The Enquirer’s Just Askin’ series aims to answer the questions that no one seems to have the answer to, not even Google.
There are 49 local government authorities within its borders.
Ohio has more than 1,000 local governments in total: counties, cities, towns, and villages. It is a home rule state, meaning local governments have more power than in states without home rule.
With 830,639 residents according to the last census, Hamilton County is the third-largest county in Ohio by population.
So how do local communities compare to each other?
Here is a breakdown of government offices in Hamilton County. Population data comes from the American Community Survey and Hamilton County public records.
Cities in Hamilton County
To be recognized as a city in Ohio, a community must have a population of at least 5,000. Cities and villages are called municipalities, meaning they are governed by a local government with an elected town or village council.
Under Ohio law, municipalities have the right to self-government, meaning they can adopt charters, ordinances and resolutions to exercise self-government within the boundaries of their jurisdiction.
The three largest cities in Hamilton County are:
- Cincinnati308,870 people.
- Forest Park, 20,005 people.
- Norwood, 19,018 people.
The three smallest cities are:
- Wildlife park, 5,399 people.
- Indian Hill, 6,051 people.
- Milford, 6,556 people.
Cincinnati is the third largest city in Ohio, behind Columbus (No. 1) and Cleveland (No. 2).
Villages in Hamilton County
A village is a community with fewer than 5,000 residents. Like towns, they may operate under a self-governing government. They pass ordinances and have other powers not generally available to municipalities.
The three largest villages in Hamilton County are:
- Silverton, 4,883 people.
- St. Bernard, 4,026 people.
- forest lawn, 3,862 people.
The three smallest villages are:
- Addyston, 896 people.
- North Arc, 1,006 people.
- Arlington Heights, 1,017 people.
Communities in Hamilton County
Unlike cities and villages, townships are not local government units and therefore do not have as many responsibilities. Townships have three elected officials called a board of trustees.
At a minimum, townships must provide maintenance and repair of their streets and sewers, but other common services include police and fire protection, emergency response, park and cemetery maintenance, zoning and more, explains the Ohio Township Association.
The three most populous townships in Hamilton County are:
- Green Community, 60,019 people.
- Colerain Township, 59,058 people.
- Anderson Community43,882 people.
The three smallest townships are:
- Columbia Municipality, 4,273 people.
- Crosby Township, 5,856 people.
- Whitewater Township, 6,311 people.
Green and Colerain are the second and third largest townships in Ohio, respectively. The largest is West Chester Township in Butler County. In 2022, West Chester had a population of 64,830.
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