Census-designated place · Muskingum County, Ohio

Duncan Falls, Ohio

Duncan Falls is a census-designated place in Muskingum County, Ohio, part of the Zanesville, OH metro area. It has 1,355 residents. Duncan Falls, Ohio has a quality-of-life score of 46 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #8,521 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Ohio it ranks #366 of 684 cities and towns. It ranks best on broadband subscriptions (high), unemployment rate (low) and hospital quality rating (high). It ranks worst on mental health care shortage (high), depression (high) and comfortable days (low).

46Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #8,521 of 15,651 cities and towns
Ohio: #366 of 684 in OH
Population: 1,355 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 1,092.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 3922820

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety27#11,377/15,637
Economy74#4,023/15,631
Housing94#838/14,977
Health27#11,410/15,609
Healthcare29#11,034/15,650
Environment20#12,306/15,453
Education62#5,892/15,649
Infrastructure80#3,141/15,650
Community24#11,913/15,651
Leisure & amenities35#10,233/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Duncan Falls, Ohio ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Muskingum County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Broadband subscriptions · high100.0%
99/100Ohio 90.1%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Unemployment rate · low0.0%
98/100Ohio 4.7%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Hospital quality rating · high5.0
98/100Ohio 3.6United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMuskingum County value
Drought exposure · low1%
93/100Ohio 11%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAMuskingum County value
Mammography screening · high55.0%
91/100Ohio 49.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMuskingum County value
Home price to income ratio · low1.9×
91/100Ohio 3.0×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077

Weaknesses

Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100Ohio 12.2United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationMuskingum County value
Depression · high29.0%
8/100Ohio 26.2%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Comfortable days · low23.4%
12/100Ohio 23.4%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationMuskingum County value
Food environment index · low7.0
15/100Ohio 7.0United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMuskingum County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high82 mi
15/100Ohio 37 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauMuskingum County value
Adult obesity · high41.3%
16/100Ohio 39.3%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
1,169 (2015-2019) → 1,355 (2020-2024)
+16%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
41.5% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−42 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
5.9% (2015-2019) → 40.8% (2020-2024)
+35 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Median household incomeImproving
$44,028 (2015-2019) → $116,167 (2020-2024)
+164%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
74.3% (2015-2019) → 100.0% (2020-2024)
+26 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
High school diploma or higherImproving
80.5% (2015-2019) → 100.0% (2020-2024)
+20 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Duncan Falls, Ohio improved on 2 of 7 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 5 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Household income+164%$44,028 → $116,167
Broadband+26 points74.3% → 100.0%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 7 measures

Change of every measure of Duncan Falls, Ohio between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.7 min2015-2019	32.5 min2020-2024	+13.8 min	Within the margin of error	1%
Broadband subscriptions	74.3%2015-2019	100.0%2020-2024	+26 points	Improved	96%
High school diploma or higher	80.5%2015-2019	100.0%2020-2024	+20 points	Within the margin of error	99%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	1.9×2020-2024	−0.4×	Within the margin of error	92%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3392015-2019	0.3432020-2024	+0.004	Within the margin of error	47%
Median household income	$44,0282015-2019	$116,1672020-2024	+164%	Improved	100%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Duncan Falls, Ohio five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Duncan Falls, Ohio in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

No place that looked like Duncan Falls, Ohio five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

For comparison, Duncan Falls, Ohio itself moved +27.6 points in standing on average over the same 6 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,355 residents (±508)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

510 households (±177)

Duncan Falls, Ohio
Ohio share

Under $25k3.5%†18
$25k–50k11%†54
$50k–75k16%

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

510 households (±177)

Duncan Falls, Ohio
Ohio share

Own95%†484
Rent5.1%†26

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+26.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

748 workers (±209)

Duncan Falls, Ohio
Ohio share

Drive alone93%†697
Carpool5.3%†40
Public transit

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Zanesville, OH

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Muskingum County, the county holding most of Duncan Falls's residents.

Muskingum County has 1,737 employer establishments, 202 for every 10,000 residents (0.81× the US rate of 248; 0.93× Ohio's), with 29,977 paid employees at an average annual pay of $50,176. The Census Bureau also counts 5,803 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,737; 5,803 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 202; US 248 · Ohio 216
Paid employees: 29,977
Average annual pay: $50,176; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Muskingum County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	160	18.6	1.01×About typical	3,374	$18,545	30
Ambulatory health care services	130	15.1	0.72×Fewer than typical	2,470	$87,662	211
Specialty trade contractors	109	12.6	0.82×About typical	745	$61,721	552
Limited-service restaurants	92	10.7	1.33×More than typical	1,779	$17,500	11
Religious organizations	70	8.1	1.46×More than typical	351	$20,259	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	53	6.1	1.22×About typical	275	$37,138	107
Full-service restaurants	50	5.8	0.76×Fewer than typical	1,422	$19,559	9
Gasoline stations	47	5.5	1.68×More than typical	475	$23,819	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	42	4.9	0.72×Fewer than typical	229	$40,690	371
Construction of buildings	41	4.8	0.63×Fewer than typical	210	$42,310	196
Building equipment contractors	40	4.6	0.77×Fewer than typical	329	$64,623	95
Truck transportation	39	4.5	0.89×About typical	457	$79,341	133

Rank places for an industry Open Muskingum County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 86,187 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Duncan Falls, Ohio: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

912.5FY2019
-912.5FY2020
25.4KFY2021

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Duncan Falls, Ohio, so they do not add up across cities.

Duncan Falls, Ohio's figures are part of those of Muskingum County, OH ($614.1K in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Duncan Falls is mostly in Muskingum County.

See federal money in Muskingum County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Duncan Falls, Ohio is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Troy BaldersonR-OH-12 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 1.3%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Muskingum County35100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Zanesville, OH29

Other cities and towns in Muskingum County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/3922820

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends