Cuyahoga County ( or , see ) is a large urban county in the U.S. state of Ohio. The county seat and most populous city is Cleveland. As of the 2025 census estimates, its population was 1,232,925, making it the second-most populous county in the state and the most populous in Northeast Ohio.
Cuyahoga County is situated on the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S.–Canada maritime border. The county is bisected by the Cuyahoga River, after which it was named. "Cuyahoga" is an Iroquoian word meaning "crooked river". It is the core county of the Cleveland, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area and Cleveland–Akron–Canton, OH Combined Statistical Area.
History
The land that became Cuyahoga County was previously part of the French colony of Canada (New France), which was ceded in 1763 to Great Britain and renamed Province of Quebec. In the early 1790s, the land became part of the Connecticut Western Reserve in the Northwest Territory, and it was purchased by the Connecticut Land Company in 1795. Cleveland was established one year later by General Moses Cleaveland near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River.
Cuyahoga County was created on June 7, 1807, and organized on May 1, 1810. Cleveland (then also known as "Cleaveland") was selected as the county seat in 1809. The county was later reduced in size by the creation of Huron, Lake, and Lorain counties.
In 1831, future U.S. President James A. Garfield was born in what was at the time Cuyahoga County's Orange Township.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which are land and (63%) are water. It is the second-largest county in Ohio by area. A portion of Cuyahoga Valley National Park is in the county's southeastern section.
Adjacent counties Lake County (northeast) Geauga County (east) Summit County (southeast) Medina County (southwest) Lorain County (west) Portage County (southeast)
Demographics
2020 census +Cuyahoga County, Ohio – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)1,118,2891,011,481918,577785,977718,75374.63%71.63%65.90%61.40%56.83%Black or African American alone (NH)338,591348,153379,397374,968365,16922.60%24.65%27.22%29.29%28.87%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1,6442,3112,1562,0181,8270.11%0.16%0.15%0.16%0.14%Asian alone (NH)11,47017,73625,01932,61543,7390.77%1.26%1.79%2.55%3.46%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census257217249xx0.02%0.02%0.02%Other race alone (NH)4,3781,0121,9001,8425,7450.29%0.07%0.14%0.14%0.45%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census19,59421,21546,008xx1.41%1.66%3.64%Hispanic or Latino (any race)24,02831,44747,07861,27083,3271.60%2.23%3.38%4.79%6.59%Total1,498,4001,412,1401,393,9781,280,1221,264,817 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
Racial / Ethnic Profile of places in Cuyahoga County, Ohio (2020 Census)Following is a table of cities, villages, and census designated places in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Data for the United States (with and without Puerto Rico), the state of Ohio, and Cuyahoga County itself have been included for comparison purposes. The majority racial/ethnic group is coded per the key below. Communities that extend into and adjacent county or counties are delineated with a followed by an accompanying explanatory note. The full population of each community has been tabulated including the population in adjacent counties. Majority minority with no dominant groupMajority WhiteMajority BlackMajority HispanicMajority Asian
