Dig into Cuyahoga County population numbers
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.


The city of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County continue to shrink, according to the County Planning Commission's newly published 2025 Data Book.
Why it matters: Moping about population loss is a local pastime, but the data is meant to help local governments visualize how their communities are changing.
- Compiled annually from the U.S. Census and other sources, it's also intended as a resource for nonprofits preparing grant applications.
By the numbers: Cuyahoga County's population stands at 1.2 million, per estimates from 2023.
- Cleveland (362,656) has fewer residents than both its inner-ring (487,230) and outer-ring (383,202) suburbs.
🦩 With nearly 80,000 residents, Parma remains Cleveland's largest suburb and Ohio's seventh-largest city.
- Duplex-heavy Lakewood remains the densest, with nearly 9,000 residents per square mile.
The intrigue: From 2013-2023, Cuyahoga County lost nearly 44,000 people.
- Cleveland accounts for the largest slice of the disappearing pie, losing more than 27,000 — 7% of its population.
- East Cleveland lost more than 3,100 residents — nearly 20% of its population.
Yes, but: Newer census estimates show Cleveland is finally bucking the trend and has grown slightly each of the past two years.
The other side: Eighteen communities grew over the same span, but most by modest or negligible amounts. Beachwood was the only community to gain more than 1,000 residents.
- Westlake (+777), Olmsted Township (+765), Rocky River (+636) and Pepper Pike (+538) were the only others that gained more than 500.
Friction point: The county remains highly segregated by race. Twenty-seven communities are at least 80% white.
- Eight communities are 90% white, including Mayfield Village, Rocky River, Bay Village and Moreland Hills.
- East Cleveland and Warrensville Heights are 88% and 92% Black, respectively.
Go deeper: Our Communities: The 2025 Data Book
