Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety89#105/924
Economy58#391/925
Housing97#28/925
Health67#310/925
Healthcare30#647/923
Environment11#813/917
Education43#529/925
Infrastructure51#452/925
Community56#411/925
Leisure & amenities28#666/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Defiance, OH micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Rent-burdened households · low30.7%
99/100Ohio 45.9%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.401
98/100Ohio 0.467United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Severe housing problems · low9.3%
95/100Ohio 12.7%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Home price to income ratio · low2.2×
94/100Ohio 3.0×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
93/100Ohio 5.3 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Drug overdose deaths · low8.1 /100k
92/100Ohio 18.9 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Public transit commuters · low0.0%
3/100Ohio 1.0%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Pharmacies · low0.8 /10k
8/100Ohio 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Child care cost burden · high39.2%
9/100Ohio 31.7%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Preventable hospital stays · high3,989 /100k
9/100Ohio 3,269 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Dentists · low39 /100k
16/100Ohio 66 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.5 /10k
16/100Ohio 1.2 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
3% (2021) → 51% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+47 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Child care cost burdenWorsening
20.5% (2020 & 2021) → 39.2% (2023 & 2024)
+19 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Distance to an airportWorsening
45 mi (2020) → 84 mi (2025)
+87%5 yearsUS 33 mi → 33 mi
Drug overdose deathsImproving
31.4 /100k (2021) → 8.1 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−74%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
New business applicationsImproving
5.0 /1k (2020) → 8.7 /1k (2025)
+74%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
PharmaciesWorsening
1.6 /10k (2020) → 0.8 /10k (2025)
−50%5 yearsUS 1.9 /10k → 1.8 /10k

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, Defiance, OH micropolitan area improved on 14 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 10. 6 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved14

Homicides−100%3.6 /100k → 0.0 /100k
Rent burden−8.3 points39.0% → 30.7%
Overdose deaths−69%26.1 /100k → 8.1 /100k
Traffic deaths−21%15.2 /100k → 12.0 /100k
New businesses+74%5.0 /1k → 8.7 /1k

Declined10

Libraries−26%1.1 /10k → 0.8 /10k
Pharmacies−50%1.6 /10k → 0.8 /10k
Violent crime+49%110 /100k → 163 /100k
Uninsured+3.7 points6.7% → 10.4%
Airport+39 mi45 mi → 84 mi

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Defiance, OH micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.4 /10k2020	2.6 /10k2025	+11%	Improved	56%
Average commute time	20.4 min2015-2019	19.8 min2020-2024	−0.6 min	Within the margin of error	80%
Average weekly wage	$8752020	$1,0592025	+21%	Improved	30%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.0%2015-2019	19.0%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Broadband subscriptions	80.2%2015-2019	88.0%2020-2024	+7.8 points	Improved	36%
Child poverty rate	17.1%2015-2019	11.4%2020-2024	−5.7 points	Improved	82%
Distance to an airport	45 mi2020	84 mi2025	+39 mi	Declined	1%
Drug overdose deaths	26.1 /100k2020	8.1 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−69%	Improved	96%
Effective property tax rate	1.33%2015-2019	1.09%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	82%
Firearm deaths	9.0 /100k2020	12.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+36%	Declined	15%
Grocery stores	1.3 /10k2020	1.0 /10k2025	−20%	Declined	10%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.8 /10k2020	0.5 /10k2025	−33%	Declined	9%
High school diploma or higher	91.2%2015-2019	92.8%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	2.2×2020-2024	+0.2×	Declined	78%
Homicide rate	3.6 /100k2020	0.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−100%	Improved	95%
Income adjusted for local prices	$46,0502019	$57,9562024	+26%	Improved	11%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4042015-2019	0.4012020-2024	−0.002	Within the margin of error	61%
Median household income	$59,9312015-2019	$73,0642020-2024	+22%	Improved	21%
New business applications	5.0 /1k2020	8.7 /1k2025	+74%	Improved	83%
Pharmacies	1.6 /10k2020	0.8 /10k2025	−50%	Declined	1%
Poverty rate	10.2%2015-2019	10.5%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Property crime rate	927 /100k2020	721 /100k2025	−22%	Improved	28%
Public libraries	1.1 /10k2019	0.8 /10k2024	−26%	Declined	2%
Rent as share of income	25.0%2015-2019	25.3%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Rent-burdened households	39.0%2015-2019	30.7%2020-2024	−8.3 points	Improved	96%
Restaurants and bars	9.7 /10k2020	10.2 /10k2025	+5.3%	Improved	67%
Suicide rate	11.9 /100k2020	15.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+30%	Declined	16%
Traffic deaths	15.2 /100k2015-2019	12.0 /100k2020-2024	−21%	Improved	89%
Unemployment rate	7.6%2020	4.5%2025	−3.1 points	Improved	53%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.7%2015-2019	10.4%2020-2024	+3.7 points	Declined	2%
Violent crime rate	110 /100k2020	163 /100k2025	+49%	Declined	4%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Defiance, OH micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Defiance, OH micropolitan area 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, Defiance, OH micropolitan area itself moved −3.7 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

38,343 residents

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

15,327 households (±236)

Defiance, OH micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k13%2,059
$25k–50k20%3,021
$50k–75k18%2,757

Homes

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

Owners and renters

15,327 households (±236)

Defiance, OH micropolitan area
United States share

Own79%12,152
Rent21%3,175

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+3.0 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

18,212 workers (±485)

Defiance, OH micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone84%15,236
Carpool7.7%1,394
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 no occupation wages for Defiance, OH micropolitan area.

