Ham radio operators in Ohio: new licenses by county
26,693 licensed amateur radio operators; 703 new in the past 12 months. Updated weekly from FCC data.
At a glance · Data as of
- New hams · last 30 days
- 44
- New hams · last 12 months
- 703
- ▼ 11% vs prior 12 mo
- Active licensed hams
- 26,693
- Upgrades · 12 mo
- 401
- Vanity callsigns · 12 mo
- 235
- Address updates · 12 mo
- 335
- Often a move into the area
- Expiring · next 6 mo
- 1,587
About ham radio in Ohio
Ohio added 703 new amateur radio operators in the past 12 months, down 11% from the year before. Ohio ranks #10 of 52 states and territories for new licenses. Franklin County leads the state with 54 new hams. Among larger counties, Butler County is growing fastest. Technicians make up 43% of the state’s licensees, below the U.S. average of 48%, a sign of an experienced community with many HF operators.
New hams by month
Show data table
| Month | New hams |
|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 0 |
| Nov 2025 | 48 |
| Dec 2025 | 52 |
| Jan 2026 | 74 |
| Feb 2026 | 45 |
| Mar 2026 | 72 |
| Apr 2026 | 81 |
| May 2026 | 128 |
| Jun 2026 | 74 |
| Jul 2026 | 47 |
| Aug 2026 | 34 |
| Sep 2026 | 48 |
| Total | 703 |
License classes
| Class | Hams | Share | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technician | 11,597 | 43% | 48% |
| General | 7,208 | 27% | 25% |
| Amateur Extra | 6,221 | 23% | 21% |
| Advanced | 984 | 4% | 3% |
| Novice / Other | 683 | 3% | 2% |
Bar = Ohio share · Tick = U.S. share
In the past 12 months, 159 operators upgraded to General and 208 to Amateur Extra.
How Ohio compares
#10 of 52 states and territories for new hams in the past 12 months
| Per 1,000 active hams | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| New hams, past 12 months | 26.3 | 32.3 |
| Upgrades, past 12 months | 15.0 | 14.7 |
| Expiring, next 6 months | 59.5 | 57.3 |
703 new hams in Ohio this past year. Get next month’s list free.
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| # | County | New hams 12 mo | Change vs prior year | Active hams | New per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Franklin County | 54 | ▼ 18% | 1,958 | 27.6 |
| 2 | Cuyahoga County | 47 | ▼ 35% | 1,842 | 25.5 |
| 3 | Montgomery County | 40 | ▼ 18% | 1,495 | 26.8 |
| 4 | Summit County | 36 | ▲ 16% | 1,249 | 28.8 |
| 5 | Hamilton County | 34 | ▼ 21% | 1,340 | 25.4 |
| 6 | Butler County | 29 | ▲ 32% | 952 | 30.5 |
| 7 | Greene County | 27 | ▼ 29% | 920 | 29.3 |
| 8 | Warren County | 22 | ▼ 4% | 756 | 29.1 |
| 9 | Clermont County | 20 | ▲ 54% | 519 | 38.5 |
| 10 | Lucas County | 18 | ▼ 18% | 773 | 23.3 |
All Ohio counties
61 counties with their own page. Numbers are new hams in the past 12 months.
