Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Zanesville grades D overall, ranked 970th of 987 in Ohio, mostly because of health and safety. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 96% of the country. It reports more crime per resident than 89% of U.S. towns, including 146 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. In its favor, it has 12 miles of trail. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 45 places on the National Register. 31% of working residents work locally in Zanesville, against 6.8% in Ohio’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Muskingum County Courthouse And Jail and Y Bridge. On hazard risk, just 119 of Ohio’s 1,718 towns do worse.
Where Zanesville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Its 45 National Register listings are more than in 98% of Ohio towns with a listing.
Census counts: 474 in 1800, a peak of 40,517 in 1950, 24,765 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1843 and 5 maps from 1910 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Zanesville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Zanesville, 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 Zanesville.
Zanesville draws workers from Falls Township and beyond, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Ohio (mostly inland flooding) and reports violent crime at about twice the Ohio rate.
The trail density in Zanesville is 1.0 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Riverside Park, at 124 acres.
| Zanesville | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.1% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Riverside Park | 0.9 mi | 124 |
| 2. Historic Lock Canal Park | 0.5 mi | 9 |
| 3. Genesis Recreational Area | 0.5 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Zanesville City school district. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Zanesville High School, with 689 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zane Grey Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 915 | C− |
| Zanesville High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 689 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OH on state tests and graduation
47% of Zanesville adults have obesity. Zanesville beats the Ohio average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 22. 16% of Zanesville adults have diabetes.
| Zanesville | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 38% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 38% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Zanesville | OH |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 12.3% | 8.3% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 20.8% | 14.1% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 11.2% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
17,021 jobs are based in Zanesville, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Zanesville’s median household income is $43,000. About one in 3 of Zanesville’s working residents works in town. 24% of residents live below the poverty line in Zanesville.
| Zanesville | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 24% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $43,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 4.3% | 9.7% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Violent crime runs at 5.9 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Ohio rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D.
Zanesville reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 89% report less.
| Zanesville | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 28.5 per 1,000 residents | 9.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Zanesville has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 21° and about 10 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median property tax bill is $1,170, against $2,822 across Ohio, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Zanesville home is worth about $202,000, up 1.5% in a year, 18% below the Ohio typical home.
| Zanesville | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 44% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $821 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of Ohio towns, with expected losses of about $244 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1980, 23 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Zanesville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Zanesville. Close and well known come first.
17 mi Zoo & aquariumThe Wilds
27 mi Ancient siteAlligator Effigy Mound
13 mi MuseumFlint Ridge State Memorial
22 mi GardenDawes Arboretum
15 mi MuseumJohn and Annie Glenn Museum23 mi MuseumJohnson-Humrickhouse MuseumThe Wilds: Bikingshaun (talk), CC BY 3.0 · Alligator Effigy Mound: Rev. Stephen D. Peet, editor, Public domain · Flint Ridge State Memorial: Nyttend, Public domain · Dawes Arboretum: Annmarie Creamer, Public domain · John and Annie Glenn Museum: Akflyer, CC BY-SA 4.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Zanesville
About 4 of every 100 Zanesville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
2 colleges in town.
45 places in Zanesville on the National Register of Historic Places.
41 notable people were born in Zanesville.
City in Ohio, United States
Zanesville is a city in Muskingum County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located at the confluence of the Licking and Muskingum rivers, the city is approximately 52 miles (84 km) east of Columbus and had a population of 24,765 as of the 2020 census, down from 25,487 as of the 2010 census. Historically the state capital of Ohio from 1810 to 1812, Zanesville anchors the Zanesville micropolitan area (population 86,183) and is part of the greater Columbus-Marion-Zanesville combined statistical area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Zanesville.
All 6 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Washington Township (C−) is closest. Muskingum Township next door grades higher for schools (A− to Zanesville’s C+) and lower for cost of living (C to B+).
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zanesville | #970 | D | B+ | D | C+ | D− |
| Falls Township | #863 | C− | C+ | — | B | D |
| Springfield Township | #807 | C | B+ | — | B− | D |
| Washington Township | #892 | C− | B | — | B− | D |
| North Zanesville | #845 | C | C | — | C+ | B− |
| Pleasant Grove | — | — | A | — | C+ | C− |
| Wayne Township | #786 | C | A− | — | B− | D |
| Muskingum Township | #834 | C | C | — | A− | C |
Pleasant Grove has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Falls Township, Springfield Township, Washington Township, North Zanesville, Pleasant Grove, Wayne Township and Muskingum Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Zanesville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Zanesville grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #970 of 987 in Ohio. It grades D− for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. That is 3.3 years of the area's median household income ($60,780 across the Zanesville, OH area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
41 notable people were born here, including Zane Grey and Richard Basehart.
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