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.

Defiance, OH has 813 employer establishments, 212 for every 10,000 residents (0.85× the US rate of 248), with 13,708 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,493. The Census Bureau also counts 2,378 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 813; 2,378 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 212; US 248
Paid employees: 13,708
Average annual pay: $48,493; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	66	17.2	0.94×About typical	1,479	$16,705	12
Religious organizations	48	12.5	2.26×More than typical	236	$19,593	—
Ambulatory health care services	47	12.3	0.59×Fewer than typical	505	$74,244	73
Specialty trade contractors	43	11.2	0.73×Fewer than typical	229	$55,948	208
Limited-service restaurants	30	7.8	0.98×About typical	800	$14,695	6
Truck transportation	30	7.8	1.55×More than typical	637	$53,176	80
Full-service restaurants	27	7	0.92×About typical	545	$20,716	5
Lessors of real estate	26	6.8	0.55×Fewer than typical	73	$35,205	219
Automotive repair and maintenance	25	6.5	1.30×More than typical	74	$45,649	36
Banks and credit unions	20	5.2	1.62×More than typical	518	$64,191	—
Insurance agencies and brokerages	20	5.2	1.19×About typical	89	$60,989	45
Building material and supplies dealers (hardware, home centers)	18	4.7	2.85×More than typical	355	$35,085	3

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 38,301 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $30.7K on contracts performed in Defiance, OH micropolitan area: $0.80 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $30.7K; +271% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.80; US $1,994
Sole-source: 11%; 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

Defense Logistics Agency$30.7K100%

Top recipients

EHB SUPPLY$27.4K89%
CHAS. D. WEST & CO$3,24311%

Spending by fiscal year

18.3MFY2017
34.1MFY2018
63.2MFY2019
76.8MFY2020
46.8MFY2021
6.7MFY2022
3.9MFY2023
-21.2M

Top industries (NAICS)

Other textile product mills · 3149$30.7K100%

Largest awards

INSULATION SLEEVING$11.4K
EHB SUPPLY· Defiance County, OH· Other equipment & supplies· May 13, 2026 – May 13, 2026· SPMYM226P7220
INSULATION, PIPE, THERMAL$8,707
EHB SUPPLY· Defiance County, OH· Other equipment & supplies· Feb 18, 2026 – Feb 18, 2026· SPMYM226P5403
INSULATION, PIPE THERMAL$5,589
EHB SUPPLY· Defiance County, OH· Other equipment & supplies· Jan 6, 2026 – Jan 6, 2026· SPMYM226P5174
THERMAL PIPE INSULATION$2,053

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $274.1M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Defiance, OH micropolitan area: $7,157 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $274.1M; −1.9% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,157; US $12,955
Loan face value: $11.9M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 4.1%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$164.5M60%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$26M9.5%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$19M6.9%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$18.1M6.6%
93.600 · Head Start$9.4M3.4%
10.990 · Farmer Bridge Assistance Program$6.7M2.4%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$5.3M1.9%
20.287 · Surface Transportation Block Grant Program$3.9M1.4%

Top recipients (organizations)

OHIO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$9.5M3.5%
COLUMBUS, OH
NORTHWESTERN OHIO COMMUNITY ACTION COMMISSION, INC.$9.4M3.4%
DEFIANCE, OH
DEFIANCE COLLEGE$2.9M1.1%
DEFIANCE, OH
NORTHWEST OHIO COMPUTER ASSOCIATION$1.3M0.5%
ARCHBOLD, OH
DEFIANCECNTYREGARPTAU

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$214.8M78%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$21M7.7%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Farm Service Agency$9.8M3.6%
Department of Agriculture
Federal Highway Administration$9.5M3.5%
Department of Transportation
Administration for Children and Families

Assistance by fiscal year

248.7MFY2021
232.1MFY2022
245.1MFY2023
293.1MFY2024
279.4MFY2025
274.1MFY2026

County aggregates

87%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Defiance, OH

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Defiance CountyCentral county6238,292

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

DefiancePrincipal city17,276

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Ohio

Areas based in Ohio, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M19580

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved14

Declined10

Metro and micro areas like Defiance, OH micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Defiance, OH

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Ohio

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved14

Declined10

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type