- Allen County13 new hams in 12 months
- Ashland County5 new hams in 12 months
- Ashtabula County10 new hams in 12 months
- Athens County6 new hams in 12 months
- Auglaize County0 new hams in 12 months
- Butler County29 new hams in 12 months
- Champaign County8 new hams in 12 months
- Clark County5 new hams in 12 months
- Clermont County20 new hams in 12 months
- Clinton County5 new hams in 12 months
- Columbiana County12 new hams in 12 months
- Cuyahoga County47 new hams in 12 months
- Delaware County11 new hams in 12 months
- Erie County3 new hams in 12 months
- Fairfield County11 new hams in 12 months
- Fayette County0 new hams in 12 months
- Franklin County54 new hams in 12 months
- Fulton County4 new hams in 12 months
- Gallia County6 new hams in 12 months
- Geauga County5 new hams in 12 months
- Greene County27 new hams in 12 months
- Guernsey County3 new hams in 12 months
- Hamilton County34 new hams in 12 months
- Hancock County4 new hams in 12 months
- Highland County5 new hams in 12 months
- Huron County3 new hams in 12 months
- Jefferson County2 new hams in 12 months
- Knox County12 new hams in 12 months
- Lake County10 new hams in 12 months
- Lawrence County2 new hams in 12 months
- Licking County11 new hams in 12 months
- Logan County1 new hams in 12 months
- Lorain County17 new hams in 12 months
- Lucas County18 new hams in 12 months
- Madison County4 new hams in 12 months
- Mahoning County13 new hams in 12 months
- Marion County4 new hams in 12 months
- Medina County14 new hams in 12 months
- Meigs County3 new hams in 12 months
- Miami County7 new hams in 12 months
- Montgomery County40 new hams in 12 months
- Morrow County2 new hams in 12 months
- Muskingum County2 new hams in 12 months
- Pickaway County3 new hams in 12 months
- Portage County7 new hams in 12 months
- Preble County1 new hams in 12 months
- Richland County8 new hams in 12 months
- Ross County5 new hams in 12 months
- Sandusky County2 new hams in 12 months
- Scioto County0 new hams in 12 months
- Seneca County2 new hams in 12 months
- Stark County10 new hams in 12 months
- Summit County36 new hams in 12 months
- Trumbull County6 new hams in 12 months
- Tuscarawas County6 new hams in 12 months
- Union County7 new hams in 12 months
- Warren County22 new hams in 12 months
- Washington County3 new hams in 12 months
- Wayne County8 new hams in 12 months
- Williams County3 new hams in 12 months
- Wood County9 new hams in 12 months
Smaller Ohio counties
These 27 counties have too few licensees or too little recent activity for a page of their own, so their numbers are listed here.
Show all 27 smaller counties
| County | Active hams | New hams · 12 mo |
|---|---|---|
| Adams County | 95 | 0 |
| Belmont County | 145 | 3 |
| Brown County | 99 | 1 |
| Carroll County | 69 | 0 |
| Coshocton County | 100 | 2 |
| Crawford County | 71 | 1 |
| Darke County | 126 | 2 |
| Defiance County | 88 | 1 |
| Hardin County | 56 | 2 |
| Harrison County | 29 | 3 |
| Henry County | 81 | 0 |
| Hocking County | 100 | 2 |
| Holmes County | 44 | 1 |
| Jackson County | 72 | 0 |
| Mercer County | 71 | 2 |
| Monroe County | 31 | 0 |
| Morgan County | 36 | 0 |
| Noble County | 35 | 0 |
| Ottawa County | 137 | 0 |
| Paulding County | 57 | 2 |
| Perry County | 66 | 3 |
| Pike County | 62 | 0 |
| Putnam County | 55 | 0 |
| Shelby County | 133 | 0 |
| Van Wert County | 81 | 1 |
| Vinton County | 41 | 1 |
| Wyandot County | 51 | 0 |
Neighboring states
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Figures may be reused with credit to Ham Recruiter (CC BY 4.0).
Questions about hams in Ohio
How many ham radio operators are in Ohio?
26,693 active amateur radio licensees are on file for Ohio as of Oct 1, 2026.
How many new hams were licensed in Ohio last year?
703 people in Ohio received their first FCC amateur radio license in the 12 months ending Oct 1, 2026.
Which Ohio counties have the most new hams?
In the past 12 months: Franklin County (54), Cuyahoga County (47) and Montgomery County (40).
Where does this data come from?
From the FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) public amateur license database, which we download every Monday. Addresses are matched to counties with the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder. This page shows totals only.
Can I see the names or call signs on this page?
No. Public pages show totals only. Verified Ham Recruiter users can search and export lists for outreach; see how licensee information is handled.
About this data
Data as of . Source: FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) weekly amateur license database; county from U.S. Census Bureau geocoding. Aggregates only, no individual licensee data is shown. Aggregate figures © Ham Recruiter, CC BY 4.0.
How we count
- New ham: an active licensee whose first license was granted in the period.
- Address updates: a change of FCC mailing address, often a move into the area.
- Counts use each licensee’s current FCC address. Someone licensed here who later moved is counted where they live now.
- Each license keeps only its most recent event of each type, so two upgrades in one year count once.
- PO-box-only addresses often can’t be matched to a county, so rural counties are slightly undercounted.
100% of Ohio licensees could be matched to a county.