Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment, is Ohio a good place?
The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best counties to live in Ohio.
Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Buckeye State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been using Saturday Night Science to rank places for years.
The question becomes if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Ohio, where would you go? To answer that, we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 88 counties in the state.
Union County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Ohio. And you should avoid Meigs County if you can — at least according to the data.
$112,322 median income · 2.6% unemployment
$133,540 median income · 3.0% unemployment
$110,132 median income · 3.1% unemployment
$84,928 median income · 1.8% unemployment
$94,968 median income · 2.9% unemployment
$76,782 median income · 1.6% unemployment
$78,660 median income · 2.7% unemployment
$76,101 median income · 3.1% unemployment
$84,426 median income · 3.2% unemployment
$87,309 median income · 4.3% unemployment
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Ohio’s statewide median.
Ohio statewide median: $71,389
Ohio statewide median: $242,141
Ohio statewide median: 4.8%
On the map
Where Ohio’s best counties are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which Ohio county is the best?
To give you the best county in Ohio, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we made assumptions about what’s in a “best county” and what isn’t. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best data sources on the internet. Namely, the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent period.
We paid particular attention to:
- Violent Crime Rates
- Property Crime Rates
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Unemployment Rates
- Adult Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We then ranked each county in Ohio across each of the criteria from one to 88, with one being the best.
Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In Ohio.”
The result is some of the safest, quietest, and best counties to raise a family in the Buckeye State.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best counties to live in Ohio.
Read on to see why Union County is the best county, while Meigs County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Ohio.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Ohio
Click any column to sort. Search by county name.
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Union County | 67,324 | $112,322 | $405,895 |
| 2 | Delaware County | 226,834 | $133,540 | $513,081 |
| 3 | Warren County | 250,008 | $110,132 | $404,923 |
| 4 | Putnam County | 34,314 | $84,928 | $250,356 |
| 5 | Medina County | 183,660 | $94,968 | $341,334 |
| 6 | Mercer County | 42,484 | $76,782 | $267,727 |
| 7 | Auglaize County | 46,125 | $78,660 | $235,445 |
| 8 | Ottawa County | 39,994 | $76,101 | $264,413 |
| 9 | Licking County | 181,837 | $84,426 | $334,547 |
| 10 | Greene County | 169,688 | $87,309 | $298,140 |
| 11 | Miami County | 110,296 | $76,817 | $265,732 |
| 12 | Fairfield County | 163,453 | $90,966 | $362,867 |
| 13 | Wyandot County | 21,598 | $69,768 | $191,042 |
| 14 | Lake County | 232,216 | $80,925 | $243,190 |
| 15 | Geauga County | 95,481 | $107,860 | $371,495 |
| 16 | Hancock County | 74,866 | $73,141 | $236,200 |
| 17 | Wood County | 132,064 | $74,216 | $235,802 |
| 18 | Fulton County | 42,240 | $72,864 | $222,666 |
| 19 | Van Wert County | 28,826 | $67,917 | $182,732 |
| 20 | Clermont County | 211,181 | $85,510 | $325,434 |
| 21 | Henry County | 27,567 | $80,099 | $205,993 |
| 22 | Portage County | 161,956 | $75,766 | $275,007 |
| 23 | Shelby County | 47,929 | $73,978 | $239,886 |
| 24 | Pickaway County | 60,131 | $74,040 | $325,199 |
| 25 | Madison County | 44,423 | $87,045 | $313,614 |
| 25 | Champaign County | 38,804 | $75,556 | $245,710 |
| 27 | Logan County | 46,089 | $71,551 | $251,084 |
| 28 | Preble County | 40,765 | $69,223 | $228,983 |
| 29 | Butler County | 392,876 | $81,590 | $309,232 |
| 30 | Lorain County | 317,129 | $73,347 | $255,220 |
| 31 | Stark County | 373,713 | $67,934 | $211,655 |
| 32 | Knox County | 63,142 | $73,878 | $281,686 |
| 32 | Holmes County | 44,418 | $76,140 | $359,505 |
| 34 | Morrow County | 35,404 | $75,283 | $270,108 |
| 35 | Paulding County | 18,791 | $67,731 | $158,349 |
| 36 | Clinton County | 42,012 | $70,407 | $251,222 |
| 37 | Erie County | 74,581 | $71,993 | $229,732 |
