Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,437, incorporated in 1861. 35% more nonprofits per person than the typical Ohio town.
Trash day: TuesdayOttawa is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 28th of 987 graded towns in Ohio. Homes are within reach, about $292K for a typical one, or 3.4 years of the county’s $85K median household income, its public schools beat 89% of Ohio towns on state tests and graduation, and it reports less crime per resident than 85% of U.S. towns. The exception is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 72% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. 25% of working residents work locally in Ottawa, where Ohio’s towns sit at 6.8% and U.S. towns at 8%. Ottawa's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 91% of U.S. towns. Ottawa has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Putnam County Courthouse and Ottawa Waterworks Building.
Where Ottawa beats most towns.
Where Ottawa’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 Ottawa is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 104 in 1850, 4,456 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 3 maps from 1908 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ottawa, 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 Ottawa.
Ottawa draws workers from Ottawa Township and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Ohio (mostly inland flooding).
3,529 jobs are based in Ottawa, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 4 of Ottawa’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Ottawa grew to 3,529 in 2023, 263 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Findlay (8%), Lima (6%) and Kalida (4%).
| Ottawa | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 7.1% | 9.7% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Violent crime is rare: 5 reported in 2025, 1.1 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Ottawa is 2.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Ottawa | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 9.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 95% of Ohio towns, with expected losses of about $508 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on. 365 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 24 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1978, 365 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ottawa.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Ottawa has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 19° and about 11 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Typical home values rose 7.7% in the year to September 2026. Ottawa’s median rent is $803 a month.
| Ottawa | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $803 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 77% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 10,528 U.S. towns with household incomes like Ottawa’s, it is healthier than 74%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
32% of Ottawa adults sleep under 7 hours. Ottawa beats the Ohio average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 18% of Ottawa adults binge drink.
| Ottawa | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 38% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Ottawa | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.7% | 8.3% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 10.6% | 15.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.4% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
33% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Ottawa.
| Ottawa | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 24% | 29% |
| Median age | 42.3 years | 41.7 years | 40.5 years |
54% women, 46% men
About 84 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.3 points). Across Ohio, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Ottawa | OH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.7% | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.5% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.7% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.2% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.3% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 19.4% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.8% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.5% | 10.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.3% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.6% | 32.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.7% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.3% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.1% | 19.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.9% | 12.2% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,400, single groups can be off by several points
0.4 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Putnam County Fairgrounds, at 34 acres.
| Ottawa | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.6% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Memorial Park | 0.4 mi | 33 |
| 2. Putnam County Fairgrounds | — | 34 |
| 3. Arrowhead Park | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ottawa. Close and well known come first.
32 mi MuseumArmstrong Air and Space Museum
32 mi MuseumWood County Museum
20 mi MuseumAllen County Museum
20 mi MuseumHancock Historical Museum
20 mi MuseumMazza Museum of International Art from Picture Books
39 mi MuseumH.E. Fledderjohann PropertyArmstrong Air and Space Museum: Tysto, Public domain · Wood County Museum: Nyttend, Public domain · Allen County Museum: WeaponizingArchitecture, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hancock Historical Museum: Mbrickn, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mazza Museum of International Art from Picture Books: Ruhrfisch (talk), CC BY-SA 4.0 · H.E. Fledderjohann Property: Nyttend, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Ottawa
About 9 of every 100 Ottawa residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
3 places in Ottawa on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Ottawa.
Village in Ohio, US
Ottawa is a village in Putnam County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located about 51 miles (82 km) southwest of Toledo. The population is 4,456 as of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Ottawa.
Glandorf isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Ottawa with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Ottawa grades A+ overall, better than 98% of U.S. towns and #28 of 987 in Ohio. It grades B for health, A for safety and A for schools. Hazard risk 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.
Ottawa was incorporated in 1861 and has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 5 notable people were born here, including Nelson E. Matthews and Frances Horwich.
