Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ironton gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $126K, 2.1 years of the Huntington metro’s $60K median household income. It grades C overall, 852nd of 987 graded towns in Ohio. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 98% of the country, and the median household income is $48K, and 24% of residents live below the poverty line. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 10 places on the National Register. 24% of residents live below the poverty line in Ironton, above both Ohio’s towns (9.1%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 31 of Ohio’s 1,718 towns score lower on hazard risk. Its National Register listings include Norfolk And Western Railroad Depot and Downtown Ironton Historic District.
Where Ironton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Norfolk And Western Railroad Depot| Widest gap | Ironton | OH |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 13.6% | 8% |
Census counts: 3,691 in 1860, a peak of 16,333 in 1950, 10,571 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1899 and 7 maps from 1898 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Ironton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ironton, 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 Ironton.
Ironton sends many workers across the state line to Ashland and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Ohio (mostly inland flooding).
18% of adults have diabetes in Ironton. Among 993 Ohio towns, just 7 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Ironton. 44% of adults have obesity in Ironton.
| Ironton | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 38% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Ironton | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13% | 16.6% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.8% | 79.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 13.6% | 8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 2.1 years of the Huntington metro’s $60K median household income, the typical home (about $126K) costs less against local pay than in 92% of Ohio towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $1,103, against $2,822 across Ohio, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
60% of Ironton households own their home. Typical home values rose 5.2% in the year to September 2026. Ironton’s median rent is $782 a month.
| Ironton | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $782 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of Ohio towns, with expected losses of about $578 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Ironton is 85 of 100. Since 1978, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ironton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Ironton has chilly winters and warm summers. Among 993 Ohio towns, just 2 have a higher July high than Ironton.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
35% of working residents cross a state line to work, Ashland among the top destinations. Ironton has about as many jobs (4,094) as working residents, but only 941 people both live and work here.
About one in 5 of Ironton’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Ironton grew to 4,094 in 2023, 1,052 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Ashland (13%), Huntington (5%) and Portsmouth (4%).
| Ironton | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 6.7% | 9.7% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Just 8 of its 3,029 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Ironton itself; its outdoors grade is D.
0.2 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Beechwood Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
| 2. 9th Street Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ironton. Close and well known come first.
15 mi National forestWayne National Forest
12 mi Theme parkCamden Park
16 mi MuseumHuntington Museum of Art
16 mi MuseumHeritage Farm Museum and Village14 mi MuseumMuseum of Radio and TechnologyWayne National Forest: Forest Service, USDA, Public domain · Camden Park: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Huntington Museum of Art: Daderot, CC0 · Heritage Farm Museum and Village: Zeo1989, CC BY-SA 4.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Ironton
About 1 of every 100 Ironton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
10 places in Ironton on the National Register of Historic Places.
28 notable people were born in Ironton.
City in Ohio, United States
Ironton is a city in Lawrence County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 10,571 at the 2020 census. Located in southernmost Ohio along the Ohio River, it is 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Huntington, West Virginia, within the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area. The city's name is a contraction of "iron town", stemming from its long ties to the iron industry. It also had one of the first professional football teams, the Ironton Tanks.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Ironton.
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ironton | #852 | C | A− | B | B− | D− |
| Upper Township | #896 | C− | B+ | — | B− | D− |
| Coal Grove | — | — | A− | — | B+ | D |
| Hanging Rock | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hamilton Township | — | — | A | — | B− | D− |
Coal Grove and Hamilton Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Upper Township, Coal Grove and Hamilton Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Hanging Rock isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Ironton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ironton grades C overall, better than 25% of U.S. towns and #852 of 987 in Ohio. It grades D− for health, B for safety and B− 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 A−.
28 notable people were born here, including Bobby Bare and Marion Tinsley.
