Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
London gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $288K, 3.5 years of the Columbus metro’s $82K median household income. It grades B overall, 454th of 987 graded towns in Ohio. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 4 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include Madison County Courthouse and Swetland House. 19% of working residents work locally in London, above both Ohio’s towns (6.8%) and U.S. towns (8%). The biggest park or preserve is Madison County Fairgrounds, at 49 acres.
Where London beats most towns.
Madison County Courthouse
Census counts: 132 in 1820, 10,279 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1889 and 3 maps from 1907 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far London is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in London, 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 London.
London trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 82% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 10 flood insurance claims have been paid out in London.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the London City school district. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is London High School, with 635 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 1,011 | B− |
| London High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 635 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OH on state tests and graduation
London tracks Ohio closely on all 32 CDC measures. 17% of London adults smoke cigarettes.
| London | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 28% | 25% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 26% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 35% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 117 to 78 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 4 reported in 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
London’s violent crime rate is 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
| London | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 1.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.8 per 1,000 residents | 9.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
London has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 20° and about 20 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| London | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.6% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cowling Park | 0.5 mi | 17 |
| 2. Madison County Fairgrounds | 0.4 mi | 49 |
| 3. Merri-Mac Park | — | 43 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Homes are within reach (about $288K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 23 miles.
64% of households own their home in London. The typical London home is worth about $288,000, up 2.7% in a year, 17% above the Ohio typical home.
| London | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 64% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $916 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Jobs based in London grew to 5,563 in 2023, 877 more than in 2013. The median household income in London is $60,000. The top destinations are Columbus (23%), West Jefferson (5%) and Dublin (3%).
| London | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $60,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 14% | 9.7% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Ohio average. London has grown 5.3% since 2020, to 10,813 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 22% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Ohio.
| London | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 22% | 24% | 29% |
| Median age | 41.9 years | 41.7 years | 40.5 years |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.7 points. Across Ohio, 50.7% of residents are women. Among residents 45 to 54, 62% are men (OH 50%).
| London | OH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.9% | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.2% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.8% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.3% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.8% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.3% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.3% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.5% | 10.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.9% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.3% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 37.7% | 32.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.2% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.4% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.1% | 19.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.2% | 12.2% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
1 within 15 miles of the center of London
About 2 of every 100 London residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
4 places in London on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in London.
City in Ohio, United States
London is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Ohio, United States. Located about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of the Ohio capital of Columbus, London was established in 1811 to serve as the county seat. The population was 10,279 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Columbus metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with London.
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | #454 | B | A | B+ | C+ | C |
| Union Township | #352 | B+ | A | — | B+ | C− |
| Deer Creek Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Union Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Deer Creek Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare London with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. London grades B overall, better than 63% of U.S. towns and #454 of 987 in Ohio. It grades C for health, B+ for safety and C+ for schools.
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.
11 notable people were born here, including David K. Watson and Clyde Tingley.
