Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,590, settled in 1907.
Buckeye Lake gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $297K, 3.6 years of the Columbus metro’s $82K median household income. It grades B overall, 433rd of 987 graded towns in Ohio. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 80% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 70% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 79% of U.S. towns. Only 134 of Ohio’s 1,718 towns score lower on history. Buckeye Lake’s median age is 48.9 years, against 41.7 years in Ohio’s towns and 40.5 years across U.S. towns.
Where Buckeye Lake beats most towns.
Where Buckeye Lake’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 Buckeye Lake is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,986 in 1990, 2,520 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1899 and 5 maps from 1909 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Buckeye Lake, 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 Buckeye Lake.
Buckeye Lake trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Ohio (mostly inland flooding) and scores below Licking Township and its other neighbors on health.
| Buckeye Lake | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Buckeye Lake State Park | 0.3 mi | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
All 3 graded neighbors score healthier than its C−, from Licking Township (B−) to Harbor Hills (B).
19% of adults smoke cigarettes in Buckeye Lake. Buckeye Lake beats the Ohio average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Buckeye Lake.
| Buckeye Lake | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 23% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Buckeye Lake | OH |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 24.6% | 15.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 10% | 8% |
| More smokers | 19.2% | 15.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here grew from 385 in 2013 to 588.
Most working residents leave Buckeye Lake for work: only 5% work in town. 15% of Buckeye Lake residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Buckeye Lake has added 203 jobs, to 588 in 2023.
| Buckeye Lake | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.7% | 6.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of Ohio towns; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1997, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Buckeye Lake.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Buckeye Lake has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 20° and about 17 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Homes are within reach (about $297K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles.
Typical home values rose 11% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Buckeye Lake is $863 a month.
| Buckeye Lake | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $863 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 77% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Buckeye Lake's reported crime rate is below Ohio's. Buckeye Lake’s violent crime rate is 2.7 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Buckeye Lake | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 2.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.3 | 1.9 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 15.1 per 1,000 residents | 11.8 | 14.1 |
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Buckeye Lake. Close and well known come first.
Big draw29 mi Stadium & arenaOhio Stadium
27 mi Stadium & arenaHistoric Crew Stadium
28 mi Stadium & arenaScottsMiracle-Gro Field
29 mi Stadium & arenaValue City Arena
37 mi Zoo & aquariumColumbus Zoo and Aquarium
35 mi State parkHocking Hills State ParkOhio Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Historic Crew Stadium: Rick Dikeman, CC BY-SA 3.0 · ScottsMiracle-Gro Field: Nova Crystallis, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Value City Arena: Nick81aku at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Columbus Zoo and Aquarium: Adolphus79 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Hocking Hills State Park: Ramseybuckeye, Public domain
4 within 15 miles of the center of Buckeye Lake
About 3 of every 100 Buckeye Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
Village in Ohio, United States
Buckeye Lake is a village in Fairfield and Licking counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 2,520 at the 2020 census. It is named for Buckeye Lake, a large lake along which the village is built.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Buckeye Lake.
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buckeye Lake | #433 | B | A− | — | B− | C− |
| Harbor Hills | — | — | C− | — | B− | B |
| Union Township | #308 | B+ | B− | — | A | B− |
| Licking Township | #582 | B− | C+ | — | B− | B− |
Harbor Hills has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Buckeye Lake, Harbor Hills, Union Township and Licking Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Buckeye Lake with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Buckeye Lake grades B overall, better than 64% of U.S. towns and #433 of 987 in Ohio. It grades C− for health and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
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 A−.
