Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Mount Vernon gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $249K for a typical one, or 3.4 years of the Mount Vernon area’s $74K median household income. It grades A− overall, 272nd of 987 graded towns in Ohio. On the plus side, it reports less crime per resident than 79% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns, with 8 places on the National Register. 35% of working residents work locally in Mount Vernon, where Ohio’s towns sit at 6.8% and U.S. towns at 8%. Only 79 of Ohio’s 1,718 towns score higher on walkability. Mount Vernon is home to Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
Where Mount Vernon beats most towns.
Pennsylvania DepotCensus counts: 314 in 1810, 16,956 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1838 and 5 maps from 1912 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Mount Vernon is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mount Vernon, 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 Mount Vernon.
Mount Vernon draws workers from Apple Valley and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has seen reported crime rise by about half.
10,571 jobs are based in Mount Vernon, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of Mount Vernon’s working residents works in town. 22% of Mount Vernon residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Mount Vernon fell to 10,571 in 2023, 686 fewer than in 2013.
| Mount Vernon | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 22% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 12% | 9.7% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Mount Vernon City school district. Three of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Vernon Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 787 | B− |
| Mount Vernon High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 944 | B− |
| East Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 238 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OH on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes rose from 77 to 180 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
2.9 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. Ariel-Foundation Park, at 167 acres with 2.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Mount Vernon | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.6% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ariel-Foundation Park | 2.2 mi | 167 |
| 2. Memorial Park | — | 37 |
| 3. Hiawatha Park | — | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Mount Vernon has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 19° and about 42 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 7,074 U.S. towns with household incomes like Mount Vernon’s, it is healthier than 66%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Mount Vernon beats the Ohio average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 26% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Mount Vernon.
| Mount Vernon | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 26% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 28% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 78% | 80% | 79% |
| What stands out | Mount Vernon | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 58.1% | 62.9% |
| Fewer adults getting cholesterol checked | 84% | 86.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 64% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 18 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Mount Vernon.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Ohio average. 24% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Ohio.
| Mount Vernon | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 39 years | 41.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 24% | 29% |
53% women, 47% men
About 90 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.7 points). Across Ohio, 50.7% of residents are women. Median age: women 39.7, men 37.9.
| Mount Vernon | OH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.4% | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.7% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.4% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.1% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.8% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.3% | 10.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.3% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.1% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 42.7% | 32.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.6% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.1% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.4% | 19.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.1% | 12.2% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Typical home values rose 4.7% in the year to September 2026.
| Mount Vernon | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $948 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2 within 15 miles of the center of Mount Vernon
About 9 of every 100 Mount Vernon residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
8 places in Mount Vernon on the National Register of Historic Places.
33 notable people were born in Mount Vernon.
City in Ohio, United States
Mount Vernon is a city in Knox County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Kokosing River, 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Columbus. The population was 16,956 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Mount Vernon.
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Vernon | #272 | A− | B+ | A− | B+ | C+ |
| Clinton Township | #614 | B− | B+ | — | B+ | C |
| Pleasant Township | — | — | C | — | B+ | C+ |
| South Mount Vernon | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Monroe Township | — | — | A− | — | B+ | C+ |
| Morris Township | — | — | B+ | — | B+ | C |
| Miller Township | — | — | B | — | B | C |
Pleasant Township, Monroe Township, Morris Township and Miller Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Clinton Township, Pleasant Township, Monroe Township, Morris Township and Miller Township report no FBI crime data of their own. South Mount Vernon isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Mount Vernon with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Mount Vernon grades A− overall, better than 75% of U.S. towns and #272 of 987 in Ohio. It grades C+ for health, A− for safety and B+ 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 B+.
33 notable people were born here, including Paul Lynde and Daniel Sheldon Norton.
