Eastern side of East, south of North, 2016
Gratis’s story
203 years in pictures
Census counts: 462 in 1860, 842 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1911 on.
- 1823Gratis is settled
GratisOH
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Population
835
2025 Census estimate · −0.7% since 2020
Median home value
$155K
Census ACS
Household income
$78K
median
Median age
43.0
years
Jobs based here
64
A commuter town
Is Gratis a good place to live?
Gratis’ average trip to work is 31 minutes, against 24 minutes in Ohio’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Gratis has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Gratis stand out
Where Gratis beats most towns.
Small town
835 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Gratis TownshipLanier TownshipGratis
Nearby attractions
All 79 attractions →Kings Island and 63 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gratis. Close and well known come first.
Big draw25 mi Theme parkKings Island3.5M visitors a year
24 mi MuseumNational Museum of the United States Air Force1.0M visitors a year
38 mi Stadium & arenaPaycor Stadium
38 mi Stadium & arenaGreat American Ball Park
36 mi Stadium & arenaNippert Stadium
35 mi Zoo & aquariumCincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden1.2M visitors a yearSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Kings Island: Eli Duke from Portland, OR, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · National Museum of the United States Air Force: No machine-readable author provided. Rogerd assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Paycor Stadium: JonRidinger, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Great American Ball Park: Eric Kilby profile at Flickr website, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Nippert Stadium: Ben Levin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.5
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Gratis: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gratis, and how to reach them.
PowerAES Ohio16.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterGratis Village PWSNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Gratis’ 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, Preble County Board of ElectionsPreble County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2024
ZIP codes45330, 4532045330 99% · 45320 1%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 Gratis.
Work & commute
Gratis has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Gratis for work: only 1% work in town. Jobs based in Gratis grew to 64 in 2023, 28 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Middletown (10%), Eaton (6%) and Gratis Township (5%).
1%work in town
| Gratis | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1% | 6.9% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.4% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Gratis1%
Middletown10%
Eaton6%
Gratis Township5%
Dayton4%
17 mi
median commute distance
64
jobs based in Gratis
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Gratis
Gratis has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 21° and about 10 inches of snow falls in a winter.
10″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter23–40°
Spring41–63°
Summer62–84°
Fall44–65°
Oct 19
typical first frost
Apr 24
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Gratis is
Gratis beats the Ohio average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 18% of Gratis adults binge drink, where Ohio’s towns sit at 17% and U.S. towns at 16%. 39% of adults have obesity in Gratis.
| Gratis | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 26% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Ohio
3 better29 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Gratis | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.5% | 8.3% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.2% | 14.1% |
Kettering Health Miamisburg
13.5 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazards
Gratis faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities.
40risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesStrong wind
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Gratis
16pages on Gratis
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Gratis
Miami University-MiddletownUniversity or college · Public · Middletown12.5 mi$7,491 in-state tuitionMiami University-OxfordUniversity or college · Public · Oxford14.6 mi$18,161 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Gratis residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Gratis for work
Where Gratis’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
64jobs based in Gratis
1%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Gratis
Village in Ohio, United States
Gratis is a village in Preble County, Ohio, United States. The population was 842 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 879 ft
- ZIP code
- 45330
Questions about Gratis
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Gratis, OH a good place to live?
Gratis has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.