Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Newark gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $247K, 3 years of the Columbus metro’s $82K median household income. It grades C overall, ranked 789th of 987 in Ohio. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 78% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 20 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include Newark Earthworks and Home Building Association Bank. 24% of working residents work locally in Newark, against 6.8% in Ohio’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Newark is home to Central Ohio Technical College.
Where Newark beats most towns.
Newark Earthworks| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Central Ohio Technical College | 2,318 |
| Ohio State University-Newark Campus | 2,283 |
Newark Earthworks is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier. Its 20 National Register listings are more than in 95% of Ohio towns with a listing.
Census counts: 232 in 1810, 49,934 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1914 and 4 maps from 1909 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Newark is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Newark, 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 Newark.
Newark trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, trades workers with Columbus and other neighbors and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
The share of adults in Newark who report frequent mental distress: 19%. Among adults in the town, 28% have been diagnosed with depression.
| Newark | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Newark | OH |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 18.6% | 15.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.4% | 8% |
| Fewer adults getting cholesterol checked | 83.9% | 86.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Two of the 20 schools are below, and why each made the list. The public schools here belong to the Newark City school district. 6 public schools serve Newark, with 2,443 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legend ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 475 | A− |
| Newark High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,369 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OH on state tests and graduation
Trails run 5.1 miles in 12 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Octagon Earthworks, 139 acres with 2.7 miles of trail. Parks and preserves in Newark: 12, covering 451 acres.
| Newark | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Octagon Earthworks | 2.7 mi | 139 |
| 2. TJ Evans Family Park | 1.1 mi | 53 |
| 3. Horns Hill Park | — | 111 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 1,444 to 846 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
For Newark, the property crime rate is 13.4 per 1,000 residents. The rate of reported violence in the town is 3 per 1,000 residents.
| Newark | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3 per 1,000 residents | 1.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13.4 per 1,000 residents | 9.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
In July, afternoons reach 84°; in January, nights fall to 20°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected losses in Newark break down as 71% from inland flooding and 9% from hail. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in nearly two thirds of U.S. communities. 100 flood insurance claims have been paid locally since 1978.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Newark has about as many jobs (20,174) as working residents, but only 5,384 people both live and work here.
The top destinations are Columbus (18%), Heath (7%) and New Albany (3%). About one worker in four stays in Newark for work. For residents locally, the share who live below the poverty line is 17%.
| Newark | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Every broad age group is within 4 points of the Ohio average. Newark has grown 3% since 2020, to 51,473 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 23% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Ohio.
| Newark | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 38.8 years | 41.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 23% | 24% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.1 points). Across Ohio, 50.7% of residents are women. Median age: women 39.4, men 38.4.
| Newark | OH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.7% | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.4% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.6% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.4% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.9% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.6% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.2% | 10.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.1% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 39.8% | 32.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 19% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.1% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.3% | 19.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.7% | 12.2% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Homes are within reach (about $247K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles.
Homes in Newark are typically worth about $247,000, up 3.4% in a year, close to the Ohio typical home. In Newark, 56% of households live in a home they own. On the market locally: a median 50 days to sell.
| Newark | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 77% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 41% | 42% | 48% |
| Median rent | $973 a month | $943 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 Newark. Close and well known come first.
Big draw32 mi Stadium & arenaOhio Stadium
30 mi Stadium & arenaHistoric Crew Stadium
32 mi Stadium & arenaScottsMiracle-Gro Field
4 mi Ancient siteAlligator Effigy Mound
37 mi Zoo & aquariumColumbus Zoo and Aquarium
32 mi Stadium & arenaValue City ArenaOhio Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Historic Crew Stadium: Rick Dikeman, CC BY-SA 3.0 · ScottsMiracle-Gro Field: Nova Crystallis, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alligator Effigy Mound: Rev. Stephen D. Peet, editor, Public domain · Columbus Zoo and Aquarium: Adolphus79 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Value City Arena: Nick81aku at English Wikipedia, Public domain
3 within 15 miles of the center of Newark
About 5 of every 100 Newark residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Ohio.
2 colleges in town.
20 places in Newark on the National Register of Historic Places.
24 notable people were born in Newark.
City in Ohio, United States
Newark ( NEW-ərk) is a city in Licking County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located 40 miles (64 km) east of Columbus at the junction of the forks of the Licking River. The population was 49,934 at the 2020 census, making it the 18th-largest city in Ohio. It is known for having the world's largest basket, which housed the former headquarters of the now defunct Longaberger Company. The city is part of the Columbus metropolitan area. It is the site of much of the Newark Earthworks, a major ancient complex built by the Hopewell culture. The Great Circle portion and additional burial mounds are located in the neighboring city of Heath, Ohio. This complex has been designated a…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Newark.
All 6 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C; Newton Township (C+) is closest. Granville Township next door grades higher for schools (A+ to Newark’s C+) and lower for cost of living (C to A−).
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newark | #789 | C | A− | C | C+ | C− |
| Newark Township | — | — | A | — | B− | C |
| Granville Township | #25 | A+ | C | — | A+ | A |
| Madison Township | #516 | B | B | — | B− | C+ |
| Newton Township | #722 | C+ | A− | — | C+ | C |
| Heath | #717 | C+ | B | D | B | B− |
| Granville | #27 | A+ | D | A− | A+ | A |
| Union Township | #308 | B+ | B− | — | A | B− |
Newark Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Newark Township, Granville Township, Madison Township, Newton Township and Union Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Newark with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Newark grades C overall, better than 33% of U.S. towns and #789 of 987 in Ohio. It grades C− for health, C for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
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−.
24 notable people were born here, including Edward James Roye and Jerrie Mock.
