Nelson, Ohio Community House, 2014
Nelson Township’s story
212 years in pictures
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2008 and 4 maps from 1905 on.
- 1814Nelson Township is settled
Nelson TownshipOH
5 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
3,146
2025 Census estimate · +1.5% since 2020
Median home value
$171K
Census ACS
Household income
$80K
median
Median age
41.0
years
Jobs based here
278
A commuter town
TownGrade
A
#135 of 987 in OH
Is Nelson Township a good place to live?
Nelson Township gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $170K for a typical one, or 2.4 years of the Akron metro’s $72K median household income. It grades A overall, ranked 135th of 987 in Ohio. On the plus side, the median household earns $80K. Nelson Township’s mean commuting time is 35 minutes, where Ohio’s towns sit at 24 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. The biggest place to walk is Eagle Creek State Nature Preserve, 547 acres with 2.9 miles of trail.
What makes Nelson Township stand out
Where Nelson Township beats most towns.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Nelson Township for work
Where Nelson Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
278jobs based in Nelson Township
3%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Nelson Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Nelson Township is from typical.
Cost of livingTypical home $171K, 2.4 years of the Akron metro’s $72K median household incomeAOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 14% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listAOpen →Jobs & income278 jobs based hereA−Open →HealthInsight Hospital and Medical Center Trumbull 12.9 miles awayC+Open →SchoolsBeat 58% of Ohio districts on tests and graduationBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.3 of 20; 10.5% of households have no car; 3.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors5 miles of trails; 5% conserved landBOpen →History1 notable person born hereB−Open →Civic life3.4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Nelson Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Nelson Township, and how to reach them.
PowerOhio Edison16.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterHomestead Manor MHPNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Nelson Township’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Ohio you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereDirector, Portage County Board of ElectionsPortage County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2019
ZIP codes44231, 4449144231 97% · 44491 3%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Nelson Township.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
The biggest natural risk in Nelson Township is inland flooding, at a very low overall level
FEMA puts 66% of Nelson Township’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 11% to tornadoes. Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 86% of U.S. communities. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2003.
14risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesHail
3
paid flood claims since 2013
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
For most of its workers, the job is outside Nelson Township
Nelson Township has 278 jobs for its 1,256 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 34.9 minutes, against 23.4 across Ohio.
Among working residents in Nelson Township, 3.1% work locally. For half of commuters, work is under 20 miles away. The top destinations are Garrettsville (9%), Cleveland (6%) and Ravenna (4%).
3%work in town
| Nelson Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.3% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.1% | 6.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Nelson Township3%
Garrettsville9%
Cleveland6%
Ravenna4%
Aurora3%
20 mi
median commute distance
278
jobs based in Nelson Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 46% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
OutdoorsB
Nelson Township keeps 5.2% of its land conserved
5.1 miles of trail wind through 3 parks and preserves. The density of trails for Nelson Township comes to 0.2 miles per square mile.
#453for trails in OH
| Nelson Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.2% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
5.2%
conserved · 797 of 15,430 acres
5.1 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Eagle Creek State Nature Preserve | 2.9 mi | 547 |
| 2. Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park | 1.7 mi | 65 |
| 3. Nelson Ledges Quarry Park | — | 58 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Expect snowy winters and pleasant summers in Nelson Township
July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 18° and about 63 inches of snow falls in a winter.
63″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter21–37°
Spring36–59°
Summer58–80°
Fall42–62°
Oct 20
typical first frost
May 1
typical last frost
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
Residents of Nelson Township are less healthy than three in five U.S. towns
For adults in Nelson Township, the share who have obesity is 34%. In Nelson Township, 36% of adults feel lonely.
40%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Nelson Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 34% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 38% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 36% |
32 measures vs. Ohio
1 better31 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Nelson Township | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 7% | 8.3% |
Insight Hospital and Medical Center Trumbull
In Warren · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: primary care
54th
percentile among OH towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Nelson Township
19pages on Nelson Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Nelson Township
Hiram CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Hiram5.2 mi$27,600 tuitionKent State University at TrumbullUniversity or college · Public · Warren11 mi$7,492 in-state tuitionKent State University at GeaugaCommunity college · Public · Burton12.8 mi$7,492 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Nelson Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
About Nelson Township
Township in Ohio, US
Nelson Township is one of the eighteen townships of Portage County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 3,101 people in the township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 25 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,050 ft
Nelson Township’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Nelson Township.
GarrettsvilleHiram TownshipParkman TownshipWindham TownshipSouthington TownshipNelson Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson Township | #135 | A | A | — | B | C+ |
| Garrettsville | — | — | B | — | B | B− |
| Hiram Township | — | — | C+ | — | B | B |
| Parkman Township | #604 | B− | B− | — | B | C− |
| Windham Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Southington Township | #601 | B− | A− | — | B+ | C− |
Garrettsville and Hiram Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Nelson Township, Garrettsville, Hiram Township, Parkman Township and Southington Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Windham Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Nelson Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Nelson Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Nelson Township, OH a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Nelson Township grades A overall, better than 88% of U.S. towns and #135 of 987 in Ohio. It grades C+ for health and B for schools.
Is Nelson Township, OH expensive?
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.