Richland County, Ohio

Richland County is a county in Ohio, United States, about 65 miles north of Columbus and 65
miles south of Cleveland. It had a population of 124,936 at the 2020 census, an estimated
125,099 by 2024, and covers 500 square miles (1,300 km2) centred near 40°47′N 82°32′W.

Mansfield is the county seat and the county’s largest city; its postal code is 44902. The
county holds 3 cities plus small edges of 2 more that cross county lines, 5 incorporated villages
and 2 more split with neighboring counties, and 2 census-designated places and 7 unincorporated
communities across 18 townships, and it runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 39139.

Towns & Villages in Richland County

Richland County has 20 named places on record: 3 cities entirely within the county, small
slices of Crestline and Galion that belong mostly to neighboring counties, 5 incorporated
villages, 2 villages split across county lines, 2 census-designated places (CDPs) and 7
unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. CDP stands for census
designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural communities with no formal
boundary.

Three places on this list sit mostly outside Richland County. Galion’s 10,453 residents are
overwhelmingly Crawford and Morrow county residents — only a sliver of the city crosses into
Sandusky Township. Crestline’s 4,525 population is almost entirely Crawford County, with a small
edge in Sandusky Township. Plymouth splits closer to the middle: its Richland County portion, in
Plymouth Township, is part of the Mansfield metro area, while the rest of the village lies in
Huron County. Newville, once an active crossroads in Worthington Township, has no remaining
population count on record and survives today only as a place name.

Townships

Richland County has 18 civil townships. Ranked by 2020 population:

ZIP Codes

• 44902 — Mansfield (downtown)
• 44903 — Mansfield (north side)
• 44904 — Mansfield south side, also serves Lexington
• 44905 — Mansfield east side, also serves Lincoln Heights
• 44906 — Mansfield west side, also serves Ontario and Roseland
• 44907 — Mansfield south side
• 44875 — Shelby
• 44813 — Bellville
• 44822 — Butler
• 44843 — Lucas
• 44878 — Shiloh

Darlington, Adario, Bangorville, Ganges, Shenandoah, Olivesburg and Newville have no ZIP code
of their own; mail there is delivered under the nearest post office’s code. Galion’s 44833,
Crestline’s 44827 and Plymouth’s 44865 are administered from post offices outside Richland
County and are not counted among the county’s own codes.

Geography

Richland County sits in north-central Ohio on the divide between the Lake Erie and Ohio River
watersheds, a rolling landscape of glaciated till plains rising into low hills toward its
southern edge. Of its 500 square miles, about 495 are land and 4.8 are water, roughly 1.0
percent. The Clear Fork and Black Fork of the Mumford River both rise in the county and feed the
Muskingum River system to the south; Clear Fork Reservoir, near Lexington, is the county’s
largest body of water and supplies drinking water to Mansfield.

Huron County lies to the north, Ashland County to the east, Knox County to the south, Morrow
County to the southwest, and Crawford County to the west. Huron County, Ashland County, Knox County, Morrow County and Crawford County all border
Richland directly.

Demographics

Richland County had a population of 124,936 at the 2020 census, up slightly from 124,475 in
2010, and the latest estimate puts the county near 125,099 residents. Mansfield and Shelby are
the two largest communities, together holding close to half the county’s population outside the
suburban townships around them. Median household income runs $59,509, below Ohio’s statewide
figure of $71,389. Population density works out to about 250 people per square mile of land,
concentrated heavily in and around Mansfield.

Economy & Local Life

Manufacturing employs the most workers in the county, about 11,112 people, followed by health
care and social assistance at 8,580 and retail trade at 6,672. OhioHealth’s Mansfield hospital
campus is the single largest private employer, with roughly 2,500 workers, followed by the
Richland County government at 1,474 and manufacturers Newman Technology, Jay Industries and
Gorman-Rupp Company. Ontario functions as the county’s retail hub, drawing shoppers from across
north-central Ohio to its highway-fronting corridor. Shelby’s downtown carries its own
manufacturing legacy as the former home of the Shelby Cycle Company and the Shelby Electric
Company, maker of the Centennial Light, the world’s oldest continuously burning light bulb. The
county’s biggest annual event is the Richland County Fair each August, held continuously since
1849.

History

The Ohio General Assembly authorised Richland County on 1 February 1808 and organised it for
government in 1813, carving it from unassigned territory in north-central Ohio. It takes its name
from the fertile soil early surveyors found across the county. Mansfield, founded the same year
as the county by James Hedges, Joseph Larwell and Jacob Newman and named for surveyor Jared
Mansfield, became a village in 1828 and a city in 1857.

The Ohio State Reformatory, built in Mansfield between 1886 and 1910, held prisoners until a
federal court ordered its closure in December 1990 over overcrowding. It reopened as a museum in
1995 and later gained wide recognition as the filming location for The Shawshank Redemption.
South of Mansfield, near Lucas, author Louis Bromfield founded Malabar Farm in 1939 with proceeds
from his novel The Rains Came; Ohio’s state park system took over the 580-acre property in 1976 and
runs it today as Malabar Farm State Park.

Getting There

Interstate 71 crosses the county’s western half, with exits serving Lexington, Bellville,
Mansfield and Lucas. US Route 30 runs east-west through Mansfield toward Wooster, and US Route 42
crosses the county’s northwest corner through Shelby.

• Columbus — about 65 miles south
• Cleveland — about 65 miles north
• Akron — about 50 miles northeast
• Wooster — about 30 miles east

Akron-Canton Airport, about 50 miles northeast of Mansfield, is the nearest major commercial
airport; John Glenn Columbus International Airport lies about 70 miles south. Mansfield Lahm
Regional Airport, three miles north of the city, handles general aviation and a small military
presence but no scheduled airline service. Richland County has no active Amtrak station; the
nearest stop is in Galion, on the neighboring Crawford County side of that city.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Richland County located?
It sits in north-central Ohio, about 65 miles north of Columbus and 65 miles south of Cleveland,
bordered by Huron, Ashland, Knox, Morrow and Crawford counties.

What is the population of Richland County?
124,936 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 125,099.

How big is Richland County?
500 square miles (1,300 km2), of which about 495 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Richland County?
Mansfield, founded in 1808 and incorporated as a city in 1857, is the county seat and largest
city.

How many towns and villages are in Richland County?
Three cities — Mansfield, Shelby and Ontario — plus small edges of Galion and
Crestline; five villages fully inside the county — Lexington, Bellville, Butler, Shiloh and
Lucas — plus Plymouth split with Huron County; two census-designated places, Roseland and
Lincoln Heights; and seven unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes does Richland County use?
44902 through 44907 for Mansfield and its immediate suburbs, plus 44875 for Shelby, 44813 for
Bellville, 44822 for Butler, 44843 for Lucas and 44878 for Shiloh.

What is Richland County known for?
The Ohio State Reformatory, filming location of The Shawshank Redemption, and Malabar Farm State
Park, the former home of author Louis Bromfield.

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