Stark County’s population grew by 531 people last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s recent population estimates.
Deaths outnumbered births, but the population increased because of people moving into the county. Stark’s estimated population as of July 1, 2025, was 373,771. It is the eighth most populous county in Ohio.
It’s the second year in a row that the county has grown. In 2024, Stark’s population grew by 785 people.
That follows a previous trend of steady population decline from 2020 to 2023, when the county’s population was estimated at 372,455, the lowest since the 2020 census.
County Commissioner Bill Smith said the growth shows that the area is an attractive place to live.
“I think we have a great community, and honestly, we have a lot to offer,” he said. “When it comes to park systems, housing and schools, we’ve got the complete package.”
Overall, Ohio grew by nearly 40,000 people in 2025, according to the new census estimates. Deaths slightly outnumbered births statewide, but like in Stark County, migration into the state made up the difference. An estimated 40,431 people moved into Ohio in 2025, 28,505 people from other countries and 11,926 from within the U.S.
The Canton-Massillon metropolitan area, which encompasses Stark and Carroll counties, grew by 439 people in 2025. Its population is now estimated at 400,246. Carroll County’s population dropped slightly by 92 people, according to estimates.
Population growth slowed across the U.S. and in Stark County in 2025
Stark County’s population grew by a smaller amount in 2025 compared to 2024. The majority of counties across the U.S. experienced the same trend, according to the Census Bureau.
Among the 2,066 counties that grew between 2023 and 2024, nearly 8 in 10 saw their growth slow or reverse direction last year. In many cases, counties already in decline saw losses accelerate, the Census Bureau said in a news release.
Net international migration declined nationwide, contributing to the trend. Nine out of 10 U.S. counties experienced lower net international migration levels between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, compared to the year prior, according to the Census Bureau.
This was particularly evident in the most populous counties where lower international migration had the greatest impacts.
“The nation’s largest counties like those in the New York metro area are often international migration hubs, gaining large numbers of international migrants and losing people that move to other parts of the country via domestic migration,” Census Bureau demographer George M. Hayward said in a prepared statement. “With fewer gains from international migration, these types of counties saw their population growth diminish or even turn into loss.”
Is Ohio bouncing back?
An Ohio Department of Development population projections report from 2023 predicted Ohio’s population would decline by 5.7% by 2050 based on historic trends.
The outlook was even worse for Stark County, where population was projected to decline by 15.29% by 2050.
But now, Stark and Ohio have seen multiple consecutive years of population gain.
Mason Waldvogel, a spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Development, said the state is growing because of recent investments in job creation, workforce development, infrastructure and quality of life.
“It is clear that Ohio is attracting more people than it is losing,” Waldvogel said in an email, “and we are encouraged by this positive movement.”
Alison Goebel, executive director of the Greater Ohio Policy Center in Columbus, said it is too soon to tell if the short-term trend will change the state’s outlook.
“Longer term, we are going to start to see those lines start to converge and go in opposite directions in terms of growth and decline,” she said. “Maybe, maybe not. Hopefully not.”
To give Ohio the best chance of growing in the future, Goebel said, it’s important that communities invest in improving quality of life.
“It’s not just about jobs,” she said. “It’s what people are going home to after their jobs are done for the day.”
Those amenities include downtowns, parks, schools and housing, she said.
Could Stark County’s growth become a trend?
The county’s growth the last two years is proof that strategies to create jobs and improve quality of life are working, Smith said.
Those strategies include efforts by the Stark Economic Development Board and Strengthening Stark to attract businesses, develop the workforce and address the housing shortage.
Community leaders are continuing to meet regularly on those issues, Smith said.
“We’re at two years (of growth), and we’re going for three,” he said. “We’re heading in the right direction.”
Stark County’s strengths include a low cost of living, local amenities and a positive community of people, he said.
How did other Ohio counties fare?
Franklin County and Delaware County in Central Ohio saw the most growth last year. Franklin gained 8,880 people and Delaware County gained 5,169.
Lucas County in Northwest Ohio saw the greatest population loss in the state. Its population decreased by 908 people.
Counties bordering Stark County had mixed results.
Summit, Portage, Tuscarawas, Holmes and Wayne Counties gained population. Mahoning, Columbiana and Carroll saw population losses.
Reach Grace at 330-580-8364 or gspringer@usatodayco.com Follow her on X @GraceSpringer16.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark County population grew again in 2025. Could it become a trend?
Reporting by Grace Springer, Canton Repository / The Repository
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