Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hamilton gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $303K for a typical one, or 3.7 years of the Cincinnati metro’s $81K median household income. It grades C− overall, 889th among Ohio's 987 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 93% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and its crime rate is higher than 76% of U.S. towns, with 184 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 82% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 21 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include Rossville Historic District and Greenwood Cemetery. 20% of residents live below the poverty line in Hamilton, above both the Ohio town median (9.1%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Hamilton is home to Miami University-Hamilton.
Where Hamilton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Its founding year, 1794, comes before those of 96% of the Ohio towns we grade with a known year. Its 21 National Register listings are more than in 95% of Ohio towns with a listing.
Census counts: 660 in 1820, 63,399 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1840 and 5 maps from 1915 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Hamilton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hamilton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw16 mi Theme parkKings Island3.5M visitors a year
21 mi Stadium & arenaPaycor Stadium
36 mi MuseumNational Museum of the United States Air Force1.0M visitors a year
21 mi Stadium & arenaGreat American Ball Park
18 mi Stadium & arenaNippert Stadium
24 mi MuseumCreation Museum1.2M visitors a yearKings Island: Eli Duke from Portland, OR, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Paycor Stadium: JonRidinger, CC BY-SA 4.0 · National Museum of the United States Air Force: No machine-readable author provided. Rogerd assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Great American Ball Park: Eric Kilby profile at Flickr website, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Nippert Stadium: Ben Levin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Creation Museum: Creashin at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hamilton, 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 Hamilton.
Hamilton carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Ohio (mostly inland flooding), but it has seen reported crime rise beyond ordinary swings.
12% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Hamilton. Hamilton beats the Ohio average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 35% of adults get no exercise outside work in Hamilton.
| Hamilton | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 28% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 38% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Hamilton | OH |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 21.5% | 14.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 12.1% | 8% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 12.2% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Hamilton City school district. Two of its 18 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garfield Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 814 | C |
| Hamilton High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,403 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OH on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes rose from 1,372 to 1,655 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Hamilton’s property crime rate is 23 per 1,000 residents. Hamilton reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 76% report less. Hamilton’s violent crime rate is 2.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Hamilton | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 23 per 1,000 residents | 9.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
4.4 miles of trail in 33 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Gilmore Ponds Preserve Metropark, at 238 acres.
| Hamilton | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 5.7% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Butler County Fairgrounds | 0.9 mi | 31 |
| 2. Millikin Park | 0.4 mi | 49 |
| 3. L. J. Smith Park | 0.4 mi | 30 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
54% of Hamilton households own their home. The typical Hamilton home is worth about $303,000, up 3.4% in a year, 23% above the Ohio typical home.
| Hamilton | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,007 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 45% | 42% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Hamilton has chilly winters and warm summers. The July high in Hamilton is 87°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Hamilton for work: only 16% work in town. The top destinations are Fairfield (10%), Cincinnati (8%) and West Chester Township (7%). Half commute less than 12 miles.
| Hamilton | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 6.5% | 9.7% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of Ohio towns, with expected losses of about $324 per resident a year; that rating is what its C+ for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1980, 16 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hamilton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
8 within 15 miles of the center of Hamilton
About 5 of every 100 Hamilton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Ohio.
21 places in Hamilton on the National Register of Historic Places.
51 notable people were born in Hamilton.
City in Ohio, US
Hamilton is a city in Butler County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is 20 miles (32 km) north of Cincinnati along the Great Miami River. The population was 63,399 at the 2020 census, making Hamilton the second-most populous city in the Cincinnati metropolitan area and the tenth-most populous city in Ohio. Most of the city is served by the Hamilton City School District.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Hamilton.
All 5 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; St. Clair Township (C) is closest. Ross Township next door grades higher for schools (A to Hamilton’s C+) and lower for cost of living (C+ to B+).
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | #889 | C− | B+ | C− | C+ | D |
| St. Clair Township | #850 | C | A− | — | B− | C |
| Hanover Township | #552 | B− | B | — | B+ | C |
| Fairfield Township | #718 | C+ | C+ | — | B− | C |
| Fairfield | #681 | C+ | B− | B− | B− | C+ |
| Ross Township | #328 | B+ | C+ | A− | A | C |
| New Miami | — | — | B+ | — | C | D− |
New Miami has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. St. Clair Township, Hanover Township, Fairfield Township and New Miami report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Hamilton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hamilton grades C− overall, better than 21% of U.S. towns and #889 of 987 in Ohio. It grades D for health, C− for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
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+.
51 notable people were born here, including Steve Morse and Scott Walker.