| 37 | Seneca County | 54,770 | $66,025 | $172,763 |
| 39 | Hamilton County | 830,774 | $72,470 | $269,325 |
| 40 | Summit County | 537,864 | $71,622 | $223,182 |
| 41 | Darke County | 51,594 | $64,486 | $209,197 |
| 42 | Wayne County | 116,588 | $73,574 | $259,403 |
| 43 | Ashland County | 52,256 | $69,860 | $237,528 |
| 44 | Franklin County | 1,333,048 | $75,176 | $294,251 |
| 45 | Williams County | 36,719 | $61,048 | $179,076 |
| 46 | Washington County | 58,978 | $63,603 | $184,231 |
| 47 | Defiance County | 38,343 | $73,064 | $181,385 |
| 48 | Huron County | 58,319 | $67,878 | $192,855 |
| 49 | Sandusky County | 58,778 | $62,295 | $182,947 |
| 50 | Highland County | 43,517 | $65,785 | $199,629 |
| 51 | Noble County | 14,282 | $56,098 | $189,175 |
| 52 | Cuyahoga County | 1,245,873 | $64,468 | $214,914 |
| 53 | Perry County | 35,535 | $67,460 | $222,987 |
| 53 | Allen County | 101,348 | $64,038 | $186,339 |
| 55 | Lawrence County | 56,819 | $58,325 | $141,898 |
| 56 | Montgomery County | 536,096 | $66,139 | $200,255 |
| 57 | Muskingum County | 86,411 | $60,780 | $207,867 |
| 58 | Brown County | 43,845 | $71,270 | $258,445 |
| 59 | Tuscarawas County | 92,385 | $65,044 | $209,232 |
| 60 | Carroll County | 26,659 | $64,835 | $199,603 |
| 60 | Jefferson County | 64,518 | $59,055 | $125,161 |
| 63 | Crawford County | 41,711 | $58,044 | $157,661 |
| 63 | Fayette County | 28,876 | $63,275 | $235,451 |
| 63 | Ross County | 76,492 | $61,303 | $198,403 |
| 65 | Morgan County | 13,651 | $59,351 | $157,570 |
| 66 | Hocking County | 27,799 | $62,960 | $277,646 |
| 67 | Hardin County | 30,475 | $62,484 | $184,308 |
| 68 | Lucas County | 428,018 | $62,224 | $172,542 |
| 69 | Belmont County | 65,473 | $57,017 | $131,165 |
| 70 | Mahoning County | 226,491 | $56,942 | $170,915 |
| 71 | Richland County | 125,099 | $59,509 | $192,905 |
| 72 | Clark County | 135,158 | $63,132 | $198,661 |
| 73 | Marion County | 65,020 | $59,371 | $178,151 |
| 74 | Trumbull County | 200,929 | $56,435 | $163,245 |
| 75 | Columbiana County | 100,704 | $58,180 | $156,743 |
| 76 | Gallia County | 29,068 | $56,830 | $167,290 |
| 77 | Pike County | 27,044 | $52,736 | $164,446 |
| 78 | Athens County | 61,737 | $56,001 | $180,405 |
| 79 | Jackson County | 32,650 | $57,106 | $143,145 |
| 80 | Monroe County | 13,227 | $60,134 | $150,979 |
| 81 | Harrison County | 14,306 | $54,414 | $136,447 |
| 82 | Scioto County | 72,627 | $50,609 | $139,344 |
| 83 | Guernsey County | 38,223 | $58,478 | $161,322 |
| 84 | Vinton County | 12,630 | $55,336 | $175,603 |
| 85 | Ashtabula County | 97,167 | $57,728 | $177,182 |
| 86 | Coshocton County | 36,744 | $55,577 | $184,350 |
| 87 | Adams County | 27,540 | $50,264 | $186,158 |
| 88 | Meigs County | 21,896 | $46,873 | $111,646 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS + FBI crime data via Saturday Night Science. All 88 Ohio counties.
Summary
Summary: The Best Counties In Ohio To Call Home For 2026
Living in Ohio can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
The best counties in Ohio are Union County, Delaware County, Warren County, Putnam County, Medina County, Mercer County, Auglaize County, Ottawa County, Licking County, and Greene County.
But now you know the outstanding parts and the parts to avoid, and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome. Not sold on Ohio? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Counties In Ohio FAQs
What is the best county to live in Ohio?
Union County is the best county to live in Ohio for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Delaware County and Warren County are next.
What are the best counties in Ohio?
The best counties to live in Ohio are Union County, Delaware County, Warren County, Putnam County, Medina County, Mercer County, Auglaize County, Ottawa County, Licking County, and Greene County. We ranked all 88 Ohio counties.
How do you rank the best counties?
Counties are scored on crime, home values, income, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey and FBI data. The county with the best average across all seven, Union County, wins.
How expensive is it to live in Union County?
The median household income in Union County is $112,322 and the median home costs $405,895. Statewide, the typical Ohio home runs $242,141.
Which county in Ohio should you think twice about?
Meigs County lands at the bottom of the quality-of-life ranking for Ohio. People make good lives there anyway; the numbers just say it is the toughest of the 88 counties.
