Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Chillicothe earns a D, 967th among Ohio's 987 graded towns, mostly because of health and safety. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 92% of the country. Its crime rate is higher than 91% of U.S. towns, with 48 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. In its favor, it has 15 miles of trail. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 15 places on the National Register. Chillicothe’s property crime rate is 37.7 per 1,000 residents, above both the Ohio town median (9.4) and the median of U.S. towns (9.9). Its National Register listings include Adena (Thomas Worthington House) and Story Mound State Memorial. Chillicothe is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns.
Where Chillicothe beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Adena (Thomas Worthington House) is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 2,426 in 1820, 22,059 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1812 and 5 maps from 1906 on.
15 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Chillicothe is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Chillicothe, 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 Chillicothe.
Chillicothe draws workers from Union Township and beyond, but it reports property crime at about twice the Ohio rate.
The trail density in Chillicothe is 1.4 miles per square mile. Adena State Memorial, at 286 acres with 3.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Chillicothe | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.4 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 10% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Adena State Memorial | 3.1 mi | 286 |
| 2. Yoctangee Park | 1.3 mi | 139 |
| 3. Coppel Athletic Complex | 0.8 mi | 45 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
12,620 jobs are based in Chillicothe, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of Chillicothe’s working residents works in town. 17% of residents live below the poverty line in Chillicothe. Jobs based in Chillicothe grew to 12,620 in 2023, 691 more than in 2013.
| Chillicothe | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 29% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 5.4% | 9.7% | 11% |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
45% of Chillicothe adults have obesity. Chillicothe beats the Ohio average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 16% of Chillicothe adults have diabetes.
| Chillicothe | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 38% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Chillicothe | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13.8% | 16.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.1% | 8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Property crime runs at 37.7 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Ohio rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 1,062 to 866 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Chillicothe reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 91% report less. Chillicothe’s violent crime rate is 2.2 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Chillicothe has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 23° and about 12 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Chillicothe home is worth about $202,000, up 3.9% in a year, 18% below the Ohio typical home.
| Chillicothe | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $887 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 64% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Chillicothe.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Ohio average. 22% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Ohio.
| Chillicothe | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 22% | 24% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 21% | 22% | 22% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.9 points. Across Ohio, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Chillicothe | OH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.5% | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.2% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.5% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.1% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.4% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.2% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.1% | 10.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.9% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.5% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 41% | 32.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.4% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.2% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 11.4% | 19.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.5% | 12.2% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
1 within 15 miles of the center of Chillicothe
About 4 of every 100 Chillicothe residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
15 places in Chillicothe on the National Register of Historic Places.
47 notable people were born in Chillicothe.
City in Ohio, United States
Chillicothe ( CHIL-ih-KOTH-ee) is a city in Ross County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 22,059 at the 2020 census. The town's population peaked around 25,000 in 1960 and has held steady in the intervening decades. Located along the Scioto River 45 miles (72 km) south of Columbus, Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio. It is the only city in Ross County and the center of the Chillicothe micropolitan area, which is a part of the Columbus, Ohio Combined Statistical Area. Chillicothe is a designated Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation. Chillicothe is the birthplace of Tecumseh, the Shawnee leader during the War of 1812. The town was an …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Chillicothe.
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chillicothe | #967 | D | B | D | C+ | D |
| Scioto Township | #899 | C− | B− | — | C+ | D |
| Springfield Township | #927 | C− | C+ | — | B | D |
Scioto Township and Springfield Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Chillicothe with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Chillicothe grades D overall, better than 9% of U.S. towns and #967 of 987 in Ohio. It grades D for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.3 years of the area's median household income ($61,303 across the Chillicothe, OH 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.
47 notable people were born here, including Tecumseh and Lucy Webb Hayes.
