Elyria ( ə-LEER-ee-ə) is a city in and the county seat of Lorain County, Ohio, United States, located at the forks of the Black River in Northeast Ohio 23 miles (37 km) southwest of Cleveland. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 52,656. It is a principal city in the Cleveland metropolitan area. The city is home to Lorain County Community College.