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Greater Cleveland

Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience

A beautiful view of the Cleveland skyline taken from Lakewood Park in January 2026.

The Cleveland metropolitan area, or Greater Cleveland, is the area surrounding the city of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It includes six counties: Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, and Medina. Together, these counties are home to about 2.2 million people, making Greater Cleveland the 35th-largest metropolitan area in the United States.

Greater Cleveland is also part of an even larger area called the Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH Combined Statistical Area. This larger region has more than 3.7 million people, ranking it as the 17th most populous combined statistical area in the country. The area is located in Northeast Ohio, a region that also includes the cities of Akron, Canton, Youngstown, and surrounding rural areas. Historically, this place is known as the Connecticut Western Reserve.

Northeast Ohio

Main article: Northeast Ohio

Northeast Ohio is a region made up of 16 counties, including Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, and others. Major cities in this area are Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Elyria, Lorain, Mansfield, Warren, and Youngstown. About 4 million people live in Northeast Ohio, making it a busy and important part of the state.

Cities, townships, and villages

Cuyahoga County

Ashtabula County

Geauga County

Lake County

Lorain County

Medina County

Cities by population

These, in decreasing order of population, are the twelve largest cities in Greater Cleveland of (2020):

City2020
population
Cleveland372,624
Parma81,146
Lorain65,211
Elyria52,656
Lakewood50,942
Euclid49,692
Mentor47,450
Strongsville46,491
Cleveland Heights45,312
North Ridgeville35,280
Westlake34,228
North Olmsted32,442
North Royalton31,322

Demographics

See also: Demographics of Cleveland

According to the 2020 United States Census, the population of the Greater Cleveland Area was 2.186 million in the five-county area, making it the second largest area completely inside Ohio. About half the people were male and half were female.

NASA satellite photograph of Cleveland at night

The median income for a household in Greater Cleveland was $46,231. About 15% of people lived below the poverty line. The area is very diverse, with many people from different backgrounds. Many people in the area come from Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

The Greater Cleveland area has large groups of people from many places, including Germany, Ireland, Italy, and many Slavic countries like Poland and Slovakia. There is also a large group of people whose families come from Israel.

English is the most common language spoken at home. Spanish is the second most common language. Many people also speak Asian languages or other Indo-European languages.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1850159,874—    
1860193,501+21.0%
1870245,052+26.6%
1880321,638+31.3%
1890447,386+39.1%
1900603,807+35.0%
1910834,204+38.2%
19201,169,422+40.2%
19301,466,057+25.4%
19401,500,798+2.4%
19501,759,431+17.2%
19602,220,050+26.2%
19702,419,274+9.0%
19802,277,949−5.8%
19902,202,069−3.3%
20002,250,871+2.2%
20102,178,737−3.2%
20202,185,825+0.3%
2022*2,160,145−1.2%
* = Population estimate.
Source: U.S. Decennial Census
County2021 Estimate2020 CensusChangeAreaDensity
Cuyahoga County1,236,0411,264,817−2.28%457.19 sq mi (1,184.1 km2)2,704/sq mi (1,044/km2)
Lorain County316,268312,964+1.06%491.10 sq mi (1,271.9 km2)644/sq mi (249/km2)
Lake County231,842232,603−0.33%227.49 sq mi (589.2 km2)1,019/sq mi (393/km2)
Medina County183,512182,470+0.57%421.36 sq mi (1,091.3 km2)436/sq mi (168/km2)
Ashtabula County97,01397,574−0.57%702 sq mi (1,820 km2)139/sq mi (54/km2)
Geauga County95,46995,397+0.08%400.16 sq mi (1,036.4 km2)239/sq mi (92/km2)
Total2,160,1452,185,825−1.17%2,747.81 sq mi (7,116.8 km2)786/sq mi (304/km2)

Politics

The Cleveland area has usually voted for the Democratic party. But in recent years, more people have started to support the Republican Party, especially after Donald Trump became their candidate. This change is mostly because working-class voters in the area are shifting their views. Even so, the area still mostly votes Democratic.

