Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Because it does well by almost any measure. Minster earns an A+, 1st of 987 graded towns in Ohio. Its schools score near the top of Ohio on tests and graduation, the median household earns $88K, and residents are healthier than 78% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its lowest mark, an A−, is in cost of living. On walkability, just 67 of Ohio’s 1,718 towns do better. Minster's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 89% of U.S. towns. Minster has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Minster Elementary School and St. Augustine Catholic Church.
Where Minster beats most towns.
Where Minster’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 Minster is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 428 in 1850, 3,046 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1909 and 3 maps from 1909 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Minster, 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 Minster.
Minster draws workers from New Bremen and beyond and has less food insecurity than most of Ohio.
2,833 jobs are based in Minster, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 17.1 minutes, against 23.4 across Ohio.
1.9% of residents live below the poverty line in Minster, below both the Ohio town median (9.1%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Minster’s average trip to work is 17 minutes. About one in 5 of Minster’s working residents works in town.
| Minster | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 1.9% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 7.4% | 9.7% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Minster home is worth about $343,000, up 7.3% in a year, 40% above the Ohio typical home. 85% of households own their home in Minster, against 77% in Ohio’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns.
| Minster | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 85% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $918 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its widest gap with Ohio is food insecurity: 7.7% of its 2,219 adults worry about having enough food, against 14.1% statewide.
12% of adults report frequent physical distress in Minster. Minster beats the Ohio average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 10% of adults have diabetes in Minster.
| Minster | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 20% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Minster | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.7% | 14.1% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.8% | 8.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.7% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Minster has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 19° and about 10 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Children under 18 are 30% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 32% of residents (38% statewide). The median age in Minster is 34.4 years. 39% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Ohio.
| Minster | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 30% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 34.4 years | 41.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 24% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 20% | 18% |
45% women, 55% men
About 121 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.3 points). Across Ohio, 50.7% of residents are women. Among residents 65 to 74, 71% are men (OH 47%).
| Minster | OH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.8% | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 15.4% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.7% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.9% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.2% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.2% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.5% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.1% | 10.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.3% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.7% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.1% | 32.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.7% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.8% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.6% | 19.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12% | 12.2% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,100, single groups can be off by several points
0.1 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Four Seasons Recreational Park, at 69 acres.
| Minster | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.6% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Four Seasons Recreational Park | — | 69 |
| 2. Paris Street Park | — | 10 |
| 3. Minster Machine Centennial Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Minster. Close and well known come first.
11 mi State parkGrand Lake St. Marys State Park
35 mi MountainCampbell Hill
21 mi MuseumFort Recovery
5 mi MuseumShrine of the Holy Relics
16 mi MuseumArmstrong Air and Space Museum
39 mi MuseumZane Shawnee CavernsGrand Lake St. Marys State Park: Bruin, CC BY 2.0 · Campbell Hill: Analogue Kid (talk)., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Recovery: Nyttend, Public domain · Shrine of the Holy Relics: Rfgagel, Public domain · Armstrong Air and Space Museum: Tysto, Public domain · Zane Shawnee Caverns: Darkbluejacket, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Minster
About 4 of every 100 Minster residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
2 places in Minster on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Minster.
Village in Ohio, United States
Minster is a village in Auglaize and Shelby counties, in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 3,046 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Wapakoneta, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is adjacent to the village of New Bremen to the north. Minster is the home of one of the world's largest yogurt plants, operated by Dannon, which employs more than 400 people. The Minster Machine Company is also headquartered in Minster.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Minster grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #1 of 987 in Ohio. It grades A− for health and A+ for schools.
Yes. The public schools Minster children attend outperform 100% of Ohio districts on state tests and graduation, an A+ School Grade.
Not for the area. That is 4.4 years of the area's median household income ($78,660 across the Wapakoneta, OH 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−.
3 notable people were born here, including John Joseph Enneking and J. Henry Goeke.
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