Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,748, settled in 1908.
The Plains is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, 913th of 987 graded towns in Ohio, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its public schools beat 52% of Ohio towns on state tests and graduation. Expect to pay for it: homes are expensive, about $186K for a typical one and 3.3 times the Athens area’s $56K median household income. The Plains’ median age is 59.4 years, above both the Ohio town median (41.7 years) and the median of U.S. towns (40.5 years). Only 149 of Ohio’s 1,718 towns score higher on walkability.
Where The Plains beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far The Plains is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,931 in 2000, 3,140 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 4 maps from 1903 on.
The Plains is unincorporated, so Athens County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 The Plains.
People 65 and older are 37% of residents (18% statewide); children under 18 are 7% of residents (22% statewide). 33% of The Plains adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
58% women, 42% men
About 73 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±7.2 points). Across Ohio, 50.7% of residents are women. Among residents 45 to 54, 83% are men (OH 50%).
| The Plains | OH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.5% | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 0.9% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.9% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.2% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.6% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.4% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 20.8% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 30.2% | 10.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.6% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.1% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.5% | 32.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.6% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.9% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.6% | 19.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 19.2% | 12.2% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,700, single groups can be off by several points
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 74% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 8,828 U.S. towns with household incomes like The Plains’s, it is less healthy than 52%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
The Plains beats the Ohio average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 29% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in The Plains.
| The Plains | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 26% | 23% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 20% | 19% |
| What stands out | The Plains | OH |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with heart disease | 8.3% | 7.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.1% | 8.7% |
| More adults with depression | 29.1% | 25.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical The Plains home is worth about $186,000, up 1.6% in a year, 24% below the Ohio typical home.
| The Plains | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $971 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Plains has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 22° and about 12 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave The Plains for work: only 4% work in town. Jobs based in The Plains grew to 903 in 2023, 138 more than in 2013. The median household income in The Plains is $60,000.
| The Plains | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.2% | 6.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| The Plains | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The Plains Preserve | — | 15 |
| 2. Plains Elementary Field | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of The Plains
About 10 of every 100 The Plains residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
Census-designated place in Ohio, United States
The Plains is a census-designated place (CDP) in Athens County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,140 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
The Plains grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #913 of 987 in Ohio. It grades C for health and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.