Youngstown, Ohio

Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and the county seat (however, a small portion of the city is in Trumbull County). It lies along the Mahoning River in Northeast Ohio. The population was 60,068 at the 2020 census (estimated at 58,832 in 2025), making it the eleventh-most populous city in Ohio. The Mahoning Valley metropolitan area had an estimated 426,086 residents in 2024. Youngstown was named after pioneer John Young, who founded the city in 1797 within the Connecticut Western Reserve and established the first sawmill and gristmill along the Mahoning River. It was an early industrial city of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and became known as a center of steel production. However, Youngstown did not economically diversify like larger industrial cities, and with the movement of steelmaking jobs offshore as the industry contracted in the 1970s, the city came to exemplify the Rust Belt. Revitalization efforts in the 21st century include the Covelli Centre and Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre, while other notable city institutions include the Butler Institute of American Art, Mill Creek Park, Stambaugh Auditorium, and Youngstown State University. Youngstown is about 5 miles (8.0 km) west of the Ohio–Pennsylvania border and midway between Cleveland (60 miles (97 km) northwest) and Pittsburgh (60 miles (97 km) southeast).