Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Amherst Township is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B− overall, ranked 545th of 987 in Ohio, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its public schools beat 72% of Ohio towns on state tests and graduation. Its lowest everyday mark is in health: residents are less healthy than 63% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. A typical home there costs about $217K, 3.1 years of the Cleveland metro’s $71K median household income. 14% of residents are under 18 in Amherst Township, below both Ohio’s towns (22%) and U.S. towns (22%). South Ridge Schoolhouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 74% of U.S. towns.
Where Amherst Township beats most towns.
Where Amherst Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Amherst Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,542 in 1880, 12,681 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1884 and 3 maps from 1901 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Amherst Township, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Amherst Township.
Most working residents leave Amherst Township for work: only 2% work in town. Since 2013, Amherst Township has lost 127 jobs, to 1,297 in 2023. 6.5% of Amherst Township residents live below the poverty line.
| Amherst Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 2.4% | 6.9% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.5% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 13% | 9.7% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Amherst Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Amherst Township’s July high is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median age in Amherst Township is 48.3 years. Amherst Township has grown 5.4% since 2020, to 6,870 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 23% of residents are 65 or older in Amherst Township.
| Amherst Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 48.3 years | 41.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 23% | 24% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.4 points. Across Ohio, 50.7% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 67% are men (OH 51%).
| Amherst Township | OH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.7% | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.6% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.6% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.7% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.5% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.2% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.1% | 10.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.5% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.1% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.7% | 32.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.7% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.5% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.6% | 19.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.4% | 12.2% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Amherst Township beats the Ohio average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| Amherst Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 28% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 80% | 79% |
| What stands out | Amherst Township | OH |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.9% | 8.7% |
| More adults with arthritis | 33.3% | 29.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Amherst Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.6% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Amherst Township Park | 0.4 mi | 14 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Amherst Township
About 9 of every 100 Amherst Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
City in Ohio, United States
Amherst ( AM-hərst) is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. It is located 28 miles (45 km) west of Cleveland within the Cleveland metropolitan area. The population was 12,681 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Amherst Township.
It grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Brownhelm Township (C+) comes closest.
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst Township | #545 | B− | B | — | B+ | C+ |
| Amherst | #186 | A− | B | B | B+ | B+ |
| Elyria | #914 | C− | B+ | C+ | C | D |
| New Russia Township | — | — | B | — | B+ | B− |
| Lorain | #976 | D | B+ | C− | C− | D− |
| Brownhelm Township | #703 | C+ | C | — | B+ | B |
| Elyria Township | #816 | C | B+ | — | C | D |
| South Amherst | — | — | B | — | B+ | C+ |
New Russia Township and South Amherst have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Amherst Township, New Russia Township, Brownhelm Township, Elyria Township and South Amherst report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Amherst Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Amherst Township grades B− overall, better than 55% of U.S. towns and #545 of 987 in Ohio. It grades C+ for health and B+ for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
