Hardin County sees population drop 2.7% in Census report

By DAN ROBINSON

Times staff writer

Hardin County’s population has declined by 1,362 people or 2.7 percent over the last decade according to the U.S. Census report for 2020. 

The population in the county was 32,058 in 2010 and for 2020, according to the report, there were 30,696 people calling Hardin County their home. That puts Hardin at 73rd of Ohio’s 88 counties in population. 

The male/female ratio was nearly even in the local population with 50.1 percent of the county being female, the report continued. 

Those under the age of 5 represents six percent of the residents. Those under the age of 18 amounts to 23.2 percent, while those older than 65 is at 16.3 percent. The median age for the county is 35.9 years. 

Most of the people who live here were born here, according to the census report, with 84.44 percent of the population native to Hardin County. Only 1.8 percent were born in another country. 

The population is 96.3 percent white with 1.9 percent Hispanic and one percent black. 

Those who left school before graduating make up about 6.97 percent with 48.02 earning a high school diploma. Another 10.28 percent have a bachelor’s degree and 5.93 percent of the population has a graduates degree. 

There are 3.4 people in the average Hardin County family and 2.49 persons per household in 13,252 units. The median rent paid, according to the census report, is $666 per month. The median value of a house in Hardin County is $105,300 with 71 percent of the houses occupied by the owner. 

The average Hardin County worker drives 24.6 miles per day to get to and from their job. The median income for the county is $50,506 per family and $23,383 per capital. 

The report says 85 percent of the Hardin County homes have computers with 77 percent reporting access to wideband internet service. 

The poverty rate for the county is 13.9 percent, with Kenton and Ada showing poverty rates of 18.4 percent each, according to the report. 

Dunkirk’s population rate fell the most of any county village. The population of Dunkirk dropped from 871 in 2010 to 774 last year.The village had 954 residents reported in the 2000 cencus for a decline in population of 180 in 20 years. 

Ada’s population also suffered a loss in the 2020 census. In 2010, there were 5,961 people living in Ada, according to the census report. In 2020, that number fell to 5,334, a drop of 627 people. 

Kenton’s population also showed a decline from 8,324 to 7,947 over the decade, a loss of 377. The number of people calling Forest home dropped from 2010’s 1,461 to 1,350 in the latest report. That is a loss of 111 residents. 

Alger’s population was 863 in 2010 and is reported at 837 in the latest report for a loss of 26 people. Mount Victory’s latest numbers are at 601, compared to 623 in 2010, while Ridgeway lost 24 people between 2010 and 2020. It’s population was 338 ten years ago and is 314 now. There were 497 people living in McGuffey in 2010 and there are 466 there today, according to the report. 

Regional Planning Director Mark Doll noted the latest census numbers are not yet official. He provided a chart with the census of the county going back to 1990. 

During that time, the population in each of the municipalities in the county declined except for Mount Victory, which went from 540 in 1990 to the current 601. The unicorporated community of Dola also saw an increase in numbers, according to the records provided. In 1990, there were 97 residents of Dola and today’s numbers are at 143. 

During that 30 year span, Kenton’s population went from 8,538 to 7,947, according to the records. Dunkirk’s highest numbers in that period were 954 in the 2000 census.