Lancaster is a city in and the county seat of Fairfield County, Ohio, in the south-central part of the state. As of the 2020 census, the city popula…Lancaster is a city in and the county seat of Fairfield County, Ohio, in the south-central part of the state. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 40,552. The city is near the Hocking River, about 33 miles southeast of Columbus and 38 miles southwest of Zanesville. It is part of the Columbus metropolitan area.