Village · Ottawa County, Ohio

Oak Harbor, Ohio

Oak Harbor is a village in Ottawa County, Ohio, part of the Sandusky, OH metro area. It has 2,314 residents. Oak Harbor, Ohio has a quality-of-life score of 61 out of 100 (high), ranking #6,101 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Ohio it ranks #220 of 684 cities and towns. It ranks best on restaurants and bars (high), arts, entertainment and recreation (high) and violent crime rate (low). It ranks worst on pharmacies (low), median household income (low) and high ozone days (high).

61High

Quality-of-life score: #6,101 of 15,651 cities and towns
Ohio: #220 of 684 in OH
Population: 2,314 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 1,457.2 /mi²
FIPS code: 3957582

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 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.

Safety77#3,659/15,637
Economy51#7,723/15,631
Housing76#3,647/14,977
Health43#8,860/15,609
Healthcare33#10,475/15,650
Environment13#13,413/15,453
Education72#4,398/15,649
Infrastructure63#5,734/15,650
Community59#6,441/15,651
Leisure & amenities86#2,266/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Oak Harbor, Ohio ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Ottawa 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

Restaurants and bars · high22.0 /10k
99/100Ohio 8.2 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOttawa County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high16.5 /10k
98/100Ohio 4.1 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOttawa County value
Violent crime rate · low64 /100k
95/100Ohio 276 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureOttawa County value
Job growth · high3.1%
94/100Ohio -0.2%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataOttawa County value
Social associations · high15.8 /10k
93/100Ohio 10.8 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOttawa County value
Property crime rate · low502 /100k
89/100Ohio 1,429 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureOttawa County value

Weaknesses

Pharmacies · low0.0 /10k
1/100Ohio 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOttawa County value
Median household income · low$46,211
11/100Ohio $72,259United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013
High ozone days · high5 days
15/100Ohio 3 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyOttawa County value
Depression · high27.5%
16/100Ohio 26.2%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Mental health providers · low121 /100k
18/100Ohio 371 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOttawa County value
Comfortable days · low23.8%
21/100Ohio 23.4%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationOttawa County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
2,710 (2015-2019) → 2,314 (2020-2024)
−15%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedImproving
0.7 /1k (2021) → 4.3 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+492%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateImproving
25.4% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−25 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
73.1% (2015-2019) → 92.7% (2020-2024)
+20 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Poverty rateImproving
14.6% (2015-2019) → 5.7% (2020-2024)
−8.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
High school diploma or higherImproving
89.5% (2015-2019) → 97.0% (2020-2024)
+7.4 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, Oak Harbor, Ohio improved on 3 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 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.

Improved3

Child poverty−25 points25.4% → 0.0%
Poverty−8.9 points14.6% → 5.7%
Broadband+20 points73.1% → 92.7%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Oak Harbor, Ohio between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.5 min2015-2019	29.0 min2020-2024	+7.6 min	Within the margin of error	4%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.6%2015-2019	20.8%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Broadband subscriptions	73.1%2015-2019	92.7%2020-2024	+20 points	Improved	89%
Child poverty rate	25.4%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	−25 points	Improved	96%
Effective property tax rate	1.27%2015-2019	1.19%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	29%
High school diploma or higher	89.5%2015-2019	97.0%2020-2024	+7.4 points	Within the margin of error	91%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	62%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4262015-2019	0.4332020-2024	+0.007	Within the margin of error	44%
Median household income	$43,9222015-2019	$46,2112020-2024	+5.2%	Within the margin of error	12%
Poverty rate	14.6%2015-2019	5.7%2020-2024	−8.9 points	Improved	91%
Rent as share of income	28.4%2015-2019	29.9%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	43%
Rent-burdened households	45.6%2015-2019	49.6%2020-2024	+3.9 points	Within the margin of error	41%

“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 Oak Harbor, Ohio five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Oak Harbor, 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.

For comparison, Oak Harbor, Ohio itself moved +0.3 points in standing on average over the same 10 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

2,314 residents (±372)

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

1,197 households (±164)

Oak Harbor, Ohio
Ohio share

Under $25k18%†213
$25k–50k36%†428
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,197 households (±164)

Oak Harbor, Ohio
Ohio share

Own72%860
Rent28%†337

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+13.1 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

1,142 workers (±230)

Oak Harbor, Ohio
Ohio share

Drive alone81%922
Carpool5.4%†62
Public transit0.0%0

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 Sandusky, 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 Ottawa County, the county holding most of Oak Harbor's residents.

Ottawa County has 1,026 employer establishments, 258 for every 10,000 residents (1.04× the US rate of 248; 1.19× Ohio's), with 10,686 paid employees at an average annual pay of $53,437. The Census Bureau also counts 3,289 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,026; 3,289 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 258; US 248 · Ohio 216
Paid employees: 10,686
Average annual pay: $53,437; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	117	29.4	1.60×More than typical	1,389	$33,458	11
Specialty trade contractors	65	16.3	1.05×About typical	352	$63,892	256
Full-service restaurants	60	15.1	1.96×More than typical	738	$42,646	3
Ambulatory health care services	51	12.8	0.61×Fewer than typical	348	$60,511	129
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	43	10.8	4.06×More than typical	436	$54,927	53
Other amusement and recreation industries	42	10.6	4.35×More than typical	435	$55,044	48
Limited-service restaurants	41	10.3	1.28×More than typical	593	$22,980	3
Religious organizations	41	10.3	1.86×More than typical	265	$28,706	—
Lessors of real estate	37	9.3	0.75×Fewer than typical	74	$44,432	451
Traveler accommodation	34	8.5	4.73×More than typical	182	$37,451	23
Services to buildings and dwellings	29	7.3	1.08×About typical	114	$36,746	209
Banks and credit unions	28	7	2.18×More than typical	232	$56,444	—

Rank places for an industry Open Ottawa County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 39,810 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 $3,012 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Oak Harbor, Ohio: $1.30 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $3,012; −43% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1.30; US $1,994
Sole-source: 77%; US 30%
Single offer: 8.7%; 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

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$3,012100%

Top recipients

AUTOMATED LOGIC CONTRACTING SERVICES, INC.$1,38746%
AMPLEX ELECTRIC INC$53118%
GOVYORK INC$44315%
TOLEDO ELEVATOR AND MACHINE LLC$38813%
TORRENCE SOUND EQUIPMENT CO$2628.7%
INTERNATIONAL CONTROLS & EQUIPMENT COMPANY$00.0%
CROWLEY HOLDINGS LLC$00.0%

Spending by fiscal year

16KFY2017
2.2KFY2018
80.5KFY2019
12.4KFY2020
2.7KFY2021
2.6KFY2022
1.9KFY2023
4.4KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Building equipment contractors · 2382$2,21874%
Wired telecommunications carriers · 5171$53118%
Investigation and security services · 5616$2628.7%

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 Oak Harbor, Ohio, so they do not add up across cities.

Oak Harbor, Ohio's figures are part of those of Ottawa County, OH ($4.3M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.1% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Oak Harbor is mostly in Ottawa County.

See federal money in Ottawa 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.

Oak Harbor, Ohio is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Marcy KapturD-OH-9 · 100% of residentsWith party 89%Missed 3.4%

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.

Ottawa County80100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Sandusky, OH77

Other cities and towns in Ottawa 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
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
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/3957582

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends