Darke County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 52,959, which is a decrease of 0.7% from 53,309 in 2000. Its county seat is Greenville, and it is named for William Darke, an officer in the Revolution.

​

Darke County comprises the Greenville, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Dayton-Springfield-Sidney, OH Combined Statistical Area.

Notable natives included Annie Oakley, famed 19th-century markswoman who performed with Buffalo Bill’s Wild Westshow, who was born in Darke County; and Lucullus Virgil McWhorter, a farmer and frontiersman who studied and wrote about the historical American Indian tribes of West Virginia and Ohio.

​

​

​

Darke County, Ohio, is one of the few counties in the United States to border eight other counties.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 52,959 people, 20,929 households, and 14,673 families residing in the county. The population density was 88.5 inhabitants per square mile (34.2/km2). There were 22,730 housing units at an average density of 38.0 per square mile (14.7/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.8% white, 0.4% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 38.9% were German, 11.5% were American, 10.6% were Irish, and 9.0% were English.

Of the 20,929 households, 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.9% were non-families, and 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.50, and the average family size was 3.00. The median age was 40.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $44,280, and the median income for a family was $53,454. Males had a median income of $40,402 versus $28,310 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,483. About 7.5% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.