Correction appended.
Many of Ohio University’s students are native to the state, but some counties house more than others with students coming from an array of backgrounds.
Ohio has 88 counties. Approximately 19,000 students from those counties attend OU.
The largest counties
The top two Ohio counties students are from include Franklin County, with 2,084 students, and Cuyahoga County, with 1,970 students, according to data from OU's Office of Institutional Research.
When comparing those counties to their populations, average household incomes and education rates, there are some similarities and differences.
Franklin County has approximately 1.25 million people living in the area. The largest cities within this county by population include Columbus, Dublin and Westerville. Cuyahoga County is the largest county in Ohio and has approximately 1.26 million people living in the area. Cleveland, Lakewood and Parma are the largest cities by population in the county.
In 2015, Franklin County’s median household income was approximately $52,000, and in Cuyahoga County, the median income was approximately $44,000. Popular occupations in both counties include positions in management, administration, sales and food service. The median income in Ohio is approximately $49,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The high school graduation rate between the two counties is also similar.
According to Open Data Network, in 2013, approximately 90 percent of the population in Franklin County had graduated from high school, and in Cuyahoga County, about 88 percent graduated from high school.
While OU has the most enrollment of students from those counties, some students rarely see those from their high schools.
Kyndra Rush, a senior studying exercise physiology, is from Shaker Heights, a city in Cuyahoga County.
“A fairly decent amount of kids from my high school go to OU,” she said. “I don’t really see that many (on campus), maybe one or two a week.”
Shanelle Solgos, a senior studying exercise physiology, is also from Cuyahoga County and had a similar experience.
“I don’t see that many kids from my high school on campus at all,” she said.
The smallest counties
The counties that have the fewest number of students attending OU are Paulding County in northwest Ohio, with nine students, and Adams County in southern Ohio with 15 students.
Paulding County has approximately 19,000 residents. The largest cities within the county by population include Paulding, Antwerp and Payne. Adams County has approximately 28,000 residents. West Union, Manchester and Peebles are the largest cities by population in the county.
When comparing the median household incomes of those two counties, Paulding County was approximately $46,000, and Adams County was approximately $36,000.
As of 2013, approximately 89 percent of the Paulding County population graduated from high school, and approximately 77 percent of the population in Adams County are high school graduates.
Correction: A previous version of this report misstated the median incomes of several counties. The article has been updated to reflect the most accurate information.
