Wood County is a county in Ohio, United States, in the northwestern part of the state along the Maumee River south of Toledo. It had a population of 132,248 at the 2020 census, making it one of the larger counties in northwest Ohio. The county covers 617 square miles (1,600 km2) of land and 3.3 square miles (8.5 km2) of water, centred near 41°22′N 83°37′W.
Bowling Green is the county seat, and its postal code is 43402. Wood County has five cities, roughly 20 villages, and 19 townships, and it sits in the Eastern time zone. Its FIPS code is 39173.
Towns & Villages in Wood County
Wood County is a mix of college-town Bowling Green, the fast-growing Toledo suburbs of Perrysburg, Rossford and Northwood, and a ring of small farm villages spread across the county’s flat, drained farmland.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowling Green | City · seat | — | 30,808 | 43402 |
| Perrysburg | City | Perrysburg | 25,041 | 43551 |
| Rossford | City | — | — | — |
| Northwood | City | — | — | — |
| North Baltimore | Village | — | — | — |
| Pemberville | Village | — | — | — |
| Grand Rapids | Village | Grand Rapids | — | — |
| Walbridge | Village | — | — | — |
| Luckey | Village | — | — | — |
| Haskins | Village | — | — | — |
| Weston | Village | Weston | — | — |
| Cygnet | Village | — | — | — |
| Bloomdale | Village | — | — | — |
| Custar | Village | — | — | — |
| Bradner | Village | — | — | — |
| Risingsun | Village | — | — | — |
| Tontogany | Village | — | — | — |
| Jerry City | Village | — | — | — |
| Millbury | Village | — | — | — |
| Milton Center | Village | Milton | — | — |
| West Millgrove | Village | — | — | — |
| Portage | Village | Portage | — | — |
| Wayne | Village | — | — | — |
| Hoytville | Village | — | — | — |
A small portion of the city of Fostoria, whose main body lies in Seneca and Hancock counties, also extends into southern Wood County.
Townships
Wood County has 19 civil townships covering the rural land outside its cities and villages.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Bloom | — | — |
| Center | — | — |
| Freedom | — | — |
| Grand Rapids | — | Grand Rapids village |
| Henry | — | — |
| Jackson | — | — |
| Lake | — | — |
| Liberty | — | — |
| Middleton | — | — |
| Milton | — | Milton Center |
| Montgomery | — | — |
| Perry | — | — |
| Perrysburg | — | surrounds the city of Perrysburg |
| Plain | — | — |
| Portage | — | Portage village |
| Troy | — | — |
| Washington | — | — |
| Webster | — | — |
| Weston | — | Weston village |
ZIP Codes
- 43402 — Bowling Green (post office town)
- 43403 — Bowling Green (Bowling Green State University station)
- 43551 — Perrysburg (post office town)
- 43552 — Perrysburg (post office box station)
Rossford, Northwood and the county’s smaller villages each carry their own ZIP codes, but those codes are not confirmed here and are omitted rather than guessed.
Geography
Wood County sits on the flat, glacially-formed lake plain of the old Great Black Swamp, drained by ditches and tile lines into a network of small streams. The Maumee River enters from the southwest and forms much of the county’s northwestern border on its way to Lake Erie at Maumee Bay, giving Perrysburg, Rossford and Northwood a riverfront edge. Away from the Maumee corridor the land is nearly level, given over to corn and soybean fields.
Wood County borders seven other Ohio counties:
- Lucas County — north
- Ottawa County — northeast
- Sandusky County — east
- Seneca County — southeast
- Hancock County — south
- Putnam County — southwest
- Henry County — west
Demographics
Wood County had a population of 132,248 at the 2020 census, and the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate put the county at 134,176. Bowling Green (30,808) and Perrysburg (25,041) are its two largest communities, together holding more than 40% of the county’s population. Wood County’s median household income runs above the Ohio state figure of $67,769, driven by the university, healthcare and manufacturing jobs concentrated in Bowling Green and the Toledo suburbs. Density works out to roughly 214 people per square mile, well above the state’s mostly-rural counties but far below neighboring Lucas County (Toledo).
Economy & Local Life
Bowling Green State University is the county’s largest employer, with about 3,300 workers, anchoring a college-town economy of restaurants, rentals and campus services in Bowling Green itself. Manufacturing is the other pillar: Magna employs roughly 2,200 people at its automotive-parts operations, and First Solar runs a photovoltaic-panel plant with about 1,200 workers, part of a wider Toledo-area solar manufacturing cluster. Owens Community College, based in neighboring Perrysburg Township, employs about 1,000 more. Away from Bowling Green and the Toledo suburbs, farming dominates the rural townships, with corn and soybeans the principal crops on the county’s flat Black Swamp soils.
History
Wood County is named for Captain Eleazer D. Wood, an engineer on General William Henry Harrison’s staff who built Fort Meigs on the Maumee River during the War of 1812. The county was carved from the old Northwest Territory frontier and grew slowly until 19th-century drainage projects cleared the Great Black Swamp for farming, opening the land that now supports its villages and townships. Political analysts have called Wood County a bellwether: since 1964 it has voted for the eventual winner of the national popular vote in nearly every presidential election.
Getting There
Interstate and state highways link Bowling Green and Perrysburg north to Toledo and south toward Findlay, and the county’s grid of county roads reaches every village.
- Toledo — about 20 miles north
- Findlay — south of the county
- Fremont — east of the county
Wood County Airport, a general-aviation field about one mile northeast of Bowling Green, serves private aircraft. Toledo, roughly 20 miles north, is the nearest source of commercial air service and Amtrak rail service.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Bowling Green postcode?
Bowling Green’s postal code is 43402, with 43403 also serving the Bowling Green State University area.
What is the county seat of Wood County?
Bowling Green is the county seat.
How big is Wood County, Ohio?
Wood County covers 617 square miles (1,600 km2) of land plus 3.3 square miles of water.
What is the population of Wood County?
Wood County had a population of 132,248 at the 2020 census, estimated at 134,176 in 2025.
What counties border Wood County?
Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, Seneca, Hancock, Putnam and Henry counties border Wood County.
Where does the name Wood County come from?
It honors Captain Eleazer D. Wood, the army engineer who built Fort Meigs during the War of 1812.
What is the largest city in Wood County?
Bowling Green, home to Bowling Green State University, is the county’s largest city, followed by Perrysburg.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Ohio.