Ridge VanWert, 2006
Ridge Township’s story
Ridge Township in pictures
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 5 maps from 1914 on.
Explore the history →
Ridge TownshipOH
A town of 3,362.
5 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Population
3,362
2025 Census estimate · +1% since 2020
Median home value
$177K
Census ACS
Household income
$76K
median
Median age
47.7
years
Jobs based here
731
A commuter town
TownGrade
A
#125 of 987 in OH
Is Ridge Township a good place to live?
Ridge Township gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $177K, 2.6 years of the Van Wert area’s $68K median household income. It grades A overall, ranked 125th of 987 in Ohio. On the plus side, its schools outperform 84% of the state's. 27% of residents are 65 or older in Ridge Township, above both the Ohio town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%).
What makes Ridge Township stand out
Where Ridge Township beats most towns.
0historic places
HistoryA
0 historic places
A long history
Listed for their history, architecture or both.
Lincolnview Local schools
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Lincolnview Elementary School | K–6 | 426 |
| Van Wert Early Childhood Center | PK–K | 343 |
| St. Mary of the Assumption School | K–6 | 78 |
SchoolsA−
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Ridge Township4.8
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical OH town3.9
Civic lifeB+
22% more nonprofits per person
than the typical Ohio town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Ridge Township for work
Where Ridge Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
731jobs based in Ridge Township
4%of working residents work in town
12 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Ridge Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Ridge Township is from typical.
Cost of livingAOpen →SchoolsA−Open →HealthPaulding County Hospital 19.6 miles awayCOpen →Jobs & income$76K median household incomeB+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 37% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.8 of 20; 2.3% of households have no car; 2.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trailDOpen →HistoryAOpen →Civic life4.8 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 →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Ridge Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ridge Township, and how to reach them.
PowerAEP Ohio19.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterVan Wert City water system8 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet10 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNearest public drop-offVan Wert County Recycling & Transfer Facility, 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, Van Wert County Board of ElectionsVan Wert County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2024
ZIP codes45891, 4586345891 97% · 45863 3%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 Ridge Township.
Ridge Township pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices and has added half again as many jobs in ten years, but it has little public open land.
SchoolsA−
Ridge Township’s grade for schools is an A−
Its A− for schools comes with an A for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $177K.
Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Vantage Career Center, with 489 students.
84%of OH districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincolnview Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 426 | A− |
| Vantage Career CenterLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 489 | – |
| Lincolnview Jr/Sr High SchoolTop results in townGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 343 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OH on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Most of Ridge Township’s workers commute out: the town has 0.4 jobs for each of them
Jobs based here grew from 407 in 2013 to 731.
Most working residents leave Ridge Township for work: only 4% work in town. The average trip to work in Ridge Township is 18 minutes. Jobs based in Ridge Township grew to 731 in 2023, 324 more than in 2013.
4%work in town
| Ridge Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.6% | 6.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Ridge Township4%
Van Wert35%
Delphos4%
Lima3%
Fort Wayne3%
12 mi
median commute distance
731
jobs based in Ridge Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 52% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthC
Health in Ridge Township trails 71% of U.S. towns
Ridge Township beats the Ohio average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 30% of Ridge Township adults get no exercise outside work.
29%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Ridge Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 28% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 12% |
32 measures vs. Ohio
0 better29 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Ridge Township | OH |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9.2% | 8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.9% | 8.7% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8% | 7.1% |
Paulding County Hospital
19.6 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
39th
percentile among OH towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Ridge Township has four seasons and pleasant summers
Ridge Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 19° and about 17 inches of snow falls in a winter.
17″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter21–36°
Spring40–60°
Summer61–83°
Fall43–64°
Oct 26
typical first frost
Apr 21
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in Ridge Township
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ridge Township.
37risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesStrong wind
5
paid flood claims since 1981
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsD
Conserved land covers 0% of Ridge Township
Just 1 of its 23,158 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Ridge Township itself; its outdoors grade is D.
0.7 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 1 of 23,158 acres
0.7 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hiestand Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ridge Township
18pages on Ridge Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Ridge Township; the nearest are
University of Northwestern OhioUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Lima20.2 mi$13,875 tuitionWright State University-Lake CampusUniversity or college · Public · Celina21.6 mi$7,728 in-state tuitionNorthwest State Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Archbold42.6 mi$4,698 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Ridge Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
About Ridge Township
Township in Ohio, US
Ridge Township is one of the twelve townships of Van Wert County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 3,309 people in the township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 787 ft
Ridge Township’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Ridge Township.
It grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Washington Township (A−) comes closest.
Pleasant TownshipWashington TownshipVan WertHoaglin TownshipYork TownshipRidge Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ridge Township | #125 | A | A | — | A− | C |
| Pleasant Township | #351 | B+ | A+ | — | B | C |
| Washington Township | #237 | A− | A+ | — | A− | C |
| Van Wert | #659 | C+ | A+ | C− | B | C− |
| Hoaglin Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| York Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Ridge Township, Pleasant Township and Washington Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Hoaglin Township and York Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Ridge Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Ridge Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ridge Township, OH a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Ridge Township grades A overall, better than 88% of U.S. towns and #125 of 987 in Ohio. It grades C for health and A− for schools.