City · Erie County, Ohio

Sandusky, Ohio

Sandusky is a city in Erie County, Ohio, part of the Sandusky, OH metro area. It has 24,606 residents. Sandusky, Ohio has a quality-of-life score of 48 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #8,084 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Ohio it ranks #344 of 684 cities and towns. It ranks best on restaurants and bars (high), arts, entertainment and recreation (high) and public transit commuters (high). It ranks worst on child poverty rate (high), adult obesity (high) and poverty rate (high).

48Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #8,084 of 15,651 cities and towns
Ohio: #344 of 684 in OH
Population: 24,606 (2020-2024)
Land area: 10 mi²
Density: 2,553.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 3970380

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.

Safety63#5,852/15,637
Economy2#15,299/15,631
Housing86#2,171/14,977
Health16#13,041/15,609
Healthcare50#7,867/15,650
Environment65#5,358/15,453
Education44#8,772/15,649
Infrastructure45#8,661/15,650
Community51#7,594/15,651
Leisure & amenities78#3,435/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Sandusky, Ohio ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Erie 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 · high16.8 /10k
97/100Ohio 8.2 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsErie County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high10.9 /10k
96/100Ohio 4.1 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsErie County value
Public transit commuters · high7.2%
96/100Ohio 1.0%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301High uncertainty
Average commute time · low18.0 min
93/100Ohio 23.4 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Distance to an Amtrak station · low6 mi
90/100Ohio 37 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauErie County value
Violent crime rate · low91 /100k
88/100Ohio 276 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationErie County value

Weaknesses

Child poverty rate · high40.9%
1/100Ohio 16.4%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Adult obesity · high46.0%
3/100Ohio 39.3%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Poverty rate · high25.6%
5/100Ohio 12.6%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Job growth · low-3.5%
5/100Ohio -0.2%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataErie County value
Frequent mental distress · high21.5%
8/100Ohio 19.5%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Adult smoking · high20.9%
9/100Ohio 17.6%United States 16.1%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.

New homes permittedImproving
0.6 /1k (2021) → 1.7 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+206%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
73.5% (2015-2019) → 84.9% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateWorsening
32.6% (2015-2019) → 40.9% (2020-2024)
+8.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
15.1% (2015-2019) → 22.0% (2020-2024)
+6.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Median household incomeImproving
$38,380 (2015-2019) → $50,139 (2020-2024)
+31%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Public transit commutersImproving
2.4% (2015-2019) → 7.2% (2020-2024)
+4.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B08301US 5.0% → 3.2%

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, Sandusky, Ohio improved on 4 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 8 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.

Improved4

Property tax−0.4 points1.54% → 1.12%
Bachelor's++6.9 points15.1% → 22.0%
Broadband+11 points73.5% → 84.9%
Household income+31%$38,380 → $50,139

Declined2

Child poverty+8.2 points32.6% → 40.9%
Uninsured+3 points6.8% → 9.8%

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Sandusky, Ohio between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.0 min2015-2019	18.0 min2020-2024	−0.1 min	Within the margin of error	48%
Bachelor's degree or higher	15.1%2015-2019	22.0%2020-2024	+6.9 points	Improved	79%
Broadband subscriptions	73.5%2015-2019	84.9%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	66%
Child poverty rate	32.6%2015-2019	40.9%2020-2024	+8.2 points	Declined	14%
Effective property tax rate	1.54%2015-2019	1.12%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Improved	86%
High school diploma or higher	87.1%2015-2019	89.7%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	2.3×2020-2024	−0.0×	Within the margin of error	79%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4642015-2019	0.4442020-2024	−0.020	Within the margin of error	67%
Median household income	$38,3802015-2019	$50,1392020-2024	+31%	Improved	57%
Poverty rate	21.3%2015-2019	25.6%2020-2024	+4.3 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Rent as share of income	29.4%2015-2019	27.4%2020-2024	−2 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Rent-burdened households	49.0%2015-2019	46.0%2020-2024	−3 points	Within the margin of error	66%
Unemployment rate	7.5%2015-2019	7.8%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.8%2015-2019	9.8%2020-2024	+3 points	Declined	19%

“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 Sandusky, Ohio five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Sandusky, 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, Sandusky, Ohio itself moved +8.1 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

24,606 residents (±25)

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

10,973 households (±418)

Sandusky, Ohio
Ohio share

Under $25k26%2,858
$25k–50k24%2,613
$50k–75k16%1,781

Homes

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

Owners and renters

10,973 households (±418)

Sandusky, Ohio
Ohio share

Own50%5,496
Rent50%5,477

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

11,642 workers (±632)

Sandusky, Ohio
Ohio share

Drive alone73%8,528
Carpool11%1,264
Public transit7.2%†836

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 Erie County, the county holding most of Sandusky's residents.

Erie County has 1,802 employer establishments, 244 for every 10,000 residents (0.98× the US rate of 248; 1.13× Ohio's), with 32,249 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,875. The Census Bureau also counts 5,562 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,802; 5,562 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 244; US 248 · Ohio 216
Paid employees: 32,249
Average annual pay: $49,875; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	177	24	1.31×More than typical	3,510	$22,431	34
Ambulatory health care services	157	21.3	1.02×About typical	1,516	$71,226	225
Full-service restaurants	85	11.5	1.50×More than typical	1,866	$24,651	13
Specialty trade contractors	82	11.1	0.72×Fewer than typical	715	$67,643	368
Limited-service restaurants	74	10	1.25×More than typical	1,462	$19,534	14
Lessors of real estate	62	8.4	0.68×Fewer than typical	151	$52,616	713
Offices of physicians	61	8.3	1.28×More than typical	581	$110,141	47
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	57	7.7	2.91×More than typical	1,766	$96,775	49
Services to buildings and dwellings	53	7.2	1.07×About typical	592	$32,971	375
Religious organizations	51	6.9	1.25×About typical	256	$21,215	—
Construction of buildings	47	6.4	0.84×About typical	181	$49,895	195
Other amusement and recreation industries	44	6	2.46×More than typical	353	$37,493	41

Rank places for an industry Open Erie County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 73,786 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 $684.4K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Sandusky, Ohio: $27.82 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $684.4K; +696% vs FY2025
Per resident: $27.82; US $1,994
Sole-source: 2.2%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration$661.9K97%
Department of the Army$14K2.0%
Department of Veterans Affairs$8,4701.2%

Top recipients

OCEAN SURVEYS, INC.$661.9K97%
ROBOTICS EDUCATION AND COMPETITION FOUNDATION, INC.$15.2K2.2%
GREAT LAKES INVESTMENT PROPERTY LLC$8,4701.2%
KEYSIGHT TECHNOLOGIES INC$00.0%
MORRISH-WALLACE CONSTRUCTION, INC.-$1,2180.0%

Spending by fiscal year

1.1MFY2017
794.7KFY2018
586.1KFY2019
1MFY2020
39.2KFY2021
545.6KFY2022
469.3KFY2023
398.3K

Top industries (NAICS)

Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$661.9K97%
Other support services · 5619$15.2K2.2%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$8,4701.2%

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 Sandusky, Ohio, so they do not add up across cities.

Sandusky, Ohio's figures are part of those of Erie County, OH ($4.9M in FY2026), never added to them: 14% of that total.

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

See federal money in Erie 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.

Sandusky, 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.

Erie County76100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Sandusky, OH77

Other cities and towns in Erie 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/3970380

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends