Scores by category

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

Safety75#3,973/15,637
Economy93#1,030/15,631
Housing95#717/14,977
Health54#7,184/15,609
Healthcare39#9,563/15,650
Environment22#12,016/15,453
Education71#4,608/15,649
Infrastructure70#4,656/15,650
Community31#10,818/15,651
Leisure & amenities12#13,700/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Plain City, Ohio ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Madison 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

New homes permitted · high110.2 /1k
100/100Ohio 2.7 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.311
99/100Ohio 0.467United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Violent crime rate · low48 /100k
98/100Ohio 276 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationMadison County value
Rent as share of income · low23.1%
95/100Ohio 28.3%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Lack of reliable transportation · low5.2%
92/100Ohio 8.1%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Food insecurity · low8.1%
91/100Ohio 14.7%United States 15.6%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate

Weaknesses

Suicide rate · high31.4 /100k
3/100Ohio 15.5 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataMadison County value
Comfortable days · low22.8%
6/100Ohio 23.4%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationMadison County value
Grocery stores · low0.9 /10k
8/100Ohio 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMadison County value
Primary care physicians · low28 /100k
10/100Ohio 77 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMadison County value
Dentists · low29 /100k
10/100Ohio 66 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMadison County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high83 mi
14/100Ohio 37 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauMadison County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
4,273 (2015-2019) → 3,829 (2020-2024)
−10%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
14.9% (2015-2019) → 2.4% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$78,774 (2015-2019) → $117,972 (2020-2024)
+50%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
35.6% (2015-2019) → 43.5% (2020-2024)
+7.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
24.8% (2015-2019) → 31.5% (2020-2024)
+6.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
9.8% (2015-2019) → 3.5% (2020-2024)
−6.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

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, Plain City, Ohio improved on 1 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 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.

Improved1

Household income+50%$78,774 → $117,972

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Plain City, Ohio between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.3 min2015-2019	23.1 min2020-2024	−1.2 min	Within the margin of error	63%
Bachelor's degree or higher	35.6%2015-2019	43.5%2020-2024	+7.9 points	Within the margin of error	83%
Broadband subscriptions	92.3%2015-2019	91.5%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Effective property tax rate	1.41%2015-2019	1.15%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	69%
High school diploma or higher	94.6%2015-2019	97.9%2020-2024	+3.3 points	Within the margin of error	71%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	59%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3642015-2019	0.3112020-2024	−0.053	Within the margin of error	85%
Median household income	$78,7742015-2019	$117,9722020-2024	+50%	Improved	84%
Poverty rate	8.8%2015-2019	3.5%2020-2024	−5.3 points	Within the margin of error	82%
Rent as share of income	22.6%2015-2019	23.1%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Rent-burdened households	24.8%2015-2019	31.5%2020-2024	+6.8 points	Within the margin of error	32%

“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 Plain City, Ohio five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Plain City, 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, Plain City, Ohio itself moved +1.2 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

3,829 residents (±430)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 10–19 women (−2.5 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

3,829 residents (±430)

Plain City, Ohio
Ohio share

White95%3,630
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino2.3%†87
Asian0.7%†25
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races2.3%†87

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Asian (−3.1 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

2,562 residents (±298)

Plain City, Ohio
Ohio share

No high school diploma2.1%†53
High school or GED25%650
Some college18%464
Associate degree11%†280
Bachelor's degree29%733
Graduate degree15%†382

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Associate degree (+6.4 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

1,547 households (±170)

Plain City, Ohio
Ohio share

Under $25k4.6%†71
$25k–50k15%†225
$50k–75k6.1%†94
$75k–100k17%†256
$100k–150k29%†446
$150k–200k18%†277
$200k or more12%†178

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $50k–75k (−15.9 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,547 households (±170)

Plain City, Ohio
Ohio share

Own82%1,268
Rent18%†279

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

257 households (±99)

Plain City, Ohio
Ohio share

Under $7505.8%†15
$750–1,00047%†120
$1,000–1,50038%†98

Home values

1,268 homes (±168)

Plain City, Ohio
Ohio share

Under $150k6.8%†86
$150k–250k12%†155
$250k–400k41%518

Age of homes

1,612 homes (±180)

Plain City, Ohio
Ohio share

2010 or later18%†288
2000–200922%†361
1980–199921%†340

Size of homes

1,612 homes (±180)

Plain City, Ohio
Ohio share

Studio1.4%†23
1 bedroom5.6%†90
2 bedrooms23%365

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

2,100 workers (±298)

Plain City, Ohio
Ohio share

Drive alone74%1,557
Carpool6.6%†138
Public transit0.0%0
Walk1.3%†27
Bike0.0%0
Work from home18%†378
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+9.7 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,722 workers (±303)

Plain City, Ohio
Ohio share

Under 15 min23%†396
15–29 min45%782
30–44 min27%†458

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Columbus, 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 Madison County, the county holding most of Plain City's residents.

Madison County has 723 employer establishments, 162 for every 10,000 residents (0.65× the US rate of 248; 0.75× Ohio's), with 18,238 paid employees at an average annual pay of $54,743. The Census Bureau also counts 3,363 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 723; 3,363 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 162; US 248 · Ohio 216
Paid employees: 18,238
Average annual pay: $54,743; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	75	16.8	1.09×About typical	400	$55,503	346
Restaurants and other eating places	49	11	0.60×Fewer than typical	1,703	$19,602	14
Ambulatory health care services	38	8.5	0.41×Fewer than typical	210	$49,767	125
Religious organizations	38	8.5	1.54×More than typical	201	$19,801	—
Construction of buildings	35	7.8	1.04×About typical	140	$66,343	182
Truck transportation	31	7	1.37×More than typical	718	$67,557	88
Building equipment contractors	30	6.7	1.12×About typical	185	$59,103	50
Limited-service restaurants	27	6.1	0.75×Fewer than typical	1,223	$18,170	7
Lessors of real estate	24	5.4	0.44×Fewer than typical	51	$33,118	292
Services to buildings and dwellings	23	5.2	0.77×Fewer than typical	113	$53,611	273
Building finishing contractors	22	4.9	1.30×More than typical	107	$48,701	129
Landscaping services	20	4.5	1.28×More than typical	106	$54,557	80

Rank places for an industry Open Madison County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 44,591 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 Plain City, 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

313.8FY2017
-457.7KFY2018
-313.8FY2019
1.4KFY2021
1KFY2023

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 Plain City, Ohio, so they do not add up across cities.

Plain City, Ohio's figures are part of those of Madison County, OH and Union County, OH ($320.3K 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: Plain City is mostly in Madison County.

See federal money in Madison 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.

Plain City, Ohio is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).