• county
  • FIPS 39039
  • Largest town: Defiance

Defiance County, Ohio

Defiance County had 38,644 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 411.4 square miles of land. It ranks 64th of 88 in Ohio by population and 62nd by land area.

Population
38,644
#64 of 88 in Ohio · #1,216 in US
Area
411.4 sq mi
#62 of 88 in Ohio · #2,459 in US
Density
94 / sq mi
#58 of 88 in Ohio · #960 in US
Median household income
$72,241
#25 of 88 in Ohio · #836 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Defiance County within Ohio. Pin: Columbus.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Defiance County

Defiance County population, land area and income

Defiance County had 38,644 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 411.4 square miles of land. It ranks 64th of 88 in Ohio by population and 62nd by land area. That works out to 93.9 people per square mile, near the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Ohio has 58,250 residents; Defiance County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $72,241 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

38,644

3144th1st

1216th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

411 sq mi

3144th1st

2459th of 3,144 (US)

Density

93.9 / sq mi

3144th1st

960th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$72,241

3143rd1st

836th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Ohio (88)

Population

38,644

88th1st

64th of 88 (OH)

Land area

411 sq mi

88th1st

62nd of 88 (OH)

Density

93.9 / sq mi

88th1st

58th of 88 (OH)

Median household income

$72,241

88th1st

25th of 88 (OH)

How Defiance County's population changed since 2020

Defiance County gained 377 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 1.0%. That ranks 22nd of 88 in Ohio for growth. The median Ohio county changed by -0.2%, and the state as a whole by +0.7%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Defiance County recorded 1,726 births and 1,966 deaths, a natural change of -240. Net international migration added +526 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +84. The largest single component was international migration, which added 526 people.

38.3k202038.2k202138.2k202238.4k202338.6k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
1,726
Deaths
1,966
Net international migration
+526
Net domestic migration
+84
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+207

Where Defiance County is

The Census internal point of Defiance County is at 41.321700, -84.486400. It sits in UTM zone 16N. The map shades Ohio's 88 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Defiance County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Shelby County: -0.4%Defiance County: +1.0%Darke County: -0.8%Seneca County: -0.6%Wood County: +0.6%Fayette County: -0.7%Clark County: -0.7%Hocking County: -2.2%Jackson County: +0.2%Miami County: +2.7%Richland County: -0.1%Union County: +13.7%Auglaize County: -1.2%Hancock County: +0.1%Morgan County: -1.6%Van Wert County: -0.1%Hardin County: -1.0%Paulding County: -0.3%Portage County: +1.2%Delaware County: +10.6%Harrison County: -3.1%Ross County: -1.3%Crawford County: -0.9%Clinton County: -0.0%Henry County: -0.5%Pike County: -0.0%Cuyahoga County: -1.7%Highland County: +1.0%Knox County: +1.7%Ottawa County: -1.5%Huron County: -0.6%Erie County: -2.2%Holmes County: +1.0%Lawrence County: -4.0%Marion County: -0.6%Fairfield County: +5.2%Putnam County: -0.6%Guernsey County: -0.5%Vinton County: -2.1%Gallia County: -1.2%Trumbull County: -0.7%Wayne County: -0.2%Perry County: +0.6%Ashland County: -0.1%Fulton County: -1.4%Brown County: +1.4%Lucas County: -1.1%Stark County: -0.1%Medina County: +1.1%Belmont County: -2.4%Williams County: -1.4%Mahoning County: -1.0%Noble County: +1.1%Greene County: +2.5%Preble County: -0.5%Allen County: -1.2%Athens County: +1.3%Jefferson County: -2.0%Adams County: +0.8%Monroe County: -2.3%Washington County: -2.2%Logan County: -0.1%Franklin County: +2.4%Warren County: +5.3%Wyandot County: -2.1%Licking County: +3.4%Hamilton County: +0.8%Clermont County: +2.6%Butler County: +2.2%Coshocton County: +1.1%Geauga County: -0.0%Sandusky County: -0.0%Ashtabula County: -0.6%Carroll County: -0.9%Tuscarawas County: -1.2%Morrow County: +2.7%Montgomery County: +0.1%Mercer County: +0.3%Lake County: -0.1%Pickaway County: +6.0%Madison County: +3.8%Muskingum County: +0.1%Meigs County: -3.0%Columbiana County: -1.8%Lorain County: +2.7%Scioto County: -2.8%Champaign County: +0.4%Summit County: -0.3%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.4%
  2. < -0.6%
  3. < -0.0%
  4. < +1.1%
  5. ≥ +1.1%
no data

Orange pin: Defiance County internal point. Dark pin: Columbus.

Internal point

Decimal
41.321700, -84.486400
DMS
41°19'18.12"N 84°29'11.04"W
UTM
16N 710375.2E 4577517.8N
Geohash
dp7gj6quk
Plus code
86HQ8GC7+MC

Towns in Defiance County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Defiance County, 20,627 people together, or 53% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Defiance County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Defiance with 17,180.

  1. 01Defiance17,180
  2. 02Hicksville3,447
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Defiance County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Defiance County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Allen County, IN, with 399,295 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Columbus and the nearest big city

Columbus is 122.0 miles SE of Defiance County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Fort Wayne, IN (population 273,203), 37.7 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Defiance, OH (population 17,180), 6.8 miles away.

Defiance County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Defiance County is 39039: state code 39 for Ohio plus county code 039. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $72,241.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Defiance County, Ohio?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 38,644. That is up 377 people (1.0%) from the July 2020 estimate of 38,267.

What is the FIPS code of Defiance County?

39039. The first two digits (39) are Ohio; the last three (039) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Defiance County?

Defiance, with 17,180 residents inside Defiance County in 2024.

Which counties border Defiance County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Allen County, IN; DeKalb County, IN; Williams County, OH; Putnam County, OH; Henry County, OH; Paulding County, OH.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.