Jackson County is located in the southeastern corner of Ohio in the Appalachian foothills. As of 2020, the county’s population was 32,653.

Our county seat is Jackson and is named for Andrew Jackson, a hero of the War of 1812 who was subsequently elected President of the United States.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 422 square miles. 420 square miles is land and 2 square miles is water.

Cities include Jackson and Wellston. Our villages are Coalton and Oak Hill. Unincorporated communities include Byer, Ray and Glen Roy. Our county contains the following townships: Bloomfield, Coal, Franklin, Hamilton, Jackson, Jefferson, Liberty, Lick, Madison, Milton, Scioto, and Washington.

Jackson County is served by three public school districts: Jackson City, Wellston City, and Oak Hill-Union Local Schools. 

The University of Rio Grande is located in neighboring Gallia County with branch campuses in Jackson, McArthur, Piketon, and Pomeroy. Ohio University has their main campus in Athens with regional branches in Chillicothe and Ironton. Hocking College is located in Nelsonville, and Shawnee State University is based in Portsmouth. Buckeye Hills Career Center offers technical job training and education for both high school and adult students in nearby Rio Grande.

This website is designed as an information portal to county government services, as well as other government and private resources available in Jackson County.

 

PUBLIC NOTICE — The Jackson County Planning Commission has made updates to the Jackson County Building Regulations. These regulations were last updated in 2009. These updates were done in coordination with the Jackson County Health Department as many of the septic regulations have changed since 2009. Per Ohio Revised Code Section 307.37, these updated Building Regulations will be open for two public hearings for public review and comments on August 19th and 26th, 2026 at 10:30 am each morning at the Jackson County Commissioner’s Office, located at 200 East Main Street in Jackson.