Youngstown is the county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, whose urban area also extends into Trumbull County to quite some extent. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately 65 miles (105 km) southeast of Cleveland, Ohio 61 miles (100 km) northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Youngstown lies 10 miles west of the Pennsylvania state line, midway between New York City and Chicago.

The city was named for John Young, an early settler from Whitestown, New York, who established the community's first sawmill and gristmill. As of 2007 Youngstown had a population of an estimate 74,000 people, 32,000 households and 20,000 families, making it Ohio's eighth largest city.