Cleveland Metro Presidential election results
YearDemocraticRepublicanThird parties
202454.3% 580,79544.8% 479,1930.8% 8,667
202055.8% 624,85543.0% 481,1281.2% 13,358
201655.4% 576,94540.7% 423,6393.8% 40,005
201262.1% 668,74337.9% 407,8020% 0

Area codes

In the 1950s, Greater Cleveland was given the area code 216, which covered all of Northeast Ohio. By 1996, the area code 216 was reduced to the northern part, focusing on Cleveland and nearby areas by the lake. A new area code, 330, was created for the southern part, including Medina County.

Later in 1997, area code 216 was split again to cover just Cleveland and its closest suburbs. A new area code, 440, was introduced for the rest of the region, including Lorain, Geauga, and Lake counties, as well as parts of Cuyahoga County. In 2000, because there were not enough numbers in area code 330, a new overlay area code, 234, was added. This allowed new phone numbers to use either 330 or 234, requiring people to dial all ten digits for calls in that area.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Greater Cleveland

In 2011, the Greater Cleveland area had a large economy with a value of $134.4 billion. This made it similar in size to some countries. Cleveland is also important for selling goods, with a value of $109.2 billion.

Commerce by Daniel Chester French at the Metzenbaum U.S. Courthouse on Superior Avenue, Cleveland

Business and industry

Many big companies have offices or headquarters in Northeast Ohio. As of 2006, Greater Cleveland was home to 23 major companies from a list of the top 1,000 biggest companies in the United States. Some of these companies include Progressive Insurance, Sherwin-Williams, and KeyCorp. Other large employers in the area include Cleveland Clinic for healthcare, Eaton Corporation for electrical parts, and Nestlé USA for food processing.

Small businesses and startups

The Council of Smaller Enterprises helps small businesses in the region grow. Many small companies focus on being good to the environment and are part of a network called Entrepreneurs for Sustainability.

Colleges and universities

Greater Cleveland has many places where people can go to learn and study. Some of these schools include:

Transportation

Airports

Greater Cleveland has many airports, including big and small ones. Some of these airports are Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport also in Cleveland, and several others in nearby areas.

Highways

Greater Cleveland has many highways that help people travel around. Some important ones are Interstate 71, Interstate 77, Interstate 80 which includes the Ohio Turnpike, and Interstate 90, along with many other roads that connect different parts of the area.

Public transit

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority runs buses and trains in Cuyahoga County. Other areas around Cleveland also have their own transit services that connect with the main system. Cleveland's train system, known as the Red Line, started in 1955 and is one of the oldest in the country. In 2007, it was praised for being very efficient and effective.

Culture

Theater

Playhouse Square Center is the heart of the Cleveland Theater District and the second largest theater area in the United States.

Playhouse Square, Cleveland

Greater Cleveland has many theaters all around the region.

Music

Cleveland is home to the Cleveland Orchestra, one of the best orchestras in the world. The Orchestra plays at Severance Hall in University Circle in winter and at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls in summer. The city also has the Cleveland Pops Orchestra.

Art

Cleveland has two big art museums. The Cleveland Museum of Art has over 40,000 artworks from ancient masterpieces to contemporary pieces. The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland shows works by artists, especially from the Cleveland area.

Sports and recreation

Cleveland has several professional sports teams. The Cleveland Guardians play baseball in the Major League Baseball. The Cleveland Browns play football in the National Football League, and the Cleveland Cavaliers play basketball in the National Basketball Association.

Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Guardians

There are also smaller teams in the area. The Lake County Captains, a minor league baseball team, play in Eastlake at Classic Park. The Lake Erie Crushers play in the Frontier League at Sprenger Stadium in Avon. The Cleveland Monsters are a minor league hockey team in the American Hockey League and began playing in the 2007–08 season at the Quicken Loans Arena. They are connected to the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League.

The area also has beautiful natural spaces. The Cleveland Metroparks are nature preserves around the city, and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park covers the Cuyahoga River valley between Cleveland and Akron. Mentor Headlands Beach is the longest natural beach on the Great Lakes.

Notable natives

See also: List of people from Cleveland, Ohio

Greater Cleveland has been home to many famous people. Some well-known names include Halle Berry, Drew Carey, LeBron James, Toni Morrison, and Steve Harvey. The area has also produced many talented musicians, athletes, and entertainers who have made their mark in various fields.

Images

Map showing the ChiPitts megaregion as defined by the Regional Plan Association.

Related articles

Northeast Ohio
Youngstown, Ohio
Ohio
Metropolitan area
Lakewood, Ohio

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Greater Cleveland, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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