+Racial and ethnic composition of places in Cuyahoga County (2020 Census) (NH = Non-Hispanic)PlaceDesignationTotal PopulationWhite alone (NH)%Black or African American alone (NH)%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)%Asian alone (NH)%Pacific Islander alone (NH)%Other race alone (NH)%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)%Hispanic or Latino (any race)%United States of America (50 states and D.C.) x331,449,281191,697,64757.84%39,940,33812.05%2,251,6990.68%19,618,7195.92%622,0180.19%1,689,8330.51%13,548,9834.09%62,080,04418.73% x334,735,155191,722,19557.28%39,944,62411.93%2,252,0110.67%19,621,4655.86%622,1090.19%1,692,3410.51%13,551,3234.05%65,329,08719.52% State 11,799,448 8,954,135 75.89% 1,457,180 12.35% 18,949 0.16% 296,604 2.51% 4,493 0.04% 45,217 0.38% 501,562 4.25% 521,308 4.42% County 1,264,817 718,753 56.83% 365,169 28.87% 1,827 0.14% 43,739 3.46% 249 0.02% 5,745 0.45% 46,008 3.64% 83,327 6.59% Bay Village City 16,163 15,019 92.92% 95 0.59% 2 0.01% 162 1.00% 1 0.01% 26 0.16% 422 2.61% 436 2.70% Beachwood City 14,040 9,515 67.77% 1,954 13.92% 4 0.03% 1,644 11.71% 0 0.00% 118 0.84% 451 3.21% 354 2.52% Bedford City 13,149 5,252 39.94% 6,835 51.98% 25 0.19% 103 0.78% 7 0.05% 40 0.30% 491 3.73% 396 3.01% Bedford Heights City 11,020 1,473 13.37% 8,479 76.94% 16 0.15% 104 0.94% 4 0.04% 41 0.37% 401 3.64% 502 4.56% Berea City 18,545 15,258 82.28% 1,210 6.52% 32 0.17% 406 2.19% 5 0.03% 51 0.28% 841 4.53% 742 4.00% Brecksville City 13,635 12,283 90.08% 103 0.76% 6 0.04% 480 3.52% 3 0.02% 28 0.21% 461 3.38% 271 1.99% Broadview Heights City 19,936 16,987 85.21% 522 2.62% 10 0.05% 1,035 5.19% 0 0.00% 63 0.32% 694 3.48% 625 3.14% Brook Park City 18,595 15,332 82.45% 772 4.15% 13 0.07% 447 2.40% 1 0.01% 55 0.30% 827 4.45% 1,148 6.17% Brooklyn City 11,359 7,378 64.95% 988 8.70% 23 0.20% 651 5.73% 0 0.00% 58 0.51% 467 4.11% 1,794 15.79% Cleveland City 372,624 119,547 32.08% 176,813 47.45% 844 0.23% 10,390 2.79% 100 0.03% 1,970 0.53% 14,261 3.83% 48,699 13.07% Cleveland Heights City 45,312 20,677 45.63% 18,534 40.90% 55 0.12% 2,274 5.02% 5 0.01% 357 0.79% 1,874 4.14% 1,536 3.39% East Cleveland City 13,792 630 4.57% 12,314 89.28% 31 0.22% 44 0.32% 5 0.04% 64 0.46% 474 3.44% 230 1.67% Euclid City 49,692 14,649 29.48% 31,562 63.52% 80 0.16% 314 0.63% 6 0.01% 297 0.60% 1,736 3.49% 1,048 2.11% Fairview Park City 17,291 15,138 87.55% 446 2.58% 14 0.08% 280 1.62% 5 0.03% 74 0.43% 603 3.49% 731 4.23% Garfield Heights City 29,781 10,502 35.26% 16,618 55.80% 37 0.12% 266 0.89% 3 0.01% 88 0.30% 1,097 3.68% 1,170 3.93% Highland Heights City 8,719 7,489 85.89% 265 3.04% 4 0.05% 598 6.86% 0 0.00% 9 0.10% 188 2.16% 166 1.90% Independence City 7,584 6,902 91.01% 58 0.76% 7 0.09% 217 2.86% 0 0.00% 22 0.29% 228 3.01% 150 1.98% Lakewood City 50,942 42,164 82.77% 2,674 5.25% 57 0.11% 1,219 2.39% 16 0.03% 192 0.38% 2,136 4.19% 2,484 4.88% Lyndhurst City 14,050 10,676 75.99% 2,061 14.67% 8 0.06% 430 3.06% 1 0.01% 72 0.51% 454 3.23% 348 2.48% Maple Heights City 23,701 4,322 18.24% 17,679 74.59% 48 0.20% 137 0.58% 5 0.02% 134 0.57% 723 3.05% 653 2.76% Mayfield Heights City 20,351 13,674 67.19% 3,406 16.74% 30 0.15% 1,760 8.65% 1 0.00% 72 0.35% 765 3.76% 643 3.16% Middleburg Heights City 16,004 13,031 81.42% 348 2.17% 29 0.18% 1,410 8.81% 6 0.04% 39 0.24% 452 2.82% 689 4.31% North Olmsted City 32,442 27,577 85.00% 950 2.93% 32 0.10% 903 2.78% 8 0.02% 116 0.36% 1,228 3.79% 1,628 5.02% North Royalton City 31,322 27,552 87.96% 544 1.74% 31 0.10% 1,332 4.25% 0 0.00% 67 0.21% 947 3.02% 849 2.71% Olmsted Falls City 8,582 7,631 88.92% 159 1.85% 4 0.05% 119 1.39% 0 0.00% 30 0.35% 326 3.80% 313 3.65% Parma City 81,146 66,785 82.30% 3,271 4.03% 140 0.17% 2,027 2.50% 8 0.01% 257 0.32% 723 0.89% 5,564 6.86% Parma Heights City 20,863 16,646 79.79% 1,183 5.67% 22 0.11% 815 3.91% 2 0.01% 74 0.35% 775 3.71% 1,346 6.45% Pepper Pike City 6,796 5,237 77.06% 377 5.55% 9 0.13% 629 9.26% 0 0.00% 57 0.84% 289 4.25% 198 2.91% Richmond Heights City 10,801 3,474 32.16% 6,361 58.89% 7 0.06% 343 3.18% 1 0.01% 47 0.44% 310 2.87% 258 2.39% Rocky River City 21,755 19,546 89.85% 278 1.28% 18 0.08% 511 2.35% 8 0.04% 76 0.35% 