Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Springfield earns a D, ranked 973rd of 987 in Ohio, mostly because of safety and health. Its police reported 715 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 99% of U.S. towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 97% of the country. In its favor, it is more walkable than 75% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 32 places on the National Register. 34% of working residents work locally in Springfield, above both the Ohio town median (6.8%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Pennsylvania House and Westcott House. Among 313 Ohio towns, just 2 have a higher violent crime rate than Springfield.
Where Springfield beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Pennsylvania House
Its 32 National Register listings are more than in 97% of Ohio towns with a listing.
Census counts: 593 in 1810, a low of 593 in 1810, 58,662 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1830 and 5 maps from 1904 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Springfield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Springfield, 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 Springfield.
Springfield reports violent crime at 4 times the Ohio rate, but it trails German Township and its other neighbors on schools.
Violent crime runs at 12.3 per 1,000 residents, 4 times the Ohio rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Property crime runs at 41 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Ohio rate, most of it theft.
Springfield’s property crime rate is 41 per 1,000 residents. Springfield reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 99% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Each of its 4 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C, German Township highest at B+.
Its public schools are run by the Springfield City School District. Two of its 27 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenton Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 485 | C− |
| Springfield High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,606 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OH on state tests and graduation
38% of adults get no exercise outside work in Springfield. Springfield beats the Ohio average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 22% of adults smoke cigarettes in Springfield.
| Springfield | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 28% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Springfield | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13.6% | 16.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 23.6% | 14.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
14 miles of trail in 18 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is New Reid Park, 295 acres with 4.1 miles of trail.
| Springfield | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.5% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. New Reid Park | 4.1 mi | 295 |
| 2. Snyder Park | 1.2 mi | 241 |
| 3. Old Reid Park | 0.3 mi | 40 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Springfield home is worth about $188,000, up 3.2% in a year, 24% below the Ohio typical home. 52% of Springfield households own their home.
| Springfield | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $851 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 46% | 42% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Springfield has chilly winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 21° and about 19 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 65% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 18 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Springfield.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
About one in 3 of Springfield’s working residents works in town. The median household income in Springfield is $47,000. The top destinations are Columbus (5%), Dayton (4%) and Moorefield Township (3%).
| Springfield | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 7.2% | 9.7% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Springfield. Close and well known come first.
20 mi MuseumNational Museum of the United States Air Force1.0M visitors a year
in town LandmarkMadonna of the Trail
31 mi MountainCampbell Hill
39 mi Zoo & aquariumColumbus Zoo and Aquarium19 mi MuseumNational Aviation Hall of Fame300K visitors a year
17 mi MuseumHuffman PrairieNational Museum of the United States Air Force: No machine-readable author provided. Rogerd assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Madonna of the Trail: W. Guy Finley, Public domain · Campbell Hill: Analogue Kid (talk)., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Columbus Zoo and Aquarium: Adolphus79 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Huffman Prairie: Wright Brothers, Public domain
5 within 15 miles of the center of Springfield
About 5 of every 100 Springfield residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Ohio.
2 colleges in town.
32 places in Springfield on the National Register of Historic Places.
45 notable people were born in Springfield.
City in the United States
Springfield is a city in Clark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in southwestern Ohio along the Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, about 45 miles (72 km) west of Columbus and 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Dayton. The city had a total population of 58,662 at the 2020 census, while the Springfield metropolitan area had 136,001 residents. Springfield is home to Wittenberg University, a liberal arts college, and Clark State College, a community college. The Little Miami Scenic Trail, a paved rail-trail that is nearly 80 mi (130 km) long, extends from the Buck Creek Scenic Trail head in Springfield south to Newtown, Ohio. Buck Creek State Park and its Clarence…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Springfield.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; German Township (C) is closest. Moorefield Township next door grades higher for schools (B to Springfield’s C) and lower for cost of living (C+ to B+).
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield | #973 | D | B+ | D− | C | D− |
| Springfield Township | #660 | C+ | B | — | B | D |
| Moorefield Township | #710 | C+ | C+ | — | B | C |
| German Township | #770 | C | C+ | — | B+ | C+ |
| Mad River Township | #754 | C+ | B− | — | B− | C+ |
| Northridge | #662 | C+ | B− | — | B | C |
Springfield Township, Moorefield Township, German Township, Mad River Township and Northridge report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Springfield with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Springfield grades D overall, better than 7% of U.S. towns and #973 of 987 in Ohio. It grades D− for health, D− for safety and C for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($63,132 across the Springfield, OH metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
45 notable people were born here, including Lillian Gish and John Legend.
