The 10 Worst Small Towns In Ohio For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which teeny specks in OH are the pits.

Sam Sparkes, RoadSnacks
April 7, 2022 - 111,247 views
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Editor’s Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the worst small places to live in Ohio.

Most Americans have never been to Ohio. However, as the people who live there know, Ohio is an awesome state.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Ohio has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Buckeye State. Don't shoot the messenger, this is all using data.

After analyzing more than 384 of Ohio's smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Ohio where you'd never want to live:

So what is the worst small town to call home in Ohio for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Salineville is the worst small town to live in Ohio.

Of course, many of these cities would rank highly if they were in other states, since Ohio has its stuff figured out.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.

And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Ohio or the worst places to live in Ohio.

If you're looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.

The 10 Worst Small Towns In Ohio For 2022

1. Salineville

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,124
Rank Last Year: 2 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $58,300 (9th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 9.1% (47th worst)
More on Salineville:  Data

2. Drexel

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,320
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $39,700 (worst)
Unemployment Rate: 22.7% (2nd worst)
More on Drexel:  Data

3. Stony Prairie

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,632
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 2)
Median Home Value: $95,400 (106th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 9.8% (36th worst)
More on Stony Prairie:  Data

4. West Hill

West Hill, OH

Source: Wikipedia
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 2,031
Rank Last Year: 25 (Up 21)
Median Home Value: $44,100 (2nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 9.8% (38th worst)
More on West Hill:  Data | Photos

5. Nelsonville

Nelsonville, OH

Source: Wikipedia User Tim Kiser (w:User:Malephe | CC BY-SA 2.5
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 4,785
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $78,400 (39th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 11.8% (23rd worst)
More on Nelsonville:  Data | Photos

6. Pomeroy

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,752
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $62,200 (11th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 12.2% (20th worst)
More on Pomeroy:  Data

7. Greenfield

Greenfield, OH

Source: Wikipedia User Aesopposea | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 4,184
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 4)
Median Home Value: $83,000 (52nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 11.2% (27th worst)
More on Greenfield:  Data | Photos

8. West Union

West Union, OH

Source: Wikipedia User Aesopposea | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,094
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 4)
Median Home Value: $93,000 (97th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 11.2% (29th worst)
More on West Union:  Data | Photos

9. Jeffersonville

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,081
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 5)
Median Home Value: $85,300 (64th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 7.6% (79th worst)
More on Jeffersonville:  Data

10. Urbancrest

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,154
Rank Last Year: -
Median Home Value: $102,100 (134th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 15.5% (11th worst)
More on Urbancrest:  Data

How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?

In order to rank the worst small towns to live in Ohio, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn't a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, things to do and a stable economy.

So we scraped the internet for those criteria, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.

How we determined the worst small towns to live in Ohio for 2022

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data and the Census's 2016-2020 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:

  • Population Density (The lower the worse)
  • Highest Unemployment Rates
  • Low housing costs (meaning there's no demand)
  • Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
  • Education (Number of high school dropouts)
  • High Crime

We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which, there were a lot - 384 to be exact.

Additional note: We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets its crime numbers from the cities themselves. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased.

There You Have It - The Worst Small Towns In Ohio

If you're analyzing teeny places in the Buckeye State with the worst economic situations, where there's high crime and there's not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

If you're curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Ohio, according to science:

