Scores by category

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

Safety87#125/924
Economy64#334/925
Housing68#299/925
Health56#406/925
Healthcare19#749/923
Environment40#551/917
Education48#486/925
Infrastructure51#453/925
Community58#391/925
Leisure & amenities15#786/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Property crime rate · low414 /100k
96/100Ohio 1,429 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Drought exposure · low2%
92/100Ohio 11%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.418
90/100Ohio 0.467United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Severe housing problems · low10.6%
86/100Ohio 12.7%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Lack of reliable transportation · low7.3%
85/100Ohio 8.1%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Hot days · low5 days
84/100Ohio 11 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Child care cost burden · high42.4%
4/100Ohio 31.7%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Pharmacies · low0.8 /10k
8/100Ohio 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.5 /10k
13/100Ohio 1.2 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Restaurants and bars · low6.3 /10k
17/100Ohio 8.2 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Average commute time · high25.7 min
20/100Ohio 23.4 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Primary care physicians · low43 /100k
21/100Ohio 77 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Child care cost burdenWorsening
24.1% (2020 & 2021) → 42.4% (2023 & 2024)
+18 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
56.3% (2010 & 2021) → 68.3% (2022 & 2024)
+12 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
Mammography screeningImproving
36.0% (2019) → 48.0% (2023)
+12 pts4 yearsUS 43.0% → 46.0%
Drug overdose deathsImproving
27.2 /100k (2021) → 11.6 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−57%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
New business applicationsImproving
6.4 /1k (2020) → 9.8 /1k (2025)
+54%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Gyms and fitness centersImproving
0.3 /10k (2020) → 0.5 /10k (2025)
+47%5 yearsUS 1.2 /10k → 1.3 /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, Mount Vernon, OH micropolitan area improved on 13 of 30 measures with a comparison and declined on 7. 7 moved within the margin of error and 3 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.

Improved13

Gyms+47%0.3 /10k → 0.5 /10k
Traffic deaths−24%13.0 /100k → 9.8 /100k
Restaurants+12%5.6 /10k → 6.2 /10k
Child poverty−5.4 points20.4% → 14.9%
Overdose deaths−51%23.9 /100k → 11.6 /100k

Declined7

Suicides+64%13.5 /100k → 22.1 /100k
Pharmacies−39%1.3 /10k → 0.8 /10k
Violent crime+20%108 /100k → 130 /100k
Firearm deaths+38%9.3 /100k → 12.8 /100k
Inequality+0.0230.395 → 0.418

All 30 measures

Change of every measure of Mount Vernon, OH micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.7 /10k2020	3.0 /10k2025	+9.7%	Improved	52%
Average commute time	26.8 min2015-2019	25.7 min2020-2024	−1.2 min	Within the margin of error	90%
Average weekly wage	$8802020	$1,1112025	+26%	Improved	75%
Bachelor's degree or higher	23.0%2015-2019	24.7%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Within the margin of error	26%
Broadband subscriptions	80.0%2015-2019	89.3%2020-2024	+9.3 points	Improved	54%
Child poverty rate	20.4%2015-2019	14.9%2020-2024	−5.4 points	Improved	80%
Distance to an airport	37 mi2020	37 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	23.9 /100k2020	11.6 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−51%	Improved	83%
Effective property tax rate	1.15%2015-2019	1.00%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	60%
Firearm deaths	9.3 /100k2020	12.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+38%	Declined	14%
Grocery stores	1.6 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	−12%	Declined	21%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.3 /10k2020	0.5 /10k2025	+47%	Improved	87%
High school diploma or higher	91.3%2015-2019	91.0%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	5%
Home price to income ratio	2.7×2015-2019	3.2×2020-2024	+0.5×	Declined	38%
Income adjusted for local prices	$49,6512019	$66,0082024	+33%	Improved	59%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3952015-2019	0.4182020-2024	+0.023	Declined	11%
Median household income	$57,7492015-2019	$73,8782020-2024	+28%	Improved	54%
New business applications	6.4 /1k2020	9.8 /1k2025	+54%	Improved	61%
Pharmacies	1.3 /10k2020	0.8 /10k2025	−39%	Declined	4%
Poverty rate	13.1%2015-2019	11.6%2020-2024	−1.5 points	Within the margin of error	63%
Property crime rate	579 /100k2020	414 /100k2025	−28%	Improved	38%
Public libraries	0.8 /10k2019	0.8 /10k2024	−2.1%	Little change	46%
Rent as share of income	26.5%2015-2019	27.4%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Rent-burdened households	43.8%2015-2019	45.6%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Restaurants and bars	5.6 /10k2020	6.2 /10k2025	+12%	Improved	83%
Suicide rate	13.5 /100k2020	22.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+64%	Declined	5%
Traffic deaths	13.0 /100k2015-2019	9.8 /100k2020-2024	−24%	Improved	92%
Unemployment rate	6.4%2020	4.5%2025	−1.9 points	Improved	20%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.5%2015-2019	13.5%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Violent crime rate	108 /100k2020	130 /100k2025	+20%	Declined	12%

