County
Fairfield County, Ohio
Ohio · county seat Lancaster · 169,752 residents (July 2025 estimate) · 13 ZIP codes · 27 cities, villages and townships
169,752 people (July 2025 estimate), +6.8% since the 2020 census; life expectancy 76.4 years; median household income $90,728 (2024). The county in numbers
Fairfield County in numbers
The public records that are kept county by county, in 21 blocks. Every figure names its source; a tile's small line gives the comparison or the date.
Population
How many people live here, how the count has moved since 2020 and since 1900, and how the USDA classes the county.
- residents, July 2025 estimate
- 169,752
- Census Bureau vintage 2025
- since the April 2020 census
- +6.8%
- 158,917 counted in 2020
- births since April 2020
- 8,347
- deaths since April 2020
- 8,342
- net migration since April 2020
- +10,339
- people who moved in, minus people who moved out
- net domestic migration, 2025
- +1,767
- moved in from elsewhere in the U.S., minus moved out
- net international migration, 2025
- +197
Fairfield County has never had more people than it has today.
It is 5.0 times its 1900 size.
USDA rural-urban continuum code 1 of 9 (1 is the most metropolitan): metro - counties in metro areas of 1 million population or more.
USDA ERS county typology (2015 codes): a metro county with a nonspecialized economy, with none of the ERS distress flags.
| Year | People | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1810 | 11,361 | first census that counted the county |
| 1850 | 30,264 | decennial census |
| 1900 | 34,259 | decennial census |
| 1950 | 52,130 | decennial census |
| 1970 | 73,301 | decennial census |
| 2000 | 122,943 | decennial census |
| 2020 | 158,917 | decennial census |
| 2025 | 169,752 | July estimate |
Source: Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (vintage 2025, join_popest.py); decennial counts 1900-1990 from 'Population of States and Counties of the United States 1790-1990', 2000/2010 from intercensal files; USDA ERS Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023; USDA ERS county typology codes, 2015 edition · Census population estimates · USDA ERS county codes · USDA ERS county typology · About this topic
Moving in and out
Households that changed county between the tax returns they filed in 2022 and 2023, counted by the IRS.
- households moved in, 2022 to 2023
- 10,105
- tax returns filed from a new county
- households moved out
- 8,311
- net households
- +1,794
- moved in, minus moved out
- households stayed put
- 131,433
| From | Households |
|---|---|
| Franklin, OH | 5,116 |
| Licking, OH | 801 |
| Pickaway, OH | 352 |
| To | Households |
|---|---|
| Franklin, OH | 3,219 |
| Licking, OH | 798 |
| Perry, OH | 388 |
Source: IRS Statistics of Income county-to-county migration flows, 2022-2023 · IRS migration data · About this topic
Income and poverty
The Census Bureau's 2024 small-area estimates for the county.
- of residents below the poverty line, 2024
- 8.1%
- of children below the poverty line, 2024
- 9.3%
- median household income, 2024
- $90,728
Source: Census SAIPE 2024 county estimates · Census SAIPE · About this topic
Jobs and wages
Unemployment in the latest month and what employers in the county pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- unemployment rate, July 2026
- 3.2%
- 4.5% a year earlier
- people in the labor force, July 2026
- 84,339
- looking for work
- 2,682
- average weekly wage, first quarter of 2026
- $1,059
- +3.6% on the year
- jobs covered by unemployment insurance
- 48,060
- +1.9% on the year
- establishments
- 3,526
| Sector | Jobs | Average weekly wage |
|---|---|---|
| health care and social assistance | 8,855 | $1,211 |
| retail | 6,626 | $682 |
| restaurants and hotels | 6,496 | $413 |
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2026 Q1 · BLS local unemployment · BLS QCEW · About this topic
The county economy
What the county produces and earns, from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
- real GDP, 2024 (2017 dollars)
- $5.2 billion
- +12.5% since 2019
- personal income per person, 2024
- $61,185
- 26th of Ohio's 88 counties
- change in income per person since 2019
- +27.8%
- before inflation
Source: BEA regional accounts: county GDP (CAGDP1), per capita personal income (CAINC1), 2024 · BEA county GDP · About this topic
Federal money
What the federal government obligated to the county in fiscal 2025, by county of performance; Social Security, Medicare and most benefits are not counted.
