroad tunnel near the ghost town of Moonville that has drawn visitors and folklore for generations.
Getting There
US Route 50 and State Route 93 are the county’s main highways, with State Routes 32, 56, 160 and 327 also crossing county lines.
- Athens — about 30 miles east
- Chillicothe — about 25 miles west
- Jackson — about 20 miles south
- Columbus — about 65 miles northwest
The nearest commercial airport is John Glenn Columbus International Airport, roughly 65 miles to the northwest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Vinton County?
It is in south-central Ohio, in the Appalachian foothills between Athens and Chillicothe.
What is the population of Vinton County?
12,800 at the 2020 census — the smallest of any county in Ohio.
How big is Vinton County?
412 square miles (1,070 km2) of land, plus 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2) of water.
What is the county seat of Vinton County?
McArthur is the county seat.
How many towns are in Vinton County?
Four incorporated villages — McArthur, Hamden, Wilkesville and Zaleski — plus about 30 unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Vinton County?
45651 (McArthur), 45634 (Hamden), 45622 (Creola), 45654 (New Plymouth), 45672 (Ray), 45695 (Wilkesville) and 45698 (Zaleski).
Is Vinton County mostly forest?
Yes — more than 70 percent of the county is wooded, much of it within the Zaleski State Forest.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Ohio.