Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Port Clinton gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $280K for a typical one, or 3.8 years of the Sandusky metro’s $74K median household income. It grades B− overall, 648th among Ohio's 987 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 81% of the country. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 77% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 91% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. 23% of working residents work locally in Port Clinton, where Ohio’s towns sit at 6.8% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include St. Thomas Episcopal Church and Ottawa County Courthouse.
Where Port Clinton beats most towns.
Ottawa County Courthouse
Census counts: 249 in 1850, 6,025 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1903 and 3 maps from 1901 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Port Clinton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Port Clinton, 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 Port Clinton.
Port Clinton trades workers with Portage Township and other neighbors, but it scores below Portage Township and its other neighbors on health and has a long record of flood insurance claims.
1.2 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Waterworks Park, at 21 acres.
| Port Clinton | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.8% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Waterworks Park | 0.7 mi | 21 |
| 2. Port Clinton Lakefront Preserve | 0.3 mi | 9 |
| 3. Portage Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Port Clinton City school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bataan Memorial Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 364 | – |
| Port Clinton High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 448 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OH on state tests and graduation
All 3 graded neighbors score healthier than its C−, from Portage Township (C+) to Bay Township (C+).
32% of adults get no exercise outside work in Port Clinton. Port Clinton beats the Ohio average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 41% of adults have obesity in Port Clinton.
| Port Clinton | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 28% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Port Clinton | OH |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.6% | 15.3% |
| More adults who get no exercise | 32.3% | 26.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.5% | 8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
151 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 16 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 73% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 151 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Port Clinton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Port Clinton has chilly winters and pleasant summers. Port Clinton’s July high is 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Port Clinton has about as many jobs (2,439) as working residents, but only 606 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Port Clinton’s working residents works in town. 18% of Port Clinton residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Portage Township (8%), Sandusky (5%) and Toledo (4%).
| Port Clinton | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 6.1% | 9.7% | 11% |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The median age in Port Clinton is 44.3 years. Port Clinton has lost 2.5% of its people since 2020, down to 5,875 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 22% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Ohio.
| Port Clinton | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 25% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 44.3 years | 41.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 20% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 22% | 24% | 29% |
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.3 points. Across Ohio, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Port Clinton | OH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.8% | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.2% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.7% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.9% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.8% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.2% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.7% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.8% | 10.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.9% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34% | 32.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.4% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.8% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.3% | 19.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.5% | 12.2% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The median property tax bill is $1,389, against $2,822 across Ohio, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Port Clinton home is worth about $280,000, up 2% in a year, 14% above the Ohio typical home.
| Port Clinton | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 68% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $934 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Reported crimes fell from 93 to 66 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Port Clinton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw13 mi Theme parkCedar Point3.8M visitors a year
12 mi National MemorialPerry's Victory and International Peace Memorial124K visitors a year
34 mi MuseumToledo Museum of Art340K visitors a year
11 mi CaveCrystal Cave
34 mi Zoo & aquariumToledo Zoo14 mi Theme parkCastaway BayCedar Point: Larry Pieniazek, User:Lar, en:User:Lar (primary), CC BY 2.5 · Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial: NPS Photo, Public domain · Toledo Museum of Art: Ɱ, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Crystal Cave: Analogue Kid at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 · Toledo Zoo: DreamingKoala, CC BY-SA 4.0
None within 15 miles of Port Clinton; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Port Clinton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
5 places in Port Clinton on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Port Clinton.
City in Ohio, United States
Port Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Ottawa County, Ohio, United States, located at the mouth of the Portage River on Lake Erie. The population was 6,025 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Port Clinton micropolitan area, about 34 miles (55 km) southeast of Toledo. The city has been nicknamed the "Walleye Capital of the World", due to the productive fishing waters for the species lying offshore in Lake Erie's Western Basin. The annual Walleye Drop on New Year's Eve in downtown Port Clinton reflects this nickname.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Port Clinton.
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Clinton | #648 | B− | A− | C+ | B | C− |
| Portage Township | — | — | B | — | B | C+ |
| Bay Township | — | — | A | — | B | C+ |
| Erie Township | — | — | A | — | B | C+ |
Portage Township, Bay Township and Erie Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Portage Township, Bay Township and Erie Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Port Clinton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Port Clinton grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #648 of 987 in Ohio. It grades C− for health, C+ for safety and B 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−.
3 notable people were born here, including Boyd Marshall and George E. Boysen.
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