- in federal contracts performed in the county, fiscal 2025
- $11 million
- $66 a resident
- in federal grants, fiscal 2025
- $689 million
- $4,333 a resident
- in federal loans and loan guarantees
- $2 million
- in direct federal payments to people and organizations
- $856 million
Source: USAspending federal awards by county of performance, fiscal 2025 · USAspending · About this topic
Health rankings
County Health Rankings 2025 measures for the county, with the Ohio figure alongside.
- life expectancy at birth
- 76.4 years
- Ohio 75.2
- years of life lost before 75, per 100,000 (premature death)
- 8,090.2
- Ohio 9,740
- population health group among U.S. counties
- 3 of 10
- 1 is healthiest
- community conditions group among U.S. counties
- 3 of 10
- 1 is best
- of children in poverty
- 11.1%
- Ohio 17.5%
- uninsured
- 6.1%
- Ohio 7.1%
No community water system in the county had a health-based drinking water violation in the rankings' reporting year.
| Measure | Fairfield County | Ohio |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth (years) | 76.4 | 75.2 |
| Years of potential life lost before 75, per 100,000 (premature death) | 8,090.2 | 9,740 |
| Adults in fair or poor health | 19.0% | 17.9% |
| Uninsured | 6.1% | 7.1% |
| Children in poverty | 11.1% | 17.5% |
| Median household income | $84,701 | $67,873 |
| Income inequality (80th to 20th percentile household income ratio) | 4.0 | 4.6 |
| Households with severe housing problems | 11.0% | 12.7% |
| People per primary care physician | 1,790 | 1,328 |
| People per mental health provider | 494 | 286 |
| People per dentist | 2,011 | 1,535 |
| Preventable hospital stays per 100,000 Medicare enrollees | 2,484 | 3,033 |
| Medicare enrollees with a flu vaccination | 53% | 51% |
| Injury deaths per 100,000 | 88.6 | 100.7 |
| Suicides per 100,000 | 13.8 | 14.7 |
| Child deaths per 100,000 (under 18) | 44.2 | 59.2 |
| Infant deaths per 1,000 live births | 6.3 | 7.0 |
| Teen births per 1,000 females 15 to 19 | 12.6 | 17.4 |
| Average daily fine-particle pollution (PM2.5, µg/m³) | 8.3 | 7.8 |
| Any drinking water violation in the county | No | |
| Population used by the rankings | 165,360 | |
| Population health group (1 to 10 among U.S. counties; 1 is healthiest) | 3 | |
| Community conditions group (1 to 10 among U.S. counties; 1 is best) | 3 |
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute) · County Health Rankings · About this topic
Cancer
New cancers and cancer deaths per 100,000 people, age-adjusted, from the National Cancer Institute's State Cancer Profiles.
- new cancers a year per 100,000 people, age-adjusted, 2018 to 2022
- 473.7
- Ohio 472.9 · U.S. 448.6
- cases a year
- 930
- incidence trend
- stable
- cancer deaths a year per 100,000, age-adjusted, 2019 to 2023
- 158.2
- Ohio 160.3 · U.S. 145.4
- cancer deaths a year
- 319
- death-rate trend
- falling
- -1.3% a year
| Site | Per 100,000 | Ohio | Cases a year | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lung | 60.0 | 63.6 | 123 | falling |
| Colorectal | 38.2 | 38.4 | 72 | stable |
| Female breast | 131.1 | 133.0 | 131 | stable |
| Prostate | 140.1 | 120.8 | 140 | stable |
| Leukemia | 11.5 | 13.0 | 21 | stable |
| Bladder | 22.1 | 21.8 | 44 | stable |
Source: NCI State Cancer Profiles, county incidence 2018-2022 and mortality 2019-2023 · NCI cancer profiles · About this topic
Drug overdoses
Provisional overdose death counts by county from the CDC, 12 months at a time.
- overdose deaths in the 12 months ending December 2025
- 29
- CDC provisional count
- deaths per 100,000 residents
- 17.5
- Ohio 20.8
- deaths a year earlier
- 40
- highest 12-month total since 2020
- 71
- 12 months ending June 2022
Source: CDC NCHS provisional county drug overdose deaths, 12-month-ending counts; CDC VSRR for the Ohio row · CDC overdose data · About this topic
Medicare
Who in the county is on Medicare and how they are covered, from CMS enrollment counts.
