Palmer Putnam, 2006
Palmer Township’s story
Palmer Township in pictures
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 2 maps from 1908 on.
Explore the history →
Palmer TownshipOH
A town of 1,177. Public schools that outperform most of Ohio.
4 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Population
1,177
2025 Census estimate · +2.3% since 2020
Median home value
$173K
Census ACS
Household income
$82K
median
Median age
39.6
years
Jobs based here
186
A commuter town
Is Palmer Township a good place to live?
The best of Palmer Township’s subject grades are an A+ for schools and cost of living and an A for civic life; the weakest is a C for hazard risk. Only 79 of Ohio’s 1,718 towns score higher on cost of living. 97% of households own their home in Palmer Township, above both the Ohio town median (77%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%). On the outdoors, just 44 of Ohio’s 1,718 towns do worse. Palmer Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Palmer Township stand out
Where Palmer Township beats most towns.
Miller City-New Cleveland Local schools
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Miller City Elementary School | K–5 | 240 |
| Miller City Middle School | 6–8 | 119 |
| Miller City High School | 9–12 | 257 |
SchoolsA+
Beats 99% of OH districts
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Palmer Township6.4
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical OH town3.9
Civic lifeA
65% more nonprofits per person
than the typical Ohio town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Small town
1,177 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Liberty TownshipPleasant TownshipGreensburg TownshipMonroe TownshipPalmer Township
How Palmer Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Palmer Township is from typical.
SchoolsA+Open →Cost of livingTypical home $173K, 2 years of the county’s $85K median household incomeA+Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.5 of 20; 1.8% of households have no car; 3.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →Jobs & incomeBOpen →HealthMercy Health - Defiance Hospital 14.2 miles awayC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksD−Open →HistoryB−Open →Civic life6.4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
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 Palmer Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Palmer Township, and how to reach them.
PowerMidwest Electric15.8¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCountry Acres Golf Club water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Palmer Township’s trash rules yet
SchoolsMiller City-New Cleveland Local School DistrictContinental Local School District2 districts serve Palmer Township; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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, Putnam County Board of ElectionsPutnam County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2019
ZIP codes45831, 45856, 45864, 4587545831 50% · 45856 31% · 45864 14% · 45875 4%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 Palmer Township.
SchoolsA+
Palmer Township’s public schools rank among the best in Ohio
Its public schools are run by the Miller City-New Cleveland Local school district. Its three schools are below.
99%of OH districts it outscoresA+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miller City Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 240 | A+ |
| Miller City High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 257 | A+ |
| Miller City Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 119 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OH on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
With 0.3 jobs for every working resident, most of Palmer Township’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Palmer Township for work: only 2% work in town. Since 2013, Palmer Township has added 94 jobs, to 186 in 2023. 5.1% of residents live below the poverty line in Palmer Township, below both Ohio’s towns (9.1%) and U.S. towns (9.6%).
2%work in town
| Palmer Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 5.1% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.4% | 6.9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $82,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Palmer Township2%
Ottawa11%
Defiance6%
Kalida6%
Lima5%
17 mi
median commute distance
186
jobs based in Palmer Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 40% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Palmer Township has four seasons and pleasant summers
Palmer Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 19° and about 11 inches of snow falls in a winter.
11″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter21–36°
Spring39–60°
Summer61–83°
Fall43–63°
Oct 24
typical first frost
Apr 22
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C
Palmer Township faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 64% of U.S. communities. Since 2007, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Palmer Township.
64risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesStrong wind
3
paid flood claims since 2007
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Who lives here
Fewer young adults than Ohio overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 22% of residents (18% statewide). 25% of Palmer Township residents are under 18. Palmer Township has grown 2.3% since 2020, to 1,177 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
39.6median age · OH 39.7
| Palmer Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 25% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 39.6 years | 41.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 23% | 24% | 29% |
Palmer TownshipOhioUnited States
Ages · share of residents
17%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma8%
High school38%
Some college17%
Associate’s14%
Bachelor’s16%
Graduate8%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 34% and 61% women
The Census survey reached too few of Palmer Township’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±13.4 points. Across Ohio, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Palmer Township | OH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 17.1% | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.9% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.5% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.3% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.1% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.5% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.3% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.2% | 10.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.1% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 37.7% | 32.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.1% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.9% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.6% | 19.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.6% | 12.2% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,200, single groups can be off by several points
HealthC+
Health in Palmer Township trails 58% of U.S. towns
Palmer Township beats the Ohio average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 45% of adults have obesity in Palmer Township.
42%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Palmer Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 38% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 26% | 23% |
32 measures vs. Ohio
4 better28 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Palmer Township | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.9% | 15.3% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.6% | 8.3% |
Mercy Health - Defiance Hospital
14.2 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Palmer Township
17pages on Palmer Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Palmer Township; the nearest are
Defiance CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Defiance15.5 mi$29,320 tuitionNorthwest State Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Archbold23.5 mi$4,698 in-state tuitionOhio State University-Lima CampusUniversity or college · Public · Lima27.7 mi$9,488 in-state tuition
About 6 of every 100 Palmer Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Ohio.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Palmer Township for work
Where Palmer Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
186jobs based in Palmer Township
2%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Palmer Township
Township in Ohio, US
Palmer Township is one of the fifteen townships of Putnam County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 1,137 people in the township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 722 ft
Questions about Palmer Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Palmer Township, OH a good place to live?
Public schools that outperform most of Ohio.
Is Palmer 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+.