Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Massillon gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $220K, 3.2 years of the Canton metro’s $68K median household income. It grades C+ overall, ranked 752nd of 987 in Ohio. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 87% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 11 places on the National Register. Massillon’s trail density is 0.9 miles per square mile, above both the Ohio town median (0.2) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Its National Register listings include Spring Hill and St. Timothy's Protestant Episcopal Church. Massillon is more walkable than 68% of U.S. towns.
Where Massillon beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,422 in 1840, 32,146 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1824 and 4 maps from 1901 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Massillon is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Massillon, 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 Massillon.
Massillon trades workers with Canton and other neighbors, but it has seen reported crime rise by about half and trails Tuscarawas Township and its other neighbors on schools.
Massillon sits above both Ohio’s towns (3.7%) and U.S. towns (4.3%) on this measure. 18 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Massillon Community Park, at 42 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Massillon Community Park | 0.6 mi | 42 |
| 2. South Sippo Park | 0.4 mi | 15 |
| 3. Wampler Park | — | 24 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Each of its 6 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C+, Tuscarawas Township highest at A.
Its public schools are run by the Massillon City school district. Two of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Washington High School, with 1,211 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massillon Intermediate SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 4–6 | Grades 4–6 | 900 | C+ |
| Washington High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,211 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OH on state tests and graduation
20% of Massillon adults smoke cigarettes. Massillon beats the Ohio average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 42% of Massillon adults have obesity.
| Massillon | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 28% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Massillon | OH |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 19.5% | 15.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 10% | 8% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 9.9% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 13 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Massillon.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Massillon has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 20° and about 47 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Massillon has about as many jobs (15,363) as working residents, but only 2,689 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Massillon for work: only 18% work in town. 14% of residents live below the poverty line in Massillon. The top destinations are Canton (12%), Jackson Township (11%) and Akron (5%).
| Massillon | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes rose from 199 to 668 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Massillon is 3.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Massillon | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.2 per 1,000 residents | 9.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Massillon home is worth about $220,000, up 3.5% in a year, 11% below the Ohio typical home. Massillon’s median rent is $862 a month.
| Massillon | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 65% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $862 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Massillon. Close and well known come first.
Big draw7 mi MuseumPro Football Hall of Fame192K visitors a year
21 mi National ParkCuyahoga Valley National Park3.0M visitors a year
7 mi Stadium & arenaTom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
7 mi LandmarkMcKinley National Memorial
40 mi Theme parkSeaWorld Ohio
22 mi MuseumAge of Steam RoundhousePro Football Hall of Fame: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0 · Cuyahoga Valley National Park: Unknown, Public domain · Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium: Harrier233 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · McKinley National Memorial: CoolRockC, CC BY-SA 4.0 · SeaWorld Ohio: Jeremy Thompson from Los Angeles, California, CC BY 2.0 · Age of Steam Roundhouse: Alvintrusty, CC BY-SA 4.0
6 within 15 miles of the center of Massillon
About 4 of every 100 Massillon residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
11 places in Massillon on the National Register of Historic Places.
33 notable people were born in Massillon.
City in Ohio, United States
Massillon is a city in western Stark County, Ohio, United States, along the Tuscarawas River. The population was 32,146 at the 2020 census. Massillon is a principal city of the Canton–Massillon metropolitan area, which includes all of Stark and Carroll counties and had a population of 401,574 in 2020. Founded in the early 19th century and incorporated in 1853, the city developed as an industrial center due to its location on the Ohio and Erie Canal and later railroad access. Steel and machinery manufacturing played a significant role in the city's economic growth. Massillon is located approximately 8 miles (13 km) west of Canton, 20 miles (32 km) south of Akron, and 50 miles (80 km) south o…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Massillon.
All 5 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C+; Bethlehem Township (B−) is closest. Jackson Township next door grades higher for schools (A to Massillon’s C+) and lower for cost of living (C to B+).
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massillon | #752 | C+ | B+ | C+ | C+ | D |
| Tuscarawas Township | #181 | A− | B+ | — | A | C |
| Perry Township | #353 | B+ | B | B | A− | C− |
| Jackson Township | #467 | B | C | C | A | B− |
| Perry Heights | #320 | B+ | B | — | A− | C− |
| Bethlehem Township | #574 | B− | B | — | B | C− |
| Navarre | — | — | A | — | B | C− |
Navarre has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Tuscarawas Township, Perry Heights, Bethlehem Township and Navarre report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Massillon with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Massillon grades C+ overall, better than 37% of U.S. towns and #752 of 987 in Ohio. It grades D for health, C+ 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+.
33 notable people were born here, including Matt Lanter and Lori Lightfoot.
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