Newark is a city in, and the county seat of, Licking County, Ohio, United States; it is located 40 miles east of Columbus at the junction of the forks of the Licking River. The population was 49,934 at the 2020 census, making it the 18th-largest city in Ohio. It is part of the Columbus metropolitan area. It is the site of much of the Newark Earthworks, a major ancient complex built by the Hopewell culture.