- people on Medicare, 2025
- 32,365
- 19% of residents
- aged 65 or over
- 28,946
- younger people with disabilities
- 3,419
- chose a Medicare Advantage plan
- 58.8%
- also on Medicaid
- 12.6%
- with Part D drug coverage
- 83.8%
- enrollment since 2020
- +7.6%
- 30,075 enrollees then
Source: CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment by county, 2025 · CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment · About this topic
Severe weather
Hail, wind, flooding and tornado reports logged for the county in NOAA's Storm Events database.
- severe weather reports, 2016 to 2026
- 181
- NOAA Storm Events log
- injury
- 1
- in reported damage
- $2 million
- largest hail
- 2.50 in
- May 3, 2022
- strongest measured gust
- 62 mph
- March 7, 2026
The costliest event was tornadoes on April 5, 2023, $250,000 in damage. The first sign of tornadic damage was observed along Election House Road NW, where an outbuilding lost several metal panels from the roof. These panels were fou…
| Kind | Reports |
|---|---|
| damaging thunderstorm wind | 91 |
| hail | 33 |
| river and street flooding | 30 |
| flash floods | 22 |
| Kind | Reports |
|---|---|
| winter weather | 43 |
| winter storms | 15 |
| high wind | 5 |
Source: NOAA Storm Events database, 2016-2026 · NOAA storm events · About this topic
Weather warnings
Every warning, watch and advisory the National Weather Service has issued for the county since 2015.
- tornado warnings since 2015
- 19
- severe thunderstorm warnings
- 198
- flash flood warnings
- 31
- winter storm or blizzard warnings
- 18
- warnings, watches and advisories in all
- 1,036
| Product | Count |
|---|---|
| Tornado Warning | 19 |
| Tornado Watch | 28 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 198 |
| Flash Flood Warning | 31 |
| Flood Warning | 13 |
| Areal Flood Warning | 20 |
| Areal Flood Advisory | 144 |
| Winter Storm Warning | 18 |
| Winter Weather Advisory | 84 |
| Excessive Heat Warning | 4 |
| Heat Advisory | 25 |
| Extreme Cold Warning | 3 |
| Wind Chill Warning | 3 |
| Snow Squall Warning | 3 |
| Year | Warnings |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 5 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 | 4 |
Source: National Weather Service warnings/watches/advisories, Iowa Environmental Mesonet VTEC archive, since 2015 · IEM warning archive · About this topic
Drought
How often the U.S. Drought Monitor has put the county in drought since 2000.
- weeks in moderate drought or worse since 2020
- 28
- of them severe or worse
- 13
- most recently 13 weeks in 2024
- weeks at least abnormally dry since 2020
- 60
- of all weeks since 2000 in drought
- 5%
The worst reading since 2000 was exceptional drought in September 2024.
As of September 1, 2026: no drought.
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor weekly county statistics, 2000-2026 · U.S. Drought Monitor · About this topic
Hazard mitigation
FEMA-funded projects in the county that reduce future flood, storm and other losses: buyouts, plans, studies and equipment.
- hazard mitigation projects since 2009
- 4
- FEMA grants
- total project worth
- $6 million
- $3 million federal
- properties covered
- 3
Largest: Stormwater Management - Detention/Retention Basins for Lancaster, $4 million (fiscal 2012).
| Project type | Projects |
|---|---|
| Advance Assistance (FMA and PDMC) | 1 |
| Stormwater Management - Detention/Retention Basins | 1 |
| Safe Room (Tornado and Severe Wind Shelter) - Public Structures | 1 |
Source: OpenFEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance projects, v4 API · OpenFEMA · About this topic
Clean air standards
Which federal air standards the county fails or once failed, from the EPA's Green Book.
