Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Grafton gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $314K, 4.4 years of the Cleveland metro’s $71K median household income. It grades A overall, 127th of 987 graded towns in Ohio. On the plus side, crime is low: it reports less per resident than 97% of U.S. towns. 12% of residents are under 18 in Grafton, below both Ohio’s towns (22%) and U.S. towns (22%). Grafton has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Immaculate Conception Church and Grafton School. Only 5 of the 313 Ohio towns we compare have a lower property crime rate than Grafton.
Where Grafton beats most towns.
Immaculate Conception Church6,636 counted in 2010 and 5,895 in 2020; an estimated 5,764 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Grafton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 600 in 1890, a low of 600 in 1890, 5,895 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 4 maps from 1901 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Grafton, 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 Grafton.
Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
The violent crime rate in Grafton is 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
2.1 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Grafton | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.9% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Willow Park | — | 15 |
| 2. North Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 90% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Grafton for work: only 5% work in town. Grafton’s average trip to work is 27 minutes. The top destinations are Cleveland (16%), Elyria (7%) and Westlake (3%).
| Grafton | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 7.6% | 9.7% | 11% |
| Median household income | $91,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.6% | 6.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Typical home values rose 5.6% in the year to September 2026.
| Grafton | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 79% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,089 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Grafton has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 20° and about 65 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
21% of Grafton adults binge drink. Grafton beats the Ohio average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 43% of Grafton adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Grafton | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 17% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 80% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Grafton | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6% | 8.7% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 5.9% | 8% |
| More adults lacking emotional support | 26.5% | 21.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Grafton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi MuseumRock and Roll Hall of Fame580K visitors a year
Big draw36 mi Theme parkCedar Point3.8M visitors a year
Big draw23 mi Stadium & arenaProgressive Field
23 mi Stadium & arenaHuntington Bank Field
20 mi National ParkCuyahoga Valley National Park3.0M visitors a year
23 mi Stadium & arenaRocket ArenaRock and Roll Hall of Fame: MusikAnimal, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cedar Point: Larry Pieniazek, User:Lar, en:User:Lar (primary), CC BY 2.5 · Progressive Field: Jsawczuk, Public domain · Huntington Bank Field: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0 · Cuyahoga Valley National Park: Unknown, Public domain · Rocket Arena: Cards84664, CC BY-SA 4.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Grafton
About 5 of every 100 Grafton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Ohio.
Where Grafton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Grafton on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Grafton.
Village in Ohio, United States
Grafton is a village in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, along the East Branch of the Black River. The population was 5,895 at the 2020 census. The Lorain Correctional Institution and several other prisons are located in and near Grafton.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Grafton.
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grafton | #127 | A | B | A+ | B | B− |
| Grafton Township | #680 | C+ | C | — | B | B− |
| Eaton Township | #652 | B− | C | — | B | B− |
| Carlisle Township | #493 | B | B | — | B+ | C |
Grafton Township, Eaton Township and Carlisle Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Grafton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Grafton grades A overall, better than 88% of U.S. towns and #127 of 987 in Ohio. It grades B− for health, A+ for safety 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.
3 notable people were born here, including Byron F. Ritchie and Ed McKean.
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