Van Wert County, Ohio

Van Wert County is a county in Ohio, United States, about 34 miles southeast of Fort Wayne,
Indiana, and 20 miles west of Lima. It had a population of 28,931 at the 2020 census, an
estimated 29,013 by 2025, and covers 410 square miles (1,100 km2) centred near 40°52′N 84°35′W.

Van Wert is the county seat and largest city; its postal code is 45891. The county holds 2
cities, 8 incorporated villages and 11 unincorporated communities across 12 townships, and it
runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 39161.

Towns & Villages in Van Wert County

Van Wert County has 21 named places on record: 2 cities and 8 incorporated villages, plus 11
unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. Unincorp. covers crossroads
and rural hamlets with no formal boundary; none of the county’s places carry CDP status.

Three entries above straddle a border. Delphos’s 7,117 residents are countywide — most
of the city sits in Allen County, with only a small annexed strip reaching into Van Wert
County’s Jackson Township, so its ZIP and population figure are not Van Wert County’s alone.
Scott runs the other way: it’s platted mostly in Van Wert County, but part of the village
extends north into Paulding County. Dixon, an unincorporated crossroads on the list, sits
directly on the Ohio–Indiana state line and is recognized in gazetteers of both states.

Townships

ZIP Codes

• 45891 — Van Wert (the county’s most populous ZIP)
• 45832 — Convoy
• 45833 — Delphos (shared with Allen County)
• 45838 — Elgin
• 45863 — Middle Point
• 45874 — Ohio City
• 45886 — Scott (shared with Paulding County)
• 45894 — Venedocia
• 45898 — Willshire
• 45899 — Wren

Abanaka, Cavett, Dixon, Dull, Glenmore, Hoaglin, Jonestown, Middlebury, Monticello, Schumm and
Seamersville have no ZIP code of their own; mail to those crossroads is delivered under the
nearest incorporated village’s code.

Geography

Van Wert County sits on a flat glacial till plain in Ohio’s far northwest corner, near the
Indiana line. Of its 410 square miles, 409 are land and 1.3 are water, about 0.3 percent —
low even for the region, since the county has no natural lake of significant size and its
drainage runs to small creeks rather than one major river.

Paulding County lies to the north, Putnam County to the northeast, Allen County (Ohio) to the
east, Auglaize County to the southeast, Mercer County to the south, Adams County, Indiana to the
southwest, and Allen County, Indiana to the northwest. Van Wert County is one of the few counties
in the country to border two same-named counties in different states — Allen County, Ohio
and Allen County, Indiana. Paulding
County, Putnam County, Allen County, Auglaize County, Mercer County and Adams County, Indiana all border
Van Wert directly; Allen County, Indiana does not yet have a page on this site.

Demographics

Van Wert County had a population of 28,931 at the 2020 census and a median age of 41.0 years,
and the latest county estimate puts it near 29,013 residents by 2025. Van Wert, the county seat,
is by far the largest community; Convoy is the largest incorporated village outside the seat.
Median household income runs $67,917 (2024 estimate), close to Ohio’s statewide figure of
$67,769 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to roughly 71 people per square mile of land,
one of the lower figures among northwest Ohio counties, reflecting the county’s mostly rural,
farmland character outside Van Wert and Delphos.

Economy & Local Life

Manufacturing employs the most workers in the county, about 4,181 people as of 2024, followed
by health care and social assistance at 2,433 and retail trade at 1,575, out of roughly 14,271
total employed residents. Van Wert County Airport, two miles southwest of the city, is a
general-aviation field with a Purdue University satellite training partnership for aviation
students. The Brumback Library in Van Wert, established in 1901, was the first county library in
the United States and still anchors the city’s downtown. The county’s biggest annual
event is the Peony Festival, held the first weekend of June at Van Wert’s Fountain Park,
with a parade, car show and children’s fishing derby that has run continuously since the
1970s.

History

Ohio’s legislature created Van Wert County on February 12, 1820, and organized it for
self-government on March 18, 1837, after being attached to neighboring counties for judicial
purposes in the interim — a common arrangement for sparsely settled early Ohio counties. It
is named for Isaac Van Wart, one of three militiamen who captured British spy John André
during the American Revolutionary War; the county’s spelling diverges slightly from his own.

From 1926 until the plant’s closure in 1982, Van Wert was the only place in the world
producing Liederkranz cheese, made at a Borden dairy plant. Local “Cheesemakers,” as
residents styled themselves, later helped fund reconstruction in Vimoutiers, France — a
Normandy cheesemaking town mistakenly bombed by the US Air Force in World War II — and paid
to replace its statue of Camembert pioneer Marie Harel in 1953. On November 10, 2002, an F4
tornado struck Van Wert, killing two people; the city’s emergency warning system is credited
with clearing a packed movie theater minutes before cars were thrown into it.

Getting There

US 30 crosses the county through Van Wert, running from Paulding County in the west toward
Putnam and Allen counties in the east. No interstate highway reaches Van Wert County; the closest
is I-69 across the state line in Indiana.

• Fort Wayne, Indiana — about 34 miles northwest
• Lima — about 20 miles east
• Toledo — about 77 miles northeast

Fort Wayne International Airport, about 34 miles northwest of Van Wert, is the nearest
commercial airport with scheduled passenger service. Van Wert County Airport, two miles southwest
of the city, handles general aviation only. Toledo’s Amtrak station is the nearest served by
a long-distance line.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Van Wert County located?
It sits in Ohio’s far northwest corner, about 34 miles southeast of Fort Wayne, Indiana,
bordered by Paulding, Putnam, Allen, Auglaize and Mercer counties in Ohio and Adams and Allen
counties in Indiana.

What is the population of Van Wert County?
28,931 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 29,013.

How big is Van Wert County?
410 square miles (1,100 km2), of which 409 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Van Wert County?
Van Wert is the county seat and largest city, with a 2020 population of 11,092.

How many towns and villages are in Van Wert County?
Two cities — Van Wert and Delphos (part) — and eight incorporated villages: Convoy,
Elgin, Middle Point, Ohio City, Scott, Venedocia, Willshire and Wren, plus 11 unincorporated
communities.

What ZIP codes does Van Wert County use?
45891 for Van Wert, 45832 for Convoy, 45833 for Delphos, 45838 for Elgin, 45863 for Middle Point,
45874 for Ohio City, 45886 for Scott, 45894 for Venedocia, 45898 for Willshire and 45899 for
Wren.

What is Van Wert County known for?
Being the only place that ever produced Liederkranz cheese, its namesake Isaac Van Wart’s
role in capturing spy John André, and the annual Peony Festival every June.

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