Fairfield County is a maintenance area for the ozone (2008) standard (Columbus, OH area, redesignated 2016), the ozone (2015) standard (Columbus, OH area, redesignated 2019), the fine particulate (1997) standard (Columbus, OH area, redesignated 2013), meaning it once failed that standard and must keep a plan to stay clean.
| Standard | Area | Classification | Status | Redesignated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ozone (2008) | Columbus, OH | Marginal | maintenance | 2016 |
| ozone (2015) | Columbus, OH | Marginal | maintenance | 2019 |
| fine particulate (1997) | Columbus, OH | Former Subpart 1 | maintenance | 2013 |
Source: EPA Green Book county nonattainment/maintenance status (nayro.xls, September 2026) · EPA Green Book · About this topic
Air toxics
The EPA's modeled lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics across the county.
- lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics
- 30 in a million
- EPA AirToxScreen 2020
Mostly formaldehyde (17.6 in a million) and carbon tetrachloride (2.9 in a million).
Source: EPA AirToxScreen 2020 · EPA AirToxScreen · About this topic
Fluoridated water
The share of county residents on community water whose water is fluoridated, from the Ohio Department of Health.
- of residents on community water receive fluoridated water
- 48.6%
Source: Ohio Department of Health county fluoridation profiles (DataOhio) · ODH fluoridation report (DataOhio) · EPA SDWIS search · About this topic
Firefighting foam (PFAS)
PFAS-based aqueous film-forming foam registered in the county with Ohio EPA, which is collecting it for disposal so it is never sprayed again.
- fire departments or other holders registered
- 2
- of PFAS-based AFFF foam registered with Ohio EPA
- 85 gal
- in sealed containers
- 75 gal
- in opened containers
- 10 gal
Source: Ohio EPA AFFF firefighting-foam inventory · Ohio EPA PFAS · About this topic
Road salt grants
H2Ohio pays for brine makers, calibrated spreaders and covered salt barns so less chloride reaches streams and wells.
- H2Ohio chloride-reduction grants awarded in the county
- 2
Source: Ohio EPA H2Ohio chloride reduction grants · Ohio EPA chloride reduction grants · About this topic
Rail accidents
Accidents railroads reported to the Federal Railroad Administration in the county since 2010. Yard mishaps at walking speed dominate; main-line derailments are the rare, dangerous ones.
- rail equipment accidents since 2010
- 3
- FRA Form 54
- derailments
- 3
Source: FRA Form 54 rail equipment accident reports, county fallback for railAccidentLine() · FRA rail equipment accidents (Form 54) · About this topic
House records
Where the house-by-house records on this county's ZIP pages come from, and how current they are.
- parcel records placed on the map
- 57,881
- snapshot of August 20, 2026
Fairfield County Auditor, iasWorld CAMA extract (characteristics, values, sales, tax).
Office: Fairfield County Auditor (Lancaster, Ohio); parcel polygons from the Auditor's Office GIS data downloads.
These are full appraisal records: every house's year built, value and sales history opens from its ZIP page.
Source: Fairfield County Auditor, iasWorld CAMA extract (characteristics, values, sales, tax), snapshot 2026-08-20 · Fairfield County Auditor (Lancaster · About this topic
Places
The 27 cities, villages and townships whose residents live mostly in Fairfield County, with the population of each.
Cities 2
Villages 12
Townships 13
ZIP codes
The 13 ZIP codes whose residents live mostly in Fairfield County, largest first. Each links to its own page; the water system column links to the utility serving most of its residents.
