Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Oxford gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $342K for a typical one, or 4.2 years of the Cincinnati metro’s $81K median household income. It grades A overall, better than 85% of U.S. towns. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 98% of U.S. towns. Oxford is a college campus (most residents are students), so it isn’t ranked among Ohio’s towns. 61% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Oxford, against 24% in Ohio’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Oxford has 12 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them William H. McGuffey House and Langstroth Cottage. Only 88 of Ohio’s 1,560 towns score higher on civic life.
Where Oxford beats most towns.
William H. McGuffey House
William H. McGuffey House is one of 2 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 258 in 1820, 23,035 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1855 and 2 maps from 1974 on.
12 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Oxford takes its name from Oxford in Oxfordshire, England, 3,900 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionOxford, settled in 1809, takes its name from Oxford, a city in Oxfordshire, England.
3 more U.S. towns are named after Oxford:Oxford, MS26,773Oxford, CT13,311Oxford, ME4,449
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Oxford is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Oxford, 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 Oxford.
Oxford trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, is shaped by its college students and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
The trail density in Oxford is 2.1 miles per square mile. Bachelor Preserve - Marcum, at 188 acres with 2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. 16 miles of trail in 16 parks and preserves.
| Oxford | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.7% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Western Woods | 3 mi | 144 |
| 2. Bachelor Preserve - Marcum | 2 mi | 188 |
| 3. Bachelor Preserve | 1.7 mi | 116 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Homes are within reach (about $342K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 24 miles. 63.8% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 45.9% across Ohio.
34% of Oxford households own their home. The typical Oxford home is worth about $342,000, up 4.3% in a year, 39% above the Ohio typical home.
| Oxford | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 34% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $997 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities. Since 1989, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Oxford.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Oxford has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 21° and about 25 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 2,603 U.S. towns with household incomes like Oxford’s, it is healthier than 98%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Oxford beats the Ohio average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 5.6% of adults have diabetes in Oxford. No town among the 993 in Ohio we compare has a higher share of adults who feel lonely than Oxford.
| Oxford | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 5.6% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 18% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 26% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Oxford | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 3.2% | 8.7% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 1.5% | 3.7% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 15% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The average commute for its 5,930 working residents takes 15.2 minutes, against 23.4 across Ohio. Jobs based here grew from 4,316 in 2013 to 8,218.
About one in 3 of Oxford’s working residents works in town. Oxford’s average trip to work is 15 minutes. Since 2013, Oxford has added 3,902 jobs, to 8,218 in 2023.
| Oxford | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 46% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 30% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $41,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 299 to 168 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 19 reported in 2025, 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Oxford. Close and well known come first.
Big draw28 mi Theme parkKings Island3.5M visitors a year
39 mi MuseumNational Museum of the United States Air Force1.0M visitors a year
31 mi Stadium & arenaPaycor Stadium
31 mi Stadium & arenaGreat American Ball Park
29 mi MuseumCreation Museum1.2M visitors a year
29 mi Stadium & arenaNippert StadiumKings Island: Eli Duke from Portland, OR, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · National Museum of the United States Air Force: No machine-readable author provided. Rogerd assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Paycor Stadium: JonRidinger, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Great American Ball Park: Eric Kilby profile at Flickr website, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Creation Museum: Creashin at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Nippert Stadium: Ben Levin, CC BY-SA 4.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Oxford
College town 61 of every 100 Oxford residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
3.7% of the town is conserved land, across 16 parks and preserves.
12 places in Oxford on the National Register of Historic Places.
16 notable people were born in Oxford.
City in Ohio, US
Oxford is a city in Butler County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,035 at the 2020 census. A college town, Oxford was founded in 1810 to serve as the home of Miami University. The city lies in southwestern Ohio roughly 4 miles (6.4 km) from the Indiana–Ohio border, approximately 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Cincinnati and 35 miles (56 km) southwest of Dayton.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Oxford grades A overall, better than 85% of U.S. towns. Oxford is a college campus (most residents are students), so it isn’t ranked among Ohio’s towns. It grades B for health, B 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+.
16 notable people were born here, including Caroline Harrison and R. J. Hunter.
