Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Nelsonville grades D overall, ranked 946th of 987 in Ohio, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $50K, and 17% of residents live below the poverty line. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 82% of the country. One bright spot: it is more walkable than 83% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 3 places on the National Register. 21% of the land in Nelsonville is conserved, against 3.7% in Ohio’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Only 14 of Ohio’s 1,718 towns score lower on hazard risk. Nelsonville is home to Hocking College.
Where Nelsonville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Dew HouseEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Nelsonville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 73 in 1830, a peak of 6,440 in 1920, 4,612 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 5 maps from 1903 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Nelsonville, 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 Nelsonville.
Nelsonville is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Ohio (mostly inland flooding).
At 2 years of the Athens area’s $56K median household income, the typical home (about $114K) costs less against local pay than in 93% of Ohio towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $1,286, against $2,822 across Ohio, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
40% of households own their home in Nelsonville, below both Ohio’s towns (77%) and U.S. towns (73%). The median rent in Nelsonville is $773 a month. The typical Nelsonville home is worth about $114,000, about the same as a year ago, 54% below the Ohio typical home.
| Nelsonville | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 40% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $773 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of Ohio towns; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Nelsonville’s FEMA risk score is 89 of 100. Since 1979, 21 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Nelsonville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 5,705 U.S. towns with household incomes like Nelsonville’s, it is less healthy than 56%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
23% of adults report frequent mental distress in Nelsonville. Nelsonville beats the Ohio average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 40% of adults feel lonely in Nelsonville.
| Nelsonville | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 18% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 26% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 34% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | Nelsonville | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.8% | 8.7% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 25.9% | 29.8% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 12% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brick Kiln Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Nelsonville has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 22° and about 12 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Nelsonville has about as many jobs (1,666) as working residents, but only 233 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Nelsonville for work: only 16% work in town. The top destinations are Athens (15%), Columbus (8%) and Logan (6%). Half commute less than 20 miles.
| Nelsonville | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 6.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
2 within 15 miles of the center of Nelsonville
About 14 of every 100 Nelsonville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
5,392 counted in 2010 and 4,612 in 2020; an estimated 4,488 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
3 places in Nelsonville on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Nelsonville.
City in Ohio, US
Nelsonville is a city in northwestern Athens County, Ohio, United States, located about 60 miles (97 km) southeast of Columbus. The population was 5,373 at the 2020 census. It is home to Hocking College as well as Rocky Brands. Nelsonville is surrounded by Ohio's only national forest, the Wayne National Forest.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Nelsonville.
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelsonville | #946 | D | B+ | C | C | C− |
| Buchtel | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| York Township | #950 | D | B+ | — | C | D |
| Ward Township | — | — | A | — | C | D |
Ward Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. York Township and Ward Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Buchtel isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Nelsonville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Nelsonville grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #946 of 987 in Ohio. It grades C− for health, C for safety and C for schools. Jobs & income 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+.
8 notable people were born here, including Sarah Jessica Parker and Pamela S. Soltis.
