Van Wert, OH

Micro Area Profile

28,826 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Van Wert, OH micropolitan area.

70out of 100
Area Score
Top 10% of 834 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 9 sources
OpportunityTop 44% of 835 metro and micro areas measured54
SchoolsTop 3% of 695 metro and micro areas measured91
Growth552nd of 834 metro and micro areas measured41
Housing affordabilityTop 2% of 835 metro and micro areas measured89
Climate545th of 835 metro and micro areas measured62
Physical resilienceTop 8% of 835 metro and micro areas measured86
Access645th of 835 metro and micro areas measured62
Economic stabilityTop 17% of 835 metro and micro areas measured78
The quick read

Unemployment is 2.9% and median household income $67,917, putting employment conditions in the middle range of metro and micro areas measured.

Public schools test above most of the state: 71% of students met the mathematics standard, placing the area in the top 3% of published profiles for schools.

Housing is more affordable relative to local incomes than in most metro and micro areas measured: rent takes 23% of renter income and the median home is 2.0 times what its owners earn.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
28,826
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$67,917
Top 46% nationally
Density
70/sq mi
409.2 sq mi of land
Median age
41.6
2024 ACS 5-Year
Area type
Micropolitan area
Ohio
Nearest major airport
TOL
65 mi · Eugene F Kranz Toledo Express
Median home value
$152,000
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 2.9%, lower than in 93% of the 835 measured US metro and micro areas.

Employment fell 0.1% over the past year, to 13,907 employed residents.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$3,4702024 ACS 5-Year$67,917Top 46%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,1522024 ACS 5-Year$34,583Bottom 43%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year8.8%Top 12%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±1.0 min2024 ACS 5-Year21.4 minTop 23%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year17.1%Bottom 11%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year84.0%95th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202613,907Bottom 10%of 835July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026−3.8%Bottom 13%of 835July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026−0.1%Top 39%of 835July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202614,32810th percentileof 835July 2026
Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year81.9%Top 15%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.2%2024 ACS 5-Year0.0%1st percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026−1.6%Top 2%of 835July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20262.9%Top 7%of 835July 2026
Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year4.5%10th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/074.92.4
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 2.9% in July 2026. It has been falling, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

71% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 73% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 12.5 students for every full-time teacher across 14 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
14
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
12.5
across all schools here
Math proficiency
70.7%
Top 11% in Ohio
Reading proficiency
73.2%
Top 5% in Ohio
The 12 largest of 14 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Van Wert Elementary SchoolVan Wert City69215.769%67%
Van Wert High SchoolVan Wert City50917.057%67%
Vantage Career CenterVantage Career Center4895.8——
Lincolnview Elementary SchoolLincolnview Local42616.474%80%
Van Wert Middle SchoolVan Wert City39913.855%60%
Van Wert Early Childhood CenterVan Wert City34321.4——
Lincolnview Jr/Sr High SchoolLincolnview Local34313.778%79%
Crestview Elementary SchoolCrestview Local33710.287%87%
Jefferson High SchoolDelphos City26514.757%67%
Crestview High SchoolCrestview Local2498.677%82%
Jefferson Middle SchoolDelphos City24815.586%81%
Crestview Middle SchoolCrestview Local19512.287%77%

66.5% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Ohio’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,387 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.91% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $973, some 24% above the $782 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $973 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $38,900 a year, about 57% of the median household income here of $67,917.

The typical renter household here spends 23% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $782 a month.

A median home at $152,000 costs 2.0 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $76,952, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Rent as a share of income
22.7%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
2.0×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$973
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$782
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$152,000
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Van Wert’s median household income of $67,917, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price to income ±0.12024 ACS 5-Year2.0Top 11%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year82.1%99th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±342024 ACS 5-Year12,5738th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$762Top 19%of 818FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,218Top 14%of 818FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$973Top 21%of 818FY2026
Median gross rent ±$642024 ACS 5-Year$782Top 10%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$6,9042024 ACS 5-Year$152,00016th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$512024 ACS 5-Year$1,38729th percentileof 9332024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$3,1922024 ACS 5-Year$76,952Bottom 38%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.05%2024 ACS 5-Year0.91%58th percentileof 9322024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year22.7%Top 2%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±702024 ACS 5-Year825th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year0.7%14th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year7.5%47th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±1972024 ACS 5-Year1,0244th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.

Development Momentum

41/ 100
Ranks 552 of 834 published metro profiles
The most recent move in permitting was downward, in a series running from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has been broadly flat since 2020, at 28,887 in 2024.

New construction is predominantly single-family: of 48 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.

At 1.7 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US metro and micro areas.

Units permitted
48
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
1.7
Bottom 32% nationally
Year over year
+41%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
0.0%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202429k29k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been rising, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 85°F and January a low of 18°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 40.4 inches, including 17.1 inches of snow.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station VAN WERT 1 S, 0.5 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND4.8"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals40.4"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals17.1"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals18°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals85°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals49°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

86 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, tornado and strong wind, with inland flooding alone responsible for 54% of it. Inland flooding and strong wind are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 92% of measured US metro and micro areas.

EarthquakeElevated
HailModerate
TornadoElevated
Cold waveModerate
LightningModerate
Heat waveModerate

Low or minimal exposure: strong wind, ice storm, inland flooding, hurricane, winter weather, landslide, wildfire, drought, avalanche, coastal flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Cost of living
Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
Death-certificate rates
The CDC publishes these rates by county, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it do.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index by county, and only where a monitor sits, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it show it where one exists.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

3 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Eugene F Kranz Toledo Express at 65 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year88.6%Top 50%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle65 miBottom 21%of 835NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle3Bottom 35%of 835NASR current cycle
No internet access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year10.2%Bottom 31%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Eugene F Kranz Toledo ExpressTOL65 mi10,600 ft
James M Cox Dayton IntlDAY69 mi8,502 ft
Grissom ARBGUS83 mi12,501 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
70
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

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