RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Ohio >> Licking County >> Pataskala >> Census DataIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Ohio


The Commemorative Quarter for Ohio







Census Data for Pataskala

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Pataskala a population of 15,908 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Pataskala a population of 14,962 people.

The city of Pataskala is located in Licking County. The 2010 Census gave Licking County; a population of 166,705 people. This means that Pataskala had 8.98% of the county's total population, making it Licking's 3rd most populous community.

At the same time, Ohio had a population of 11,536,504 people, meaning that Pataskala had 0.13% of the total population of Ohio - making it the state's 118th most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Pataskala has a total area of 28.71 square miles [74.4 km²]. Of this total, a small amount of the area is covered by water (0.1 square miles [0.2 km²]).

Licking County has a land area of 682 square miles [1,767.7 km²]. At 28.62 square miles [74.1 km²], Pataskala has 4.19% of the county's total land area.

  • Continue Reading ...
    • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Pataskala, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the city.
    • Things like population, area and housing for Pataskala reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Pataskala might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
    • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
    • Lat:   40° 0' 37"   (or 40.01°)
    • Lon:   -82° 42' 53"   (or -82.71°)
    • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Pataskala had 5,960 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 14,962 people, this averages 2.51 people per Housing Unit.

  • Continue Reading ...
    • The 2010 Census shows Pataskala had a land area of 28.62 square miles [74.1 km²]. This translates to 207.6 Housing Units per square mile [80.1 housing units/km²].
    • From the Census of 2000: Pataskala had 4,132 Housing Units, a population of 10,249 people and a land area of 28.51 square miles [73.8 km²]. This gives a density of 2.48 people per Housing Unit and 144.8 Housing Units per square mile [55.9 housing units/km²].
    • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Pataskala and you need to be careful when comparing results between the censuses. More information about the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Licking County ...

The community of Pataskala is located in Licking County<4>.

The county had a population of 166,705 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 14,962 people, Pataskala represented 8.98% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Pataskala has a population density of 521 people per square mile [201.2 people/km²], Licking County averages 244.3 people per square mile [94.3 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Licking County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Pataskala, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Pataskala. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

  • Continue Reading ...
    • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Pataskala or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
    • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Pataskala, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Pataskala.

  • Continue Reading ...
    • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
    • Lat:   40.010383°   (or 40°0'37" N)
    • Lon:   -82.714736°   (or -82°42'53" W)
    • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
    • Lat:   39.997890°   (or 39°59'52" N)
    • Lon:   -82.697411°   (or -82°41'50" W)
    • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 6,644 feet to the northwest<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
    • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#1086476) to Pataskala. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Pataskala. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
    • Lat:   39.999230°   (or 39°59'57" N)
    • Lon:   -82.674890°   (or -82°40'29" W)
    • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 2 miles to the west<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Pataskala. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Pataskala.

Miscellaneous Information for Pataskala ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Licking County or the city of Pataskala:

  • The GNIS Codes ...
    • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Pataskala:
    • GNIS ID for Pataskala: 1086476
    • GNIS ID for Licking County: 1074057
    • GNIS ID for State of Ohio: 1085497
  • The FIPS Codes ...
    • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
    • State Code: 39 (Ohio)
    • County Code: 089 (Licking County)
    • Place Code: 61112 (Pataskala)
    • State & County Code: 39/089 (Ohio / Licking County)
    • State & Place Code: 39/61112 (Ohio / Pataskala)
  • Misc. Census Codes ...
    • Pataskala is located in Census Region #2 (the Midwest Region) and Division #3 (the East North-Central Division).

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Pataskala.

The official website for Pataskala: www.ci.pataskala.oh.us/

The official website for Licking County: www.lcounty.com/

The official website for State of Ohio: https://ohio.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

Footnotes ...

<1>Every year, the US Census Bureau creates a population estimate for the preceeding year. Keep in mind that this value is an estimate and not an actual count. The most recent Census estimate is for the year 2019.
<2>Every 10 years (eg- 1990, 2000, 2010), the US Census Bureau conducts a Constitutionally-mandated count (or enumeration) of people living within the United States. This count is called a Decennial Census. The last Decennial Census was the 2010 Census, with the next one planned for 2020.
<3>A Housing Unit is a broad term for those places where people live (whether occupied or temporarily vacant), such as a house, an apartment, a mobile home, or an area that is considered as a separate living quarter. Separate living quarters (consisting of one or more rooms) are considered to be those places where people live, sleep and eat separately from others and that have access to the outside (either directly or by a shared hallway).
<4>If you're interested in how the shape of Ohio's counties, including Licking, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
<5>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the 2010 Census location is 46 degrees and a distance of 6,644 feet.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the GNIS point is 69 degrees and a distance of 2 miles.









 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 21 Mar 2025