  1. Sixteen Mile Stand (Pop. 3,120)
  2. Terrace Park (Pop. 2,254)
  3. Mariemont (Pop. 3,445)

For more Ohio reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Ohio

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 Salineville 1,124 9.1% $58,300
2 Drexel 2,320 22.7% $39,700
3 Stony Prairie 1,632 9.8% $95,400
4 West Hill 2,031 9.8% $44,100
5 Nelsonville 4,785 11.8% $78,400
6 Pomeroy 1,752 12.2% $62,200
7 Greenfield 4,184 11.2% $83,000
8 West Union 3,094 11.2% $93,000
9 Jeffersonville 1,081 7.6% $85,300
10 Urbancrest 1,154 15.5% $102,100
11 Wolfhurst 1,165 20.8% $77,400
12 New London 2,476 9.1% $83,600
13 Crooksville 2,465 10.0% $66,600
14 Ripley 1,707 9.7% $82,900
15 Sawyerwood 1,604 18.0% $59,500
16 Peebles 2,172 21.8% $95,900
17 Newcomer 4,058 17.6% $74,900
18 Union City 1,660 9.3% $50,700
19 Russells Point 1,440 8.6% $89,600
20 Windham 2,019 13.0% $89,300
21 Blanchester 4,401 11.3% $105,500
22 Piketon 2,139 7.6% $91,100
23 New Boston 2,657 7.8% $52,500
24 Coal Grove 1,899 8.5% $85,600
25 Manchester 1,790 4.2% $71,800
26 Lockland 3,439 10.4% $85,300
27 Bellaire 4,057 8.3% $72,000
28 Winchester 1,159 7.9% $113,100
29 New Miami 2,534 15.3% $72,300
30 Crystal Lakes 1,478 9.7% $86,000
31 Powhatan Point 1,627 5.5% $94,800
32 Plymouth 1,607 10.1% $81,400
33 Leipsic 2,360 3.0% $97,400
34 Mcconnelsville 2,456 6.4% $87,400
35 Montpelier 3,944 7.0% $84,000
36 Sabina 2,624 6.6% $83,500
37 Matamoras 1,045 21.8% $85,000
38 Woodsfield 2,359 11.7% $97,900
39 Orwell 1,862 4.2% $103,200
40 Wellsville 3,336 9.8% $55,700
41 Georg 4,414 7.0% $91,000
42 Sardinia 1,333 2.5% $81,900
43 Lakeview 1,140 7.7% $79,300
44 Leavittsburg 1,468 13.4% $80,000
45 Camden 2,120 6.6% $87,800
46 Aberdeen 1,484 4.3% $115,800
47 Sebring 4,213 11.9% $87,700
48 Rio Grande 1,063 3.6% $153,100
49 Newburgh Heights 1,798 7.2% $67,200
50 Middleport 2,326 5.2% $65,500
51 Edgewood 4,382 7.7% $83,000
52 Ansonia 1,126 5.4% $80,400
53 Elmwood Place 2,071 2.7% $51,800
54 South Zanesville 2,092 5.0% $53,400
55 Bethel 2,797 7.3% $104,900
56 Glouster 1,626 4.4% $58,100
57 New Paris 1,418 8.2% $69,900
58 Masury 2,088 7.7% $64,600
59 Forest 1,455 5.6% $78,000
60 Oak Hill 1,847 7.1% $69,800
61 Hopedale 1,004 7.0% $95,200
62 Paulding 3,653 7.9% $81,200
63 New Vienna 1,194 7.5% $87,300
64 Neffs 1,008 3.3% $74,400
65 Payne 1,399 7.3% $71,900
66 Newton Falls 4,494 7.3% $77,800
67 Frazeysburg 1,236 5.6% $94,200
68 Weston 1,642 5.5% $87,200
69 Crestline 4,408 3.7% $70,300
70 Mcarthur 1,501 2.0% $128,500
71 Rosemount 2,292 10.3% $85,600
72 Deshler 1,530 4.0% $93,700
73 Batavia 2,266 14.5% $133,300
74 Dennison 2,521 7.8% $80,800
75 Lowellville 1,113 4.1% $70,500
76 Cardington 1,571 2.0% $97,300
77 Greenwich 1,489 5.4% $88,700
78 Bolindale 2,258 6.1% $83,100
79 Gallipolis 3,557 3.4% $110,400
80 Skyline Acres 1,916 13.0% $88,000
81 Loudonville 2,765 5.1% $97,700
82 Chesapeake 1,183 3.7% $81,100
83 Brewster 2,254 5.6% $100,400
84 Millersburg 3,187 3.3% $111,100
85 Lisbon 2,671 5.6% $88,900
86 Brilliant 1,302 0.0% $65,400
87 Baltimore 3,005 9.0% $142,800
88 Hebron 2,370 5.2% $128,500
89 Lincoln Heights 3,359 22.4% $70,400
90 La Croft 1,048 7.5% $67,600
91 Leesburg 1,449 3.6% $101,600
92 North Randall 1,091 8.4% $106,700
93 Fayette 1,271 2.0% $69,200
94 Byesville 2,221 7.4% $84,000
95 Leetonia 2,151 7.1% $81,600
96 Navarre 1,689 5.4% $97,300
97 Jame 2,150 8.7% $109,000
98 West Lafayette 2,571 4.4% $71,500
99 Tiltonsville 1,383 7.0% $92,000
100 Silverton 4,768 7.1% $131,800
Download The Entire Ohio Ranking Data

How Is The Area In ?

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