Defiance County Demographics

A map of Defiance County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	32,495	32,276	84.7%	84.3%
Hispanic	4,270	3,950	11.1%	10.3%
Multiracial	794	1,147	2.1%	3.0%
Black	619	598	1.6%	1.6%
Asian	89	133	0.2%	0.3%
Native American/Other	76	182	0.2%	0.5%

Defiance County, Ohio has an estimated population of 38,343, a less than 1% change from the 38,286 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 84.7% White, 11.1% Hispanic, 2.1% Multiracial, 1.6% Black, 0.2% Asian, and 0.2% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Defiance County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Defiance has become slightly less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Ohio overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Defiance County, that probability was 27.8% in 2020 and 26.9% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Defiance County is ranked the 64th most populous county in Ohio, out of 88 counties. Defiance County was ranked the 65th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Defiance County's White Population

32,495 residents of Defiance County, or 84.7% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Defiance County is higher than in Ohio overall, where 75.8% of the population is White. Defiance County ranks 68th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 88 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Defiance County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Defiance County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 84.7%.

Defiance County is less White than neighboring Paulding County (90% White), Williams County (90.8% White), Henry County (87.8% White), Fulton County (87.2% White), and Putnam County (90.8% White).

Defiance County's Black Population

619 residents of Defiance County, or 1.6% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Defiance County is considerably lower than in Ohio overall, where 12% of the population is Black. Defiance County ranks 49th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 88 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Defiance County's Black population has grown by an estimated 3.5%. Black residents' share of Defiance County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.6%.

Defiance County is more Black than neighboring Paulding County (0.2% Black), Williams County (0.6% Black), Henry County (0.5% Black), Fulton County (0.3% Black), and Putnam County (0.5% Black).

Defiance County's Asian Population

89 residents of Defiance County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Defiance County is slightly lower than in Ohio overall, where 2.5% of the population is Asian. Defiance County ranks 62nd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 88 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Defiance County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 33.1%. Asian residents' share of Defiance County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Defiance County is more Asian than neighboring Henry County (0.1% Asian). Defiance County is less Asian than neighboring Paulding County (0.5% Asian), Williams County (0.7% Asian), and Fulton County (0.3% Asian).

Defiance County's Hispanic Population

4,270 residents of Defiance County, or 11.1% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Defiance County is higher than in Ohio overall, where 4.8% of the population is Hispanic. Defiance County ranks 2nd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 88 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Defiance County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 8.1%. Hispanic residents' share of Defiance County's population has increased from 10.3% to 11.1%.

Defiance County is more Hispanic than neighboring Paulding County (5.8% Hispanic), Williams County (5.4% Hispanic), Henry County (8.3% Hispanic), Fulton County (9.3% Hispanic), and Putnam County (6.7% Hispanic).

Defiance County's Native American/Other Population

76 residents of Defiance County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Defiance County is comparable to the share in Ohio overall, where 0.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Defiance County ranks 44th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 88 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Defiance County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 58.2%. Native American/Other residents' share of Defiance County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Defiance County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Paulding County (0.1% Native American/Other). Defiance County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Henry County (0.7% Native American/Other), Fulton County (0.4% Native American/Other), and Putnam County (0.5% Native American/Other).

Defiance County's Multiracial Population

794 residents of Defiance County, or 2.1% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Defiance County is slightly lower than in Ohio overall, where 4.3% of the population is Multiracial. Defiance County ranks 74th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 88 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Defiance County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 30.8%. Multiracial residents' share of Defiance County's population has decreased from 3.0% to 2.1%.

Defiance County is more Multiracial than neighboring Putnam County (1.2% Multiracial). Defiance County is less Multiracial than neighboring Paulding County (3.4% Multiracial), Williams County (2.3% Multiracial), Henry County (2.6% Multiracial), and Fulton County (2.5% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.