Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Wellston gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $119K, 2.1 years of the county’s $57K median household income. It grades C overall, ranked 783rd of 987 in Ohio. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and the median household income is $56K, and 25% of residents live below the poverty line. 25% of residents live below the poverty line in Wellston, above both Ohio’s towns (9.1%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Wellston has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Morgan Mansion and Clutts House.
Where Wellston beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Wellston is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 952 in 1880, a peak of 8,045 in 1900, 5,412 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1902 and 4 maps from 1913 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wellston, 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 Wellston.
Wellston has homes that are cheap against local pay and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more, but it has poverty well above the Ohio rate.
23% of adults smoke cigarettes in Wellston. Wellston beats the Ohio average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 23. 38% of adults get no exercise outside work in Wellston.
| Wellston | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 28% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Wellston | OH |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 28.3% | 15.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.7% | 8% |
| More smokers | 23% | 15.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Wellston City school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Wellston High School, with 342 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bundy Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 349 | – |
| Wellston High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 342 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OH on state tests and graduation
At 2.1 years of the county’s $57K median household income, the typical home (about $119K) costs less against local pay than in 92% of Ohio towns; that ratio is one input to its A+ for cost of living. Values fell 2.9% in the past year while the Ohio typical home rose 3.2%.
The typical Wellston home is worth about $119,000, 52% below the Ohio typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1.0 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Jackson County Fairgrounds, at 66 acres.
| Wellston | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.9% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jackson County Fairgrounds | 0.3 mi | 66 |
| 2. Lake Alma State Park | — | 6 |
| 3. Blamer Field | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities. Since 1997, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Wellston.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Wellston has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 23° and about 23 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 1,724 working residents takes 36 minutes, against 23.4 across Ohio.
Wellston’s average trip to work is 36 minutes. Jobs based in Wellston fell to 2,089 in 2023, 341 fewer than in 2013. 23% of Wellston working residents work locally.
| Wellston | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 36 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 102 to 59 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Wellston; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Wellston residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
3 places in Wellston on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Wellston.
City in Ohio, United States
Wellston is a city in Jackson County, Ohio, United States, in the southeastern part of the state. The population was 5,412 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Wellston.
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wellston | #783 | C | A+ | B− | C+ | D− |
| Milton Township | — | — | D | — | C+ | D− |
| Coal Township | — | — | A | — | C+ | D− |
| Washington Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Milton Township and Coal Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Milton Township and Coal Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Washington Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Wellston with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Wellston grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #783 of 987 in Ohio. It grades D− for health, B− for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.
Wellston was laid out in 1873 and has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 6 notable people were born here, including Fred Olen Ray and Jeff Montgomery.
