New Lexington is a village in and the county seat of Perry County, Ohio, United States, 21 mi southwest of Zanesville and 45 mi miles southeast of Columbus. The population was 4,435 at the 2020 census.

History

New Lexington was laid out in 1817. The village was named after Lexington, Massachusetts. A post office called New Lexington has been in operation since 1829. The Perry County Courthouse that stands at the corner of Main Street and West Brown Street was erected in 1887 and was dedicated one year later. In 2020, New Lexington’s historical Main Street underwent a massive renovation project that delivered new brick sidewalks, trash cans, benches, trees, and decorative street lighting. The project cost $2.1 million and was made possible through the Streetscape Grant.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.95 sqmi, all land.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 4,731 people, 1,838 households, and 1,164 families living in the village. The population density was 2426.2 PD/sqmi. There were 2,000 housing units at an average density of 1025.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 97.9% White, 0.5% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.6% of the population. There were 1,838 households, of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.7% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.12. The median age in the village was 33.8 years. 28.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.3% were from 25 to 44; 23.3% were from 45 to 64; and 13.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.3% male and 52.7% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,689 people, 1,836 households, and 1,233 families living in the village. The population density was 2,017.1 PD/sqmi. There were 1,976 housing units at an average density of 850.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 98.76% White, 0.17% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 0.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.38% of the population. There were 1,836 households, out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.07. In the village, the population was spread out, with 28.1% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males. The median income for a household in the village was $28,406, and the median income for a family was $33,514. Males had a median income of $28,155 versus $21,039 for females. The per capita income for the village was $14,127. About 16.4% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.0% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government

As of 2024, the mayor of New Lexington is Trent Thompson. The Village Administrator is Eric Emmert. Janie DePinto serves as the council president.

Education

New Lexington City School District operates New Lexington Elementary, Junction City Elementary, New Lexington Middle School, and New Lexington High School. New Lexington has a public library, a branch of the Perry County District Library.

Notable people