“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 Mount Vernon, OH micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Mount Vernon, 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, Mount Vernon, OH micropolitan area itself moved −5.3 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

63,142 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

23,491 households (±411)

Mount Vernon, OH micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k13%2,958
$25k–50k20%4,779
$50k–75k18%4,246

Homes

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

Owners and renters

23,491 households (±411)

Mount Vernon, OH micropolitan area
United States share

Own76%17,739
Rent24%5,752

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+3.5 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

28,827 workers (±844)

Mount Vernon, OH micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone74%21,276
Carpool6.9%1,992
Public transit0.2%†68

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 Mount Vernon, 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.

Mount Vernon, OH has 1,121 employer establishments, 177 for every 10,000 residents (0.71× the US rate of 248), with 17,629 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,744. The Census Bureau also counts 5,288 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,121; 5,288 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 177; US 248
Paid employees: 17,629
Average annual pay: $49,744; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	88	13.9	0.76×Fewer than typical	1,494	$19,070	16
Specialty trade contractors	87	13.8	0.89×About typical	497	$60,648	665
Ambulatory health care services	64	10.1	0.49×Fewer than typical	520	$50,212	215
Religious organizations	60	9.5	1.71×More than typical	233	$23,082	—
Limited-service restaurants	52	8.2	1.03×About typical	939	$18,250	4
Lessors of real estate	48	7.6	0.62×Fewer than typical	115	$35,643	382
Building equipment contractors	39	6.2	1.03×About typical	294	$60,844	105
Construction of buildings	32	5.1	0.67×Fewer than typical	137	$50,591	344
Services to buildings and dwellings	30	4.7	0.70×Fewer than typical	155	$34,419	334
Truck transportation	29	4.6	0.91×About typical	132	$63,667	173
Full-service restaurants	26	4.1	0.54×Fewer than typical	469	$21,134	4
Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors	24	3.8	1.15×About typical	226	$62,779	53

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 63,186 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 $0 on contracts performed in Mount Vernon, OH micropolitan area: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0; −100% vs FY2025
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

122KFY2017
170.1KFY2018
85.1KFY2019
213.1KFY2020
40.6KFY2021
132.7KFY2022
9.7KFY2023
161.5KFY2024
32.6KFY2025

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.

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 $381.5M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Mount Vernon, OH micropolitan area: $5,961 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $381.5M; −2.8% vs FY2025
Per resident: $5,961; US $12,955
Loan face value: $23.5M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 1.0%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$249.1M65%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$31.4M8.2%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$30.6M8.0%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$27.1M7.1%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$8.9M2.3%
14.871 · Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers$5.5M1.4%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$4.4M1.1%
20.265 · Carbon Reduction Program$2.5M0.7%

Top recipients (organizations)

OHIO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$8.1M2.1%
COLUMBUS, OH
KNOX METROPOLITAN HOUSING AUTHORITY$4.9M1.3%
MOUNT VERNON, OH
MOUNT VERNON NAZARENE UNIVERSITY$3.2M0.8%
MOUNT VERNON, OH
KENYON COLLEGE$2.8M0.7%
GAMBIER, OH
MORROW, COUNTY OF$1M

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$316.4M83%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$34.7M9.1%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$8.1M2.1%
Department of Transportation
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$5.9M1.5%
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of Education

Assistance by fiscal year

309MFY2021
299.1MFY2022
323.9MFY2023
346.8MFY2024
392.3MFY2025
381.5MFY2026

County aggregates

92%

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 Mount Vernon, 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.

Knox CountyCentral county6464,002

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Mount VernonPrincipal city17,052

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
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M34540

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved13

Declined7

Metro and micro areas like Mount Vernon, 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

What was bought

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Mount Vernon, 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

Improved13

Declined7

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

What was bought

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type