USMC-081107-M-9013C-003, 2008
Portage’s story
197 years in pictures
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2004.
- 1829Portage is settled
PortageOH
Photo: Photo by and ©2010 Dustin M. Ramsey (Kralizec!) · CC BY-SA 2.5
Population
420
2025 Census estimate · +4.2% since 2020
Median home value
$132K
Census ACS
Household income
$56K
median
Median age
44.8
years
Jobs based here
102
A commuter town
Is Portage a good place to live?
Portage has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Portage stand out
Where Portage beats most towns.
Small town
420 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Portage: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Portage, and how to reach them.
PowerHancock-Wood Electric Coop17.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterNorthwestern W and Sd - Portage water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNearest public drop-offLmaries Recycling Center, 3 miOpenStreetMap
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, Wood County Board of ElectionsWood County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2021
ZIP code4345143451 100%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 Portage.
Natural hazards
Low risk in Portage, with inland flooding at the top
62% of Portage’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 18%. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 79% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid locally since 1984.
21risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoes
1
paid flood claims since 1984
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commute
Most of Portage’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.6 jobs for each of them
Jobs based in Portage grew to 102 in 2023, 42 more than in 2013. 25% of Portage residents live below the poverty line. The typical household income for Portage comes to $56,000, below both Ohio’s towns ($75,000) and U.S. towns ($80,000). The top destinations are Bowling Green (30%), Toledo (11%) and Findlay (4%).
0%work in town
| Portage | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 25% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Portage0%
Bowling Green30%
Toledo11%
Findlay4%
Perrysburg2%
18 mi
median commute distance
102
jobs based in Portage
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers: that is Portage’s year
July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 19° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
21″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter22–36°
Spring40–60°
Summer62–83°
Fall44–63°
Oct 25
typical first frost
Apr 22
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Portage is
In Portage, 28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression, and 18% smoke cigarettes. Of 32 CDC measures, Portage beats the Ohio average on 1 and trails it on 7. Portage: 43% of adults have obesity, above both the Ohio town median (38%) and the median of U.S. towns (35%). Also worth knowing: the share of adults in Portage who say their health is fair or poor: 22%.
| Portage | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 36% |
32 measures vs. Ohio
1 better24 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Portage | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.8% | 8.7% |
| More uninsured adults | 11% | 8% |
Wood County Hospital
3.7 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Who lives here
Portage skews older than Ohio
Portage’s age of the median resident is 44.8 years. People 65 and older are 23% of residents (18% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (22% statewide). Just over a third of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more locally. Population is up 4.2% in the town since 2020, to 420 by the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
44.8median age · OH 39.7
| Portage | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 44.8 years | 41.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 24% | 29% |
PortageOhioUnited States
Ages · share of residents
19%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma10%
High school29%
Some college20%
Associate’s7%
Bachelor’s27%
Graduate7%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 42% and 66% women
The Census survey reached too few of Portage’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±12.1 points. Across Ohio, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Portage | OH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12% | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.3% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.9% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 19.1% | 10.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.6% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.6% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.9% | 32.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.1% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.4% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.9% | 19.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.1% | 12.2% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 400, single groups can be off by several points
Outdoors
Portage has set aside 1.7% of its land for conservation
Portage has one park or preserve, 14 acres in all.
1.7%conserved
1.7%
conserved · 18 of 1,024 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Enright Park | — | 14 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Housing
Compared with most of Ohio and the rest of the country, fewer of Portage’s households own their home
In Portage, the rent at the middle of the market is $863 a month.
$139Kmedian sale price
| Portage | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 47% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $863 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
4
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nearby attractions
All 21 attractions →Toledo Museum of Art and 8 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Portage. Close and well known come first.
24 mi MuseumToledo Museum of Art340K visitors a year
21 mi Zoo & aquariumToledo Zoo
16 mi LandmarkFort Meigs
3 mi MuseumWood County Museum
24 mi MuseumImagination Station
24 mi MuseumNational Museum of the Great LakesSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Toledo Museum of Art: Ɱ, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Toledo Zoo: DreamingKoala, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Meigs: Traveler100, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wood County Museum: Nyttend, Public domain · Imagination Station: MrJacon000, CC BY-SA 4.0 · National Museum of the Great Lakes: MrJacon000, CC BY-SA 4.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Portage
17pages on Portage
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Portage
About 1 of every 100 Portage residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Portage for work
Where Portage’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
102jobs based in Portage
0%of working residents work in town
18 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Portage
Village in Ohio, United States
Portage is a village in Wood County, Ohio, United States. The population was 398 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 686 ft
- ZIP code
- 43451
- Area code
- 419
Questions about Portage
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Portage, OH a good place to live?
Portage has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.