New U.S. Census Bureau estimates say Franklin County has surpassed Cuyahoga to become the most populous county in the state.
The estimates have Cuyahoga County losing about 5,700 people last year while Franklin County gained more than 14,000 residents. That would leave each county with a population of more than 1.2 million people, with Franklin County ahead by roughly 15,000.
A big factor in the Cleveland area's population loss was people moving elsewhere. The bureau estimates that more than 10,000 Cuyahoga County residents moved elsewhere in Ohio or to another state.
The counties anchored by Akron, Cincinnati, Dayton and Toledo also lost residents to so-called domestic migration, in smaller numbers.
The statewide population held relatively steady at more than 11.6 million.