Mercer County Demographics

A map of Mercer County's Population by Race

Mercer County, Ohio has an estimated population of 42,484, a less than 1% change from the 42,528 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 94.2% White, 2.2% Hispanic, 1.9% Multiracial, 1.1% Black, 0.5% Asian, and 0.1% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Mercer County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Mercer has become 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 Mercer County, that probability was 12.5% in 2020 and 11.2% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Mercer County is ranked the 57th most populous county in Ohio, out of 88 counties. Mercer County was ranked the 58th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Mercer County's White Population

40,019 residents of Mercer County, or 94.2% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Mercer County is significantly higher than in Ohio overall, where 75.8% of the population is White. Mercer County ranks 20th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 88 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mercer County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Mercer County's population has increased from 93.5% to 94.2%.

Mercer County is more White than neighboring Van Wert County (91.7% White), Adams County (92.7% White), and Jay County (92.8% White). Mercer County is less White than neighboring Darke County (94.6% White), and Auglaize County (94.3% White).

Mercer County's Black Population

482 residents of Mercer County, or 1.1% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Mercer County is considerably lower than in Ohio overall, where 12% of the population is Black. Mercer County ranks 79th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 88 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mercer County's Black population has grown by an estimated 152.4%. Black residents' share of Mercer County's population has increased from 0.4% to 1.1%.

Mercer County is more Black than neighboring Van Wert County (0.5% Black), Adams County (0.3% Black), Jay County (0.3% Black), Darke County (0.6% Black), and Auglaize County (1% Black).

Mercer County's Asian Population

194 residents of Mercer County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Mercer County is comparable to the share in Ohio overall, where 2.5% of the population is Asian. Mercer County ranks 50th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 88 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mercer County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 2.6%. Asian residents' share of Mercer County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Mercer County is more Asian than neighboring Van Wert County (0.3% Asian), Adams County (0.4% Asian), Jay County (0.1% Asian), and Auglaize County (0.3% Asian).

Mercer County's Hispanic Population

951 residents of Mercer County, or 2.2% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Mercer County is slightly lower than in Ohio overall, where 4.8% of the population is Hispanic. Mercer County ranks 45th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 88 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mercer County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 2.5%. Hispanic residents' share of Mercer County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.2%.

Mercer County is more Hispanic than neighboring Darke County (1.9% Hispanic), and Auglaize County (1.9% Hispanic). Mercer County is less Hispanic than neighboring Van Wert County (4.2% Hispanic), Adams County (4.8% Hispanic), and Jay County (4.6% Hispanic).

Mercer County's Native American/Other Population

29 residents of Mercer County, or 0.1% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Mercer County is comparable to the share in Ohio overall, where 0.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Mercer County ranks 1st statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 88 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mercer County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 95.9%. Native American/Other residents' share of Mercer County's population has decreased from 1.7% to 0.1%.

Mercer County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Van Wert County (0.2% Native American/Other), and Auglaize County (0.2% Native American/Other).

Mercer County's Multiracial Population

809 residents of Mercer County, or 1.9% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Mercer County is slightly lower than in Ohio overall, where 4.3% of the population is Multiracial. Mercer County ranks 86th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 88 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mercer County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 6.0%. Multiracial residents' share of Mercer County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.9%.

Mercer County is more Multiracial than neighboring Adams County (1.8% Multiracial). Mercer County is less Multiracial than neighboring Van Wert County (3% Multiracial), Jay County (2.2% Multiracial), Darke County (2.3% Multiracial), and Auglaize County (2.4% 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.