Schott Road farmstead and sprawl, 2016
Plain Township’s story
Plain Township in pictures
The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2015 and 5 maps from 1902 on.
Explore the history →
Plain TownshipFranklin County, OH
A town of 13,257.
5 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Sixflashphoto · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
13,257
2025 Census estimate · +4.3% since 2020
Median home value
$723K
Census ACS
Household income
$219K
median
Median age
42.7
years
Jobs based here
16,365
A job hub
TownGrade
A+
#55 of 987 in OH
Why does Plain Township grade so well?
Few places in the country grade higher. Plain Township earns an A+, 55th among Ohio's 987 graded towns. The median household earns $219K, it is healthier than 95% of U.S. towns, and its public schools beat 94% of Ohio towns on state tests and graduation. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $723K, 8.8 years of the Columbus metro’s $82K median household income. 73% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Plain Township, above both Ohio’s towns (24%) and U.S. towns (29%). Only 9 of Ohio’s 1,718 towns score higher on the outdoors. The biggest park or preserve is Bevelhymer Park, at 296 acres.
What makes Plain Township stand out
Where Plain Township beats most towns.
A growing town
Plain Township has grown 35% since 2010
9,829 counted in 2010 and 12,761 in 2020; an estimated 13,257 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Plain Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Plain Township is from typical.
Jobs & incomeA+Open →HealthMount Carmel St. Ann's 8 miles awayA+Open →SchoolsAOpen →Cost of livingC−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 27% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8 of 20; 3% of households have no car; 1.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors20% conserved landA+Open →History1 notable person born hereCOpen →Civic life4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 49 attractions →Ohio Stadium and 32 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Plain Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw13 mi Stadium & arenaOhio Stadium
12 mi Stadium & arenaHistoric Crew Stadium
14 mi Stadium & arenaScottsMiracle-Gro Field
13 mi Stadium & arenaValue City Arena
17 mi Zoo & aquariumColumbus Zoo and Aquarium
11 mi MuseumOhio Governor's MansionSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Ohio 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 · Value City Arena: Nick81aku at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Columbus Zoo and Aquarium: Adolphus79 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Ohio Governor's Mansion: Bwsmith84 (talk), CC BY 3.0
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Plain Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Plain Township, and how to reach them.
PowerAEP Ohio19.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterColumbus Public Water SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Plain Township’s trash rules yet
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, Franklin County Board of ElectionsFranklin County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2019
ZIP codes43054, 4308143054 92% · 43081 8%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 Plain Township.
Plain Township draws workers from Columbus and beyond, is one of Ohio’s best towns for the outdoors and has less tooth loss than most of Ohio.
OutdoorsA+
In Plain Township, 19.6% of the land is conserved
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #4 of 993 in Ohio.
Across 19 parks and preserves: 27 miles of trail. The concentration of trails for Plain Township comes to 1.3 miles per square mile.
#55for trails in OH
19.6%
conserved · 2,509 of 12,779 acres
27 mi
of trails · 1.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rocky Fork Metro Park | 3.1 mi | 242 |
| 2. Taylor Farm Park | 3 mi | 95 |
| 3. Bevelhymer Park - Yellow Zone | 1.2 mi | 34 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SchoolsA
For schools, Plain Township earns an A
That grade comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $723K.
Of its 7 schools, three are listed below, each with the reason. The public schools here belong to the New Albany-Plain Local school district. The largest public high school is New Albany High School, with 1,601 students.
94%of OH districts it outscoresASchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Albany Intermediate SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 4–6 | Grades 4–6 | 1,134 | A+ |
| New Albany High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,601 | A |
| New Albany Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 768 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OH on state tests and graduation
HealthA+
Plain Township stands out in Ohio and nationally, with fewer of its adults who have high blood pressure
Its widest gap with Ohio is tooth loss: 7.5% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 15.3% statewide. Against the 732 U.S. towns with household incomes like Plain Township’s, it is less healthy than 70%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
The share of adults in Plain Township who get no exercise outside work: 16%. CDC measures, 32 in all: Plain Township beats Ohio on 24 and trails on 2.
95%healthier than U.S. townsA+Health Grade
| Plain Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.8% | 15% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 38% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 28% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 16% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Ohio
24 better6 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Plain Township | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.5% | 15.3% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 4.1% | 8% |
| More binge drinkers | 19.9% | 16.6% |
Mount Carmel St. Ann's
8 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
98th
percentile among OH towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+
In Plain Township, the median household income runs higher than in the typical Ohio or U.S. town
16,365 jobs are based in Plain Township, 2.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 11,017 in 2013 to 16,365.
Most working residents leave Plain Township for work: only 10% work in town. 2.1% of residents live below the poverty line locally. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs here rose by 5,348, to 16,365. The median commute is under 12 miles.
10%work in town
| Plain Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $219,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 27% | 9.7% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 2.1% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Plain Township10%
Columbus47%
New Albany11%
Westerville4%
Gahanna3%
12 mi
median commute distance
16,365
jobs based in Plain Township
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 60% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
The biggest natural risk in Plain Township is inland flooding, at a low overall level
On expected storm and flood damage, Plain Township sits below 73% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid locally since 2026. 70% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 9%.
27risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
1
paid flood claims since 2026
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Plain Township
July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 20° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
28″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter23–39°
Spring41–62°
Summer61–83°
Fall43–64°
Oct 27
typical first frost
Apr 18
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Plain Township
19pages on Plain Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
14 within 15 miles of the center of Plain Township
DeVry University-OhioUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Columbus6.5 mi$17,408 tuitionChamberlain University-OhioUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Columbus6.5 mi$19,975 tuitionOhio State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Columbus12.7 mi$13,244 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Plain Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
Get outside
27 miles of trails in Plain Township
19.6% of the town is conserved land, across 19 parks and preserves.
Trails © OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
About Plain Township
Township in Ohio, US
Plain Township is one of the seventeen townships of Franklin County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 12,761.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 20 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,027 ft
Plain Township’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Plain Township.
At #55 in OH, it grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; New Albany (A) comes closest.
ColumbusNew AlbanyBlendon TownshipHarlem TownshipJersey TownshipPlain Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plain Township | #55 | A+ | C− | — | A | A+ |
| Columbus | #933 | D | C | D | C | B− |
| New Albany | #117 | A | C− | B− | A | A+ |
| Blendon Township | #204 | A− | C | B+ | B | A− |
| Harlem Township | #347 | B+ | C− | — | A− | A |
| Jersey Township | #517 | B | C− | — | B | A− |
Plain Township, Harlem Township and Jersey Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Plain Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Plain Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Plain Township, OH a good place to live?
Yes, by almost any measure. Plain Township grades A+ overall, better than 95% of U.S. towns and #55 of 987 in Ohio. It grades A+ for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Plain Township, OH expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.