Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 6,233, settled in 1823. A regional job hub with 4,781 jobs.
Jackson gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $174K for a typical one, or 3.1 years of the county’s $57K median household income. It grades C+ overall, ranked 763rd of 987 in Ohio. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 92% of the country, and its crime rate is higher than 77% of U.S. towns, with 14 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. 30% of working residents work locally in Jackson, against 6.8% in Ohio’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. On walkability, just 95 of Ohio’s 1,718 towns do better. Gibson House is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Jackson beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Jackson’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Jackson is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 136 in 1830, 6,252 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1899 and 4 maps from 1913 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Jackson, 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 Jackson.
Jackson draws workers from Wellston and beyond and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
4,781 jobs are based in Jackson, 2.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 16.4 minutes, against 23.4 across Ohio.
About one in 3 of Jackson’s working residents works in town. Jackson’s average trip to work is 16 minutes. The top destinations are Wellston (8%), Lick Township (5%) and Columbus (3%).
| Jackson | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Jackson City school district. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Jackson High School, with 587 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 525 | B |
| Jackson High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 587 | B− |
| Jackson Westview Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 386 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OH on state tests and graduation
29% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Jackson. Jackson beats the Ohio average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 45% of adults have obesity in Jackson.
| Jackson | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 38% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 26% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 28% | 25% |
| What stands out | Jackson | OH |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.2% | 8% |
| More smokers | 19.5% | 15.4% |
| More adults who get no exercise | 33.4% | 26.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
86 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 14 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 86% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 86 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Jackson.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 194 to 126 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Jackson is 18 per 1,000 residents. Jackson reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 77% report less. The violent crime rate in Jackson is 2.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Jackson | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 18 per 1,000 residents | 9.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.3 per 1,000 residents | 1.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At about $174K, home values are up 12% in five years, against a rise of 30% across Ohio. The median property tax bill is $1,306, against $2,822 across Ohio, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
58% of Jackson households own their home. The typical Jackson home is worth about $174,000, down 0.5% in a year, 29% below the Ohio typical home.
| Jackson | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $759 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1.9 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Jackson | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.8% | 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. Eddie Jones Park | — | 15 |
| 2. Manpower Park | — | 5 |
| 3. Mound Street Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Jackson has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 23° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
None within 15 miles of Jackson; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Jackson residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
7 notable people were born in Jackson.
City in Ohio, United States
Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Ohio, United States about 27 miles (43 km) southeast of Chillicothe. Its population was 6,252 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Jackson.
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson | #763 | C+ | B+ | C− | B+ | D |
| Lick Township | #853 | C | B− | — | B+ | D |
| Franklin Township | — | — | B− | — | B+ | D |
| Liberty Township | — | — | B | — | B+ | D |
Franklin Township and Liberty Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Lick Township, Franklin Township and Liberty Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Jackson with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Jackson grades C+ overall, better than 36% of U.S. towns and #763 of 987 in Ohio. It grades D for health, C− for safety and B+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
7 notable people were born here, including Orus Jones and Fletcher Benton.