City Building, 1914
Arcanum’s story
177 years in pictures
Census counts: 450 in 1870, 2,347 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1914 and 2 maps from 1961 on.
- 1849Arcanum is laid out
ArcanumOH
A town of 2,327, laid out in 1849.
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Population
2,327
2025 Census estimate · −0.6% since 2020
Typical home
$251K
+8.8% in a year
Household income
$60K
median
Median age
35.7
years
Jobs based here
325
A commuter town
Is Arcanum a good place to live?
Arcanum’s best subject grade is an A for schools; its weakest is a C for walkability. Arcanum’s average trip to work is 31 minutes, above both Ohio’s towns (24 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). The biggest park or preserve is Ivester Park, at 32 acres. Arcanum has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
StrongestASchools
What makes Arcanum stand out
Where Arcanum beats most towns.
Typical home value
Arcanum$251K
Ohio$246K
Cost of livingB+
3.9 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 74% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Natural hazardsB+
Low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
0historic places
History
Laid out in 1849
A long history
A history going back 177 years.
A growing town
Arcanum has grown 10% since 2010
2,129 counted in 2010 and 2,347 in 2020; an estimated 2,327 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Arcanum grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Arcanum is from typical.
SchoolsBeat 85% of Ohio districts on tests and graduationAOpen →Cost of livingB+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 30% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.3 of 20; 3.3% of households have no car; 0.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →HealthWayne Hospital 7.9 miles awayC+Open →Jobs & incomeBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2% conserved landC+Open →HistoryLaid out 1849; 2 notable people born hereBOpen →Civic life3.4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 35.7; 21% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Arcanum: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Arcanum, and how to reach them.
PowerCity of ArcanumEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterArcanum Village PWS1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet10 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Arcanum’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Ohio you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereDirector, Darke County Board of ElectionsDarke County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2019
ZIP code4530445304 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Arcanum.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Arcanum has 0.3 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Arcanum for work: only 4% work in town. Since 2013, Arcanum has lost 643 jobs, to 325 in 2023. Arcanum’s median household income is $60,000, below both the Ohio town median ($75,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000).
4%work in town
| Arcanum | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $60,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 7.6% | 9.7% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.4% | 6.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Arcanum4%
Greenville12%
Dayton9%
Troy5%
Vandalia2%
20 mi
median commute distance
325
jobs based in Arcanum
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 31% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in Arcanum
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 2005, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Arcanum.
30risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesEarthquakes
5
paid flood claims since 2005
6
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Arcanum has four seasons and pleasant summers
Arcanum has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 20° and about 12 inches of snow falls in a winter.
12″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter22–38°
Spring40–62°
Summer61–83°
Fall43–64°
Oct 20
typical first frost
Apr 21
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
Residents of Arcanum are less healthy than 61% of U.S. towns
Arcanum tracks Ohio closely on all 32 CDC measures. 33% of Arcanum adults sleep under 7 hours.
39%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Arcanum | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 38% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 26% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 34% | 33% |
32 measures vs. Ohio
0 better32 too close to call0 worse
Wayne Hospital
7.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsC+
Arcanum has set aside 1.7% of its land for conservation
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
1.7%conserved
1.7%
conserved · 14 of 791 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ivester Park | — | 32 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade B+
Arcanum’s typical home value is about $251K
The typical Arcanum home is worth about $251,000, up 8.8% in a year, close to the Ohio typical home. Arcanum’s median rent is $803 a month.
$251KZillow home value
| Arcanum | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $803 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 77% | 73% |
Typical home value
Arcanum$251K
Ohio$246K
+8.8%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nearby attractions
All 55 attractions →National Museum of the United States Air Force and 26 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Arcanum. Close and well known come first.
28 mi MuseumNational Museum of the United States Air Force1.0M visitors a year28 mi MuseumNational Aviation Hall of Fame300K visitors a year
37 mi State parkGrand Lake St. Marys State Park
40 mi LandmarkMadonna of the Trail
32 mi MuseumFort Recovery
24 mi MuseumDayton Art Institute304K visitors a yearSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
National Museum of the United States Air Force: No machine-readable author provided. Rogerd assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Grand Lake St. Marys State Park: Bruin, CC BY 2.0 · Madonna of the Trail: W. Guy Finley, Public domain · Fort Recovery: Nyttend, Public domain · Dayton Art Institute: Warren LeMay, CC BY-SA 2.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Arcanum
19pages on Arcanum
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Arcanum; the nearest are
United Theological SeminaryUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Dayton19.2 miIndiana University-EastUniversity or college · Public · Richmond, IN19.4 mi$8,424 in-state tuitionGateway Community and Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Florence, KY71.4 mi$4,728 in-state tuition
About 5 of every 100 Arcanum residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Ohio.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Arcanum for work
Where Arcanum’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
325jobs based in Arcanum
4%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Arcanum
Village in Ohio, United States
Arcanum ( ar-CAN-əm) is a village in Darke County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,457 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,050 ft
- ZIP code
- 45304
Questions about Arcanum
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Arcanum, OH expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
What is Arcanum, OH known for?
Arcanum was laid out in 1849. 2 notable people were born here, including Jena Powell and Mark York.