Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,091, settled in 1803.
West Union grades D overall, 939th of 987 graded towns in Ohio, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $29K, and 39% of residents live below the poverty line. Residents are less healthy than 91% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. What it does well: natural-hazard risk is low. 39% of residents live below the poverty line in West Union, above both the Ohio town median (9.1%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). West Union has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them West Union Presbyterian Church and Cockerill House. Among 992 Ohio towns, just 2 have a lower median household income than West Union.
Where West Union beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 229 in 1810, 3,004 in 2020. The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1918 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far West Union is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in West Union, 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 West Union.
West Union draws workers from Tiffin Township and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has poverty well above the Ohio rate.
1,820 jobs are based in West Union, 2.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave West Union for work: only 18% work in town. Jobs based in West Union fell to 1,820 in 2023, 428 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Columbus (5%), Seaman (4%) and Portsmouth (4%).
| West Union | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 472 U.S. towns with household incomes like West Union’s, it is healthier than 70%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
36% of adults get no exercise outside work in West Union. West Union beats the Ohio average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 18% of adults report frequent physical distress in West Union.
| West Union | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 28% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | West Union | OH |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.1% | 79.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.9% | 15.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| West Union | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.5% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Adams Lake State Park | — | 1 |
| 2. Adams Lake Prarie State Nature Preserve | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
67.3% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 45.9% across Ohio.
38% of West Union households own their home. The typical West Union home is worth about $191,000, about the same as a year ago, 23% below the Ohio typical home. The median rent in West Union is $658 a month.
| West Union | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 38% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $658 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
West Union has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 23° and about 20 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Union. Close and well known come first.
17 mi MountainSerpent Mound
35 mi National Historical ParkHopewell Culture National Historical Park52K visitors a year
16 mi MuseumJohn Rankin House
35 mi MuseumBlue Licks Battlefield State Park
17 mi MuseumJohn P. Parker House
40 mi MuseumTri-State Warbird MuseumSerpent Mound: The British Library, No restrictions · Hopewell Culture National Historical Park: Ɱ, CC BY-SA 4.0 · John Rankin House: Rdikeman at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Blue Licks Battlefield State Park: Mason Brock (Masebrock), Public domain · John P. Parker House: Nyttend, Public domain · Tri-State Warbird Museum: Aesopposea, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of West Union; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 West Union residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
Where West Union’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in West Union on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in West Union.
Village in Ohio, United States
West Union is a village in Tiffin and Liberty townships, Adams County, Ohio, United States, about 55 miles (89 km) southeast of Cincinnati. The population was 3,004 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Adams County. West Union is served by West Union High School, the Adams County/Ohio Valley School District, and the West Union Public Library, a branch of the Adams County Public Library.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
West Union grades D overall, better than 13% of U.S. towns and #939 of 987 in Ohio. It grades D for health and B− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
4 notable people were born here, including Andrew Ellison and Damien Burroughs.
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