Pickaway County
County
Pickaway County Courthouse
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Ohio
Ohio's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°38′N 83°02′W / 39.64°N 83.03°W / 39.64; -83.03
Country	United States
State	Ohio
Founded	March 1, 1810[1]
Named for	Pekowi band
Seat	Circleville
Largest city	Circleville
Area
• Total	507 sq mi (1,310 km2)
• Land	501.32 sq mi (1,298.4 km2)
• Water	5.23 sq mi (13.5 km2)  1.0%
Population  (2020)
• Total	58,539
• Density	120/sq mi (50/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	www.pickaway.org

Pickaway County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,539.^[2] Its county seat is Circleville.^[3] Its name derives from the Pekowi band of Shawnee Indians, who inhabited the area. (See List of Ohio county name etymologies.)

Pickaway County is part of the Columbus, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The future state of Ohio was part of the Northwest Territory, created in 1787. To begin providing local control of this area, several counties were designated, among them Washington (1788) and Wayne (1796) Counties. Portions of these counties were partitioned off to create Ross (1798), Fairfield (1800), and Franklin (1803) Counties. An act of the General Assembly of Ohio (January 12, 1810) directed that portions of Fairfield, Franklin, and Ross counties were to be partitioned off to create Pickaway County effective March 1, 1810, with Circleville named as county seat later that year (see History of Circleville).

Geography

The Scioto River flows southward through the center of Pickaway County. Big Darby Creek drains the upper western part of the county, discharging into the Scioto at Circleville, and Deer Creek drains the lower western part of the county, flowing southward into Ross County. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills carved with drainages; all available areas (87%)^[4] are devoted to agriculture.^[5] The terrain's highest point (1,090' or 332 m ASL) lies on the county's east border, 2.4 miles (3.9 km) east-northeast of Hargus Lake.^[6] The county has a total area of 506.55 square miles (1,312.0 km²), of which 501.32 square miles (1,298.4 km²) is land and 5.23 square miles (13.5 km²) (1.0%) is water.^[7]

Adjacent counties

Main highways

Protected areas

• A. W. Marion State Park
• Deer Creek State Park (part)
• Stage's Pond State Nature Preserve

Lakes

• Deer Creek Lake (part)
• Hargus Lake

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 55,698 people, 19,624 households, and 14,286 families in the county.^[12] The population density was 111.1 people per square mile (42.9 people/km²).^[13] The racial makeup of the county was 94.5% white, 3.4% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population.^[12] In terms of ancestry, 27.0% were German, 16.3% were American, 14.9% were Irish, and 11.1% were English.^[14]

Of the 19,624 households, 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.2% were non-families, and 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age was 38.5 years.^[12]

The median income for a household in the county was $49,262 and the median income for a family was $58,811. Males had a median income of $44,224 versus $35,077 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,432. About 9.5% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.3% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.^[15]

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census,^[16] there were 52,727 people, 17,599 households, and 13,287 families in the county. The population density was 105.2 people per square mile (40.6 people/km²). There were 18,596 housing units at an average density of 37.1 units per square mile (14.3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.95% White, 6.43% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. 0.63% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 17,599 households, out of which 35.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.50% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.50% were non-families. 20.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.02.

The county population contained 24.30% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 32.60% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 10.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 122.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 125.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,832, and the median income for a family was $49,259. Males had a median income of $36,265 versus $26,086 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,478. About 7.60% of families and 9.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.40% of those under age 18 and 7.00% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Prior to 1952, Pickaway County was strongly Democratic in presidential elections, only backing two Republican candidates for president from 1856 to 1948. Starting with the 1952 election, it has become a Republican Party stronghold, with the sole Democrat to win the county in a presidential election since then being Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 in the midst of his statewide & national landslide victory.