Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lima grades D overall, 981st of 987 graded towns in Ohio, mostly because of health and safety. Residents are less healthy than 97% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its crime rate is higher than 95% of U.S. towns, with 294 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. It also has a long history, with 26 places on the National Register. Lima’s violent crime rate is 8.5 per 1,000 residents, above both the Ohio town median (1.2) and the median of U.S. towns (1.6). Its National Register listings include Allen County Courthouse and Neely-Sieber House. On incomes, just 143 of Ohio’s 1,707 towns do worse.
Where Lima beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Its 26 National Register listings are more than in 96% of Ohio towns with a listing.
Census counts: 757 in 1850, a peak of 53,734 in 1970, 35,579 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1881 and 4 maps from 1906 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Lima is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lima, 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 Lima.
Lima has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it reports violent crime at 3 times the Ohio rate and trails Shawnee Township and its other neighbors on schools.
40% of Lima adults feel lonely. Lima beats the Ohio average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 28% of Lima adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Lima | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 34% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 12% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Lima | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.1% | 8.7% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 15.6% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Each of its 4 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C, Shawnee Township highest at A−.
Its public schools are run by the Lima City school district. Three of its 19 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heritage Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 448 | C |
| Lima Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,004 | C− |
| Lima South Science-Technology Magnet K-8Top results in townGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 172 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OH on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 8.5 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Ohio rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Property crime runs at 30.9 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Ohio rate, most of it theft.
The property crime rate in Lima is 30.9 per 1,000 residents. Lima reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 95% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 2.4 years of the Lima metro’s $64K median household income, the typical home (about $151K) costs less against local pay than in 81% of Ohio towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $1,165, against $2,822 across Ohio, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
46% of households own their home in Lima. The typical Lima home is worth about $151,000, up 3.7% in a year, 38% below the Ohio typical home. Lima’s median rent is $903 a month.
| Lima | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $903 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 42% | 42% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2.0 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Faurot Park, at 88 acres.
| Lima | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.3% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Faurot Park | 0.4 mi | 88 |
| 2. Schoonover Park | 0.1 mi | 60 |
| 3. Collett Street Park | 0.2 mi | 40 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Lima has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 19° and about 19 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 13,622 working residents takes 17.1 minutes, against 23.4 across Ohio.
About one in 4 of Lima’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Lima has added 2,587 jobs, to 18,508 in 2023. The top destinations are American Township (9%), Bath Township (8%) and Shawnee Township (4%).
| Lima | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 24% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 2.8% | 9.7% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 14 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lima.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
4 within 15 miles of the center of Lima
About 5 of every 100 Lima residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Ohio.
26 places in Lima on the National Register of Historic Places.
44 notable people were born in Lima.
City in Ohio, United States
Lima ( LY-mə) is a city in Allen County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 35,579 at the 2020 census. The city is located in northwest Ohio along Interstate 75, approximately 72 miles (116 km) north of Dayton, 78 miles (126 km) southwest of Toledo, and 63 mi (101 km) southeast of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Lima was founded in 1831. It is the principal city of the Lima metropolitan area, which had 102,000 residents in 2020 and is included in the Lima–Van Wert–Wapakoneta combined statistical area. The Lima Army Tank Plant, officially called the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center, was built in 1941 and is the sole producer of the M1 Abrams tank.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Lima.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Perry Township (D) is closest.
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lima | #981 | D | B+ | D | C | D− |
| American Township | #738 | C+ | B− | B− | B | C+ |
| Bath Township | #655 | C+ | B+ | — | A− | D |
| Shawnee Township | #373 | B+ | B− | B+ | A− | C+ |
| Perry Township | #930 | D | B | — | C+ | C |
Bath Township and Perry Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Lima with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lima grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #981 of 987 in Ohio. It grades D− for health, D 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+.
44 notable people were born here, including Phyllis Diller and Dean Jagger.
