Jefferson Township, Muskingum County, Ohio meeting hall, 2017
Jefferson Township’s story
Jefferson Township in pictures
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2015 and 3 maps from 1910 on.
Explore the history →
Jefferson TownshipOH
2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Ohio town. 1,839 people call this town in Ohio home.
3 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Roseohioresident · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,839
2025 Census estimate · +0.2% since 2020
Median home value
$144K
Census ACS
Household income
$60K
median
Median age
40.3
years
Jobs based here
385
A commuter town
Is Jefferson Township a good place to live?
The best of Jefferson Township’s subject grades are an A− for schools and history and an A for civic life; the weakest is a C for incomes. 12% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Jefferson Township, against 24% in Ohio’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. A typical home costs about $144K, 2.4 years of the Zanesville area’s $61K median household income. The biggest park or preserve is Kenney Wolford Community Park, at 26 acres. Jefferson Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Jefferson Township stand out
Where Jefferson Township beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Jefferson Township7.7
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical OH town3.9
Civic lifeA
2 times the nonprofits per person
than the typical Ohio town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
0historic places
HistoryA−
0 historic places
A long history
Listed for their history, architecture or both.
Tri-Valley Local schools
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Dresden Elementary School | K–6 | 491 |
| Tri-Valley Middle School | 5–8 | 475 |
| Tri-Valley High School | 8–12 | 730 |
SchoolsA−
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Jefferson Township for work
Where Jefferson Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
385jobs based in Jefferson Township
4%of working residents work in town
13 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Jefferson Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Jefferson Township is from typical.
SchoolsSchools do better than mostA−Open →Cost of livingBetter than most of the towns comparedB+Open →Jobs & income$60K median household income; 385 jobs based hereCOpen →HealthGenesis Hospital 9.4 miles awayCOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 39% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.6 of 20; 10% of households have no car; 0.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trail; 1% conserved landBOpen →HistoryGraded on historic places and the town’s ageA−Open →Civic life7.7 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
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 Jefferson Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Jefferson Township, and how to reach them.
PowerAEP Ohio19.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterDresden PWSNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Jefferson 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, Muskingum County Board of ElectionsMuskingum County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2019
ZIP code4382143821 100%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 Jefferson Township.
SchoolsA−
Jefferson Township’s public schools outperform 77% of Ohio districts
Two of its 3 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The largest public high school is Tri-Valley High School, with 730 students. The public schools here belong to the Tri-Valley Local school district.
77%of OH districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dresden Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 491 | B+ |
| Tri-Valley High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 8–12 | Grades 8–12 | 730 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OH on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
With only 0.5 jobs per working resident, most people in Jefferson Township work out of town
The top destinations are Zanesville (24%), Columbus (9%) and Newark (7%). Only 4% of working residents stay in Jefferson Township for work; the rest commute out. Jefferson Township: 13% of residents live below the poverty line.
4%work in town
| Jefferson Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.7% | 6.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Jefferson Township4%
Zanesville24%
Columbus9%
Newark7%
Falls Township6%
13 mi
median commute distance
385
jobs based in Jefferson Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 40% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthC
On CDC estimates, Jefferson Township is less healthy than two in three U.S. towns
Two figures for adults in Jefferson Township: 41% sleep under 7 hours, 28% have been diagnosed with depression. In Jefferson Township, just over two in five adults have obesity.
32%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Jefferson Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Ohio
0 better31 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Jefferson Township | OH |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with obesity | 42.1% | 37.1% |
Genesis Hospital
9.4 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
In Jefferson Township, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
A winter brings about 18 inches of snow, with January nights at 20° and July afternoons at 84°.
18″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter23–40°
Spring40–63°
Summer60–83°
Fall43–65°
Oct 18
typical first frost
Apr 27
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Top of a low hazard risk in Jefferson Township: inland flooding
FEMA puts 77% of Jefferson Township’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 6% to tornadoes. Compared with just over three fifths of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage locally is lower.
39risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsB
Jefferson Township has set aside 1.1% of its land for conservation
There are 0.6 miles of trail across 1 park or preserve. Jefferson Township’s density of trails is 0.3 miles per square mile.
1.1%conserved
| Jefferson Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.1% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
1.1%
conserved · 15 of 1,358 acres
0.6 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kenney Wolford Community Park | — | 26 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 53 attractions →The Wilds and 7 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Jefferson Township. Close and well known come first.
25 mi Zoo & aquariumThe Wilds
31 mi MuseumAge of Steam Roundhouse
26 mi Ancient siteAlligator Effigy Mound
16 mi MuseumFlint Ridge State Memorial
23 mi GardenDawes Arboretum
34 mi MuseumAmish & Mennonite Heritage CenterSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
The Wilds: Bikingshaun (talk), CC BY 3.0 · Age of Steam Roundhouse: Alvintrusty, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alligator Effigy Mound: Rev. Stephen D. Peet, editor, Public domain · Flint Ridge State Memorial: Nyttend, Public domain · Dawes Arboretum: Annmarie Creamer, Public domain · Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center: photoswelike, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Jefferson Township
18pages on Jefferson Township
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Jefferson Township
Zane State CollegeCommunity college · Public · Zanesville10.4 mi$6,006 in-state tuitionOhio University-Zanesville CampusCommunity college · Public · Zanesville10.5 mi$6,362 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Jefferson Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
About Jefferson Township
Township in Ohio, US
Jefferson Township is one of the twenty-five townships of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 1,850 people in the township
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 738 ft
Jefferson Township’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Jefferson Township.
DresdenCass TownshipMadison TownshipJefferson Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Township | — | — | B+ | — | A− | C |
| Dresden | — | — | B | — | A− | C+ |
| Cass Township | — | — | A− | — | A− | C |
| Madison Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Jefferson Township, Dresden and Cass Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Jefferson Township, Dresden and Cass Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Madison Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Jefferson Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Jefferson Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Jefferson Township, OH a good place to live?
2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Ohio town.
Is Jefferson 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 B+.