Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 18,883, settled in 1833. 74% more nonprofits per person than the typical Ohio town.
Sylvania grades A overall, ranked 124th of 987 in Ohio, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is healthier than 87% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $100K. It also does better than most on schools: its schools rank ahead of 78% of Ohio towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $322K, 4.9 years of the Toledo metro’s $65K median household income. 52% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Sylvania, where Ohio’s towns sit at 24% and U.S. towns at 29%. Sylvania is home to Lourdes University. Only 100 of Ohio’s 1,560 towns score higher on civic life.
Where Sylvania beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Sylvania is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 532 in 1880, 19,011 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 5 maps from 1900 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sylvania, 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 Sylvania.
Sylvania trades workers with Toledo and other neighbors, has less food insecurity than most of Ohio and sees little violent crime.
5.7 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. The trail density in Sylvania is 0.9 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Olander Park, at 60 acres.
| Sylvania | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 9.5% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Harroun Community Park | 0.6 mi | 27 |
| 2. Olander Park | 0.5 mi | 60 |
| 3. Nona Frances Centennial Park | 0.4 mi | 32 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Ohio is food insecurity: 7.7% of its 14,938 adults worry about having enough food, against 14.1% statewide.
10% of Sylvania adults smoke cigarettes. Sylvania beats the Ohio average on 22 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 11% of Sylvania adults report frequent physical distress.
| Sylvania | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 20% | 19% |
| What stands out | Sylvania | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.7% | 14.1% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.2% | 15.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime is rare: 14 reported in 2025, 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
Sylvania’s property crime rate is 6.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Sylvania | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.3 per 1,000 residents | 9.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The median property tax bill is $4,856, against $2,822 across Ohio, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Sylvania home is worth about $322,000, up 3.4% in a year, 31% above the Ohio typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Sylvania has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 19° and about 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Sylvania has about as many jobs (9,316) as working residents, but only 904 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Sylvania for work: only 10% work in town. 18% of workers work from home in Sylvania. Jobs based in Sylvania fell to 9,316 in 2023, 780 fewer than in 2013.
| Sylvania | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 18% | 9.7% | 11% |
| Median household income | $100,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.6% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sylvania.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sylvania. Close and well known come first.
Big draw38 mi Stadium & arenaMichigan Stadium
9 mi MuseumToledo Museum of Art340K visitors a year
9 mi Zoo & aquariumToledo Zoo
11 mi LandmarkFort Meigs
37 mi LandmarkYpsilanti Water Tower
22 mi National park siteRiver Raisin National Battlefield Park134K visitors a yearMichigan Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 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 · Ypsilanti Water Tower: Dwight Burdette, CC BY 3.0 · River Raisin National Battlefield Park: Notorious4life (talk), Public domain
6 within 15 miles of the center of Sylvania
About 5 of every 100 Sylvania residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Ohio.
6 notable people were born in Sylvania.
City in the United States
Sylvania is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 19,011 at the 2020 census. Sylvania is a suburb of Toledo, and encompassed by Sylvania Township. Its northern border is the southern border of the state of Michigan. The name "Sylvania" is borrowed from the Latin sylvan or sylva, meaning "forest land", owing to the dense forests that once made up the region, part of the Great Black Swamp.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Sylvania.
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sylvania | #124 | A | C | B+ | A− | A |
| Sylvania Township | #380 | B+ | C− | B− | A− | A− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Sylvania grades A overall, better than 88% of U.S. towns and #124 of 987 in Ohio. It grades A for health, B+ for safety and A− for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
6 notable people were born here, including Alissa Czisny and Sam Abell.