612 2.81% 706 3.25% Seven Hills City 11,720 10,457 89.22% 227 1.94% 6 0.05% 356 3.04% 1 0.01% 39 0.33% 306 2.61% 328 2.80% Shaker Heights City 29,439 15,672 53.24% 9,915 33.68% 18 0.06% 1,288 4.38% 7 0.02% 186 0.63% 1,412 4.80% 941 3.20% Solon City 24,262 15,865 65.39% 2,819 11.62% 24 0.10% 4,001 16.49% 3 0.01% 86 0.35% 871 3.59% 593 2.44% South Euclid City 21,883 8,185 37.40% 11,596 52.99% 18 0.08% 378 1.73% 5 0.02% 152 0.69% 819 3.74% 730 3.34% Strongsville City 46,491 39,100 84.10% 1,187 2.55% 50 0.11% 2,908 6.25% 14 0.03% 134 0.29% 1,453 3.13% 1,645 3.54% University Heights City 13,914 9,638 69.27% 2,953 21.22% 6 0.04% 314 2.26% 4 0.03% 127 0.91% 412 2.96% 460 3.31% Warrensville Heights City 13,789 421 3.05% 12,559 91.08% 25 0.18% 75 0.54% 3 0.02% 79 0.57% 342 2.48% 285 2.07% Westlake City 34,228 29,020 84.78% 773 2.26% 16 0.05% 1,963 5.74% 9 0.03% 146 0.43% 1,144 3.34% 1,157 3.38% Bentleyville Village 897 810 90.30% 7 0.78% 0 0.00% 21 2.34% 0 0.00% 2 0.22% 28 3.12% 29 3.23% Bratenahl Village 1,430 1,048 73.29% 225 15.73% 0 0.00% 55 3.85% 0 0.00% 21 1.47% 45 3.15% 36 2.52% Brooklyn Heights Village 1,519 1,351 88.94% 25 1.65% 4 0.26% 36 2.37% 0 0.00% 1 0.07% 37 2.44% 65 4.28% Chagrin Falls Village 4,188 3,888 92.84% 52 1.24% 5 0.12% 22 0.53% 0 0.00% 12 0.29% 110 2.63% 99 2.36% Cuyahoga Heights Village 573 486 84.82% 8 1.40% 0 0.00% 15 2.62% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 37 6.46% 27 4.71% Gates Mills Village 2,264 1,998 88.25% 52 2.30% 2 0.09% 84 3.71% 0 0.00% 8 0.35% 63 2.78% 57 2.52% Glenwillow Village 994 437 43.96% 330 33.20% 0 0.00% 178 17.91% 0 0.00% 6 0.60% 32 3.22% 11 1.11% Highland Hills Village 662 73 11.03% 561 84.74% 0 0.00% 1 0.15% 0 0.00% 3 0.45% 10 1.51% 14 2.11% Hunting Valley partly in Geauga County Village 763 668 87.55% 5 0.66% 0 0.00% 27 3.54% 0 0.00% 3 0.39% 20 2.62% 40 5.24% Linndale Village 108 72 66.67% 12 11.11% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 4 3.70% 0 0.00% 20 18.52% Mayfield Village 3,356 2,865 85.37% 181 5.39% 1 0.03% 115 3.43% 0 0.00% 17 0.51% 99 2.95% 78 2.32% Moreland Hills Village 3,466 2,968 85.63% 120 3.46% 1 0.03% 149 4.30% 0 0.00% 5 0.14% 129 3.72% 94 2.71% Newburgh Heights Village 1,862 1,249 67.08% 338 18.15% 2 0.11% 5 0.27% 0 0.00% 22 1.18% 92 4.94% 154 8.27% North Randall Village 954 73 7.65% 812 85.12% 2 0.21% 9 0.94% 0 0.00% 5 0.52% 58 6.08% 31 3.25% Oakwood Village 3,572 1,042 29.17% 2,272 63.61% 6 0.17% 18 0.50% 0 0.00% 26 0.73% 131 3.67% 77 2.16% Orange Village 3,421 2,557 74.74% 382 11.17% 0 0.00% 265 7.75% 0 0.00% 8 0.23% 143 4.18% 66 1.93% Valley View Village 1,897 1,773 93.46% 8 0.42% 0 0.00% 24 1.27% 1 0.05% 9 0.47% 50 2.64% 32 1.69% Walton Hills Village 2,033 1,731 85.15% 204 10.03% 0 0.00% 17 0.84% 0 0.00% 4 0.20% 52 2.56% 25 1.23% Woodmere Village 641 158 24.65% 384 59.91% 0 0.00% 28 4.37% 0 0.00% 4 0.62% 40 6.24% 27 4.21%
As of the 2020 census, there were 1,264,817 people and 555,988 households residing in the county, along with 309,691 families. The population density was .
The median age was 40.5 years. 20.2% of residents were under the age of 18, 5.3% were under 5 years of age, and 18.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.7 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 58.2% White, 29.3% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.5% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.8% from some other race, and 5.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.6% of the population.
99.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.6% lived in rural areas.
Of those households, 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 34.4% were married-couple households, 22.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 35.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 37.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.