Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Wooster gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $263K for a typical one, or 3.6 years of the Wooster area’s $74K median household income. It grades B overall, 466th among Ohio's 987 graded towns. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. 39% of working residents work locally in Wooster, where Ohio’s towns sit at 6.8% and U.S. towns at 8%. Only 63 of Ohio’s 1,718 towns score higher on walkability. Wooster has 11 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Wayne County Courthouse District and College of Wooster.
Where Wooster beats most towns.
Census counts: 291 in 1810, 27,232 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1815 and 5 maps from 1901 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Wooster is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wooster, 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 Wooster.
Wooster draws workers from Wooster Township and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has home values still below their peak.
20,203 jobs are based in Wooster, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 17.4 minutes, against 23.4 across Ohio.
Wooster’s middle household income stands at $67,000. Jobs in Wooster grew by 1,581 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 20,203. Half the trips to work are shorter than 9 miles. The top destinations are Orrville (4%), Wooster Township (4%) and Akron (3%).
| Wooster | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.3% | 9.7% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Wooster City school district runs its public schools. Below: Two of its 10 schools, each with why it was picked. 4 public schools serve Wooster, with 1,175 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edgewood Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–7 | Grades 5–7 | 704 | B− |
| Wooster High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 8–12 | Grades 8–12 | 1,182 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OH on state tests and graduation
The biggest place to walk is Oak Hill Park, 97 acres with 1.1 miles of trail. 7.2 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in Wooster: 11, covering 327 acres.
| Wooster | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 5.5% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Oak Hill Park | 1.1 mi | 97 |
| 2. Christmas Run Park | 0.4 mi | 33 |
| 3. Grosjean Park | — | 61 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA puts 58% of Wooster’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 14% to tornadoes. The town’s FEMA hazard score comes in at 10 of 100. 8 flood insurance claims have been paid locally since 2011.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 746 to 446 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
In Wooster, the violent crime rate is 2.3 per 1,000 residents. The town’s property offense rate is 14.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Wooster | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.3 per 1,000 residents | 9.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.3 per 1,000 residents | 1.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
A winter brings about 29 inches of snow, with January nights at 19° and July afternoons at 83°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 10,183 U.S. towns with household incomes like Wooster’s, it is healthier than 81%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
In Wooster, just over a third of adults feel lonely. Among adults here, 18% binge drink.
| Wooster | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 38% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 34% | 33% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Wooster | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.3% | 15.3% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.7% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
For residents in Wooster, the share who are 65 or older is 21%. Adults 18 to 34 are 28% of residents (22% statewide); children under 18 are 17% of residents (22% statewide). College graduates make up 37% of adults 25 and older, against 32% across Ohio.
| Wooster | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 24% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 40.1 years | 41.7 years | 40.5 years |
53% women, 47% men
About 87 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.3 points). Across Ohio, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Wooster | OH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.5% | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.7% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 16% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.8% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.4% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.6% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.3% | 10.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.6% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.8% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.9% | 32.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 16% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.3% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20% | 19.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.9% | 12.2% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical value, about $263K, is 22% below its February 2023 peak.
Homes sold in Wooster spent a median 44 days on the market. Values rose 3.4% in the 12 months to September 2026. Nearly two thirds of households are owner-occupiers locally.
| Wooster | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 65% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $918 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
3 within 15 miles of the center of Wooster
About 13 of every 100 Wooster residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
2 colleges in town.
11 places in Wooster on the National Register of Historic Places.
22 notable people were born in Wooster.
City in Ohio, United States
Wooster ( WUUST-ər) is a city in Wayne County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Ohio, the city lies approximately 50 miles (80 km) south-southwest of Cleveland, 35 miles (56 km) southwest of Akron and 30 miles (48 km) west of Canton. The population was 27,232 at the 2020 census. It is the largest in Wayne County, and the center of the Wooster micropolitan area. Wooster is home to the private College of Wooster and the main branch of the Wayne County Public Library.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Wooster.
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wooster | #466 | B | B | C | B | B |
| Wooster Township | #423 | B | B | — | A− | B− |
| Wayne Township | #495 | B | C | — | B | B− |
| Franklin Township | #401 | B+ | B | — | A− | C |
Wooster Township, Wayne Township and Franklin Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Wooster with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Wooster grades B overall, better than 62% of U.S. towns and #466 of 987 in Ohio. It grades B for health, C for safety and B 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 B.
22 notable people were born here, including Arthur Holly Compton and Bob Peterson.
