Highland Defiance, 2006
Highland Township’s story
Highland Township in pictures
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 3 maps from 1909 on.
Explore the history →
Highland TownshipOH
A town of 2,284. Public schools that outperform most of Ohio.
3 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Population
2,284
2025 Census estimate · −0.3% since 2020
Median home value
$164K
Census ACS
Household income
$82K
median
Median age
57.0
years
Jobs based here
171
A commuter town
Is Highland Township a good place to live?
Highland Township’s best subject grades are an A+ for schools and cost of living; its weakest is a D− for walkability. Highland Township’s median age is 57 years, above both the Ohio town median (41.7 years) and the median of U.S. towns (40.5 years). On cost of living, just 51 of Ohio’s 1,718 towns do better. Only 109 of Ohio’s 1,718 towns score lower on the outdoors. Highland Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Highland Township stand out
Where Highland Township beats most towns.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Highland Township for work
Where Highland Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
171jobs based in Highland Township
2%of working residents work in town
16 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Highland Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Highland Township is from typical.
SchoolsA+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 3.7 of 20; 6.3% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitD−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $164K, 2.2 years of the Defiance area’s $73K median household incomeA+Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC−Open →Jobs & income$82K median household incomeB+Open →HealthMercy Health - Defiance Hospital 5.9 miles awayC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksD−Open →HistoryB−Open →Civic life0.3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Highland Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Highland Township, and how to reach them.
PowerThe Toledo Edison16.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterAyersville Water and Sewer District3 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet9 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Highland Township’s 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, Defiance County Board of ElectionsDefiance County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2019
ZIP codes43512, 43548, 43527, 4583143512 95% · 43548 2% · 43527 2% · 45831 2%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 Highland Township.
SchoolsA+
Highland Township’s schools rank ahead of 98% of Ohio districts
Its public schools are run by the Ayersville Local school district. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Ayersville High School, with 326 students.
98%of OH districts it outscoresA+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayersville Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 322 | A |
| Ayersville High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 326 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OH on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Highland Township has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Highland Township for work: only 2% work in town. Since 2013, Highland Township has lost 69 jobs, to 171 in 2023. 5.2% of residents live below the poverty line in Highland Township, against 9.1% in Ohio’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns.
2%work in town
| Highland Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 5.2% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.4% | 6.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $82,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Highland Township2%
Defiance32%
Napoleon5%
Richland Township3%
Bryan3%
16 mi
median commute distance
171
jobs based in Highland Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 2% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
High risk in Highland Township, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 76% of U.S. communities. Since 2008, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Highland Township.
76risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoes
6
paid flood claims since 2008
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
In Highland Township, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Highland Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 18° and about 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
24″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter21–35°
Spring39–60°
Summer61–83°
Fall43–63°
Oct 24
typical first frost
Apr 22
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
Health in Highland Township trails 60% of U.S. towns
Highland Township beats the Ohio average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 14% of adults have diabetes in Highland Township.
40%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Highland Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 38% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 26% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 28% | 25% |
32 measures vs. Ohio
1 better30 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Highland Township | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 7.2% | 8.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.8% | 8.7% |
Mercy Health - Defiance Hospital
5.9 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Highland Township
17pages on Highland Township
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Highland Township
About 2 of every 100 Highland Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
About Highland Township
Township in Ohio, US
Highland Township is one of the twelve townships of Defiance County, Ohio, United States. The population at the 2020 census was 2,284.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 715 ft
Highland Township’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Highland Township.
Richland TownshipMonroe TownshipPleasant TownshipHighland Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Township | — | — | A+ | — | A+ | C+ |
| Richland Township | #329 | B+ | B+ | — | A− | C+ |
| Monroe Township | — | — | A+ | — | A+ | C+ |
| Pleasant Township | — | — | A+ | — | A | C+ |
Highland Township, Monroe Township and Pleasant Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Highland Township, Richland Township, Monroe Township and Pleasant Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Highland Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Highland Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Highland Township, OH a good place to live?
Public schools that outperform most of Ohio.
Is Highland Township, OH expensive?
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+.