| ZIP | Name | Residents | Water system | Radon | Home value | School district | Flood |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43130 | Lancaster | 62,010 | Lancaster City 58% Groundwater (wells) |
8.5 pCi/L average radon | Median home $230,000 | Lancaster City 3.5 stars overall | 6.2% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43147 | Pickerington | 45,281 | Pickerington City 43% Groundwater (wells) |
7.0 pCi/L average radon | Median home $348,300 | Pickerington Local 4 stars overall | 3.1% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43105 | Liberty Township and Baltimore | 8,458 | Baltimore Village 34% Mostly private wells |
7.3 pCi/L average radon | Median home $340,900 | Liberty Union-Thurston Local 4.5 stars overall | 6.3% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43112 | Bloom Township and Carroll | 5,052 | Carroll Village 10% Mostly private wells |
11.6 pCi/L average radon | Median home $338,300 | Bloom Carroll Local 4 stars overall | 2.3% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43102 | Clearcreek Township and Amanda | 4,610 | Amanda Village 14% Mostly private wells |
6.5 pCi/L average radon | Median home $304,500 | Amanda-Clearcreek Local 3 stars overall | 1.4% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43107 | Rushcreek Township and Bremen | 3,232 | Bremen Village 45% Mostly private wells |
12.3 pCi/L average radon | Median home $241,600 | Fairfield Union Local 4 stars overall | 4.7% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43046 | Walnut Township and Millersport | 3,195 | Millersport Village 35% Mostly private wells |
4.7 pCi/L average radon | Median home $281,300 | Walnut Township Local 2.5 stars overall | 18% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43154 | Clearcreek Township and Stoutsville | 3,014 | no mapped system | 6.7 pCi/L average radon | Median home $250,700 | Amanda-Clearcreek Local 3 stars overall | 0.0% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43155 | Berne Township and Sugar Grove | 2,531 | Sugar Grove Village 16% Mostly private wells |
11.7 pCi/L average radon | Median home $242,200 | Berne Union Local 3.5 stars overall | 10% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43148 | Pleasantville | 2,431 | Pleasantville Village 39% Mostly private wells |
7.0 pCi/L average radon | Median home $242,000 | Fairfield Union Local 4 stars overall | 2.0% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43150 | Richland Township and Rushville | 2,302 | Rushville Village 6% Mostly private wells |
8.3 pCi/L average radon | Median home $271,500 | Fairfield Union Local 4 stars overall | 0.0% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43136 | Lithopolis | 1,977 | Lithopolis Village 98% Groundwater (wells) |
7.5 pCi/L average radon | Median home $335,400 | Bloom Carroll Local 4 stars overall | 0.0% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43157 | Thurston | 599 | Thurston Village 99% Groundwater (wells) |
5.5 pCi/L average radon | Median home $157,500 | Liberty Union-Thurston Local 4.5 stars overall | 0.0% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
Source: residents: 2020 Census (POP100, ZCTA) · water systems: EPA SDWIS + service-area-boundary join · radon: Ohio Department of Health radon test results by ZIP since 2010 · home value: Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year by ZCTA (housing/commute tables) · school districts: Ohio school district boundaries (OGRIP via ODOT) · flood: FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer.
On the map
The map has no county view of its own yet: open it at 43130, the county's most populous ZIP code, and zoom out. Every ZIP code in the table above links to its page, and each page opens the map at that ZIP.
Rankings within the county
The county's ZIP codes ranked by what the map measures; each heading links to the topic's page.
How Fairfield County began
Fairfield County was organized by proclamation of Governor Arthur St. Clair on December 9, 1800, out of Ross and Washington counties, and named, an 1877 county history explains, for "the many beautiful champaign fields of land lying within its original boundaries." Its seat, Lancaster, was platted that same year by Ebenezer Zane where his new road, Zane's Trace, crossed the Hocking River, on ground the Wyandot called the Standing Stone and where the town of their principal chief, Tarhe, stood until the 1795 Treaty of Greenville forced his people toward the Sandusky. The county gave the country the Sherman brothers, grew on the Ohio Canal's Lancaster Lateral and Hocking feeder lines and then on the railroads that replaced them, built one of Ohio's longest-running county fairs, and struck oil at Bremen in 1907. Buckeye Lake's canal-era reservoir laps the county's northern edge, the Wagnalls Memorial has anchored Lithopolis since 1925, and since 1990 Columbus's growth has turned Violet Township's farmland into the city of Pickerington, whose population has more than quadrupled.
Lancaster was platted in the fall of 1800 by Ebenezer Zane, on the section of land Congress had granted him for cutting Zane's Trace, at the point where the Trace crossed the Hocking River; the Northwest Territory's governor and council named the new town, then called New Lancaster, the county's seat of justice the same December day the county itself was organized. No rival town seriously contested the choice, and Lancaster has been the seat continuously since.
Researched 2026-09-15 · archive.org · archive.org · archive.org · en.wikipedia.org. The full history, with photographs, is on the pages of the county's places.
Cite and data
Cite this page as:
Ohio Hometown Atlas (Open Shower Co), "Fairfield County", https://hometownatlas.openshowerco.com/county/fairfield/, built 2026-09-15, accessed [date].
Machine-readable: /api/county/fairfield.json (open JSON, CC BY 4.0 for the compilation; the underlying records keep their own terms) · How to cite · Report a correction · Built 2026-09-15