County
Defiance County, Ohio
Ohio · 38,292 residents (July 2025 estimate) · 8 ZIP codes · 16 cities, villages and townships
38,292 people (July 2025 estimate), +0.0% since the 2020 census; life expectancy 76.2 years; median household income $71,913 (2024). The county in numbers
Defiance County in numbers
The public records that are kept county by county, in 20 blocks. Every figure names its source; a tile's small line gives the comparison or the date.
Population
How many people live here, how the count has moved since 2020 and since 1900, and how the USDA classes the county.
- residents, July 2025 estimate
- 38,292
- Census Bureau vintage 2025
- since the April 2020 census
- +0.0%
- 38,288 counted in 2020
- births since April 2020
- 2,026
- deaths since April 2020
- 2,359
- net migration since April 2020
- +363
- people who moved in, minus people who moved out
- net domestic migration, 2025
- -19
- moved in from elsewhere in the U.S., minus moved out
- net international migration, 2025
- -3
Defiance County peaked at 39,987 people in 1980.
It is 1.5 times its 1900 size.
USDA rural-urban continuum code 6 of 9 (1 is the most metropolitan): nonmetro - urban population of 5,000 to 20,000, adjacent to a metro area.
USDA ERS county typology (2015 codes): a nonmetro county with a manufacturing-dependent economy, with none of the ERS distress flags.
| Year | People | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 6,966 | first census that counted the county |
| 1900 | 26,387 | decennial census |
| 1950 | 25,925 | decennial census |
| 1970 | 36,949 | decennial census |
| 2000 | 39,502 | decennial census |
| 2020 | 38,288 | decennial census |
| 2025 | 38,292 | July estimate |
Source: Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (vintage 2025, join_popest.py); decennial counts 1900-1990 from 'Population of States and Counties of the United States 1790-1990', 2000/2010 from intercensal files; USDA ERS Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023; USDA ERS county typology codes, 2015 edition · Census population estimates · USDA ERS county codes · USDA ERS county typology · About this topic
Moving in and out
Households that changed county between the tax returns they filed in 2022 and 2023, counted by the IRS.
- households moved in, 2022 to 2023
- 1,520
- tax returns filed from a new county
- households moved out
- 1,418
- net households
- +102
- moved in, minus moved out
- households stayed put
- 31,709
| From | Households |
|---|---|
| Williams, OH | 278 |
| Paulding, OH | 175 |
| Henry, OH | 111 |
| To | Households |
|---|---|
| Williams, OH | 244 |
| Paulding, OH | 170 |
| Henry, OH | 144 |
Source: IRS Statistics of Income county-to-county migration flows, 2022-2023 · IRS migration data · About this topic
Income and poverty
The Census Bureau's 2024 small-area estimates for the county.
- of residents below the poverty line, 2024
- 8.9%
- of children below the poverty line, 2024
- 12.1%
- median household income, 2024
- $71,913
Source: Census SAIPE 2024 county estimates · Census SAIPE · About this topic
Jobs and wages
Unemployment in the latest month and what employers in the county pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- unemployment rate, July 2026
- 3.3%
- 4.8% a year earlier
- people in the labor force, July 2026
- 19,406
- looking for work
- 647
- average weekly wage, first quarter of 2026
- $1,122
- +2.1% on the year
- jobs covered by unemployment insurance
- 15,456
- +0.8% on the year
- establishments
- 939
| Sector | Jobs | Average weekly wage |
|---|---|---|
| manufacturing | 3,086 | $1,823 |
| retail | 2,177 | $697 |
| health care and social assistance | 2,152 | $1,175 |
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2026 Q1 · BLS local unemployment · BLS QCEW · About this topic
The county economy
What the county produces and earns, from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
- real GDP, 2024 (2017 dollars)
- $1.7 billion
- +1.1% since 2019
- personal income per person, 2024
- $51,182
- 69th of Ohio's 88 counties
- change in income per person since 2019
- +24.1%
- before inflation
Source: BEA regional accounts: county GDP (CAGDP1), per capita personal income (CAINC1), 2024 · BEA county GDP · About this topic
Federal money
What the federal government obligated to the county in fiscal 2025, by county of performance; Social Security, Medicare and most benefits are not counted.
- in federal contracts performed in the county, fiscal 2025
- $52,272
- $1 a resident
- in federal grants, fiscal 2025
- $63 million
- $1,645 a resident
- in federal loans and loan guarantees
- -$15,470
- in direct federal payments to people and organizations
- $261 million
Source: USAspending federal awards by county of performance, fiscal 2025 · USAspending · About this topic
Health rankings
County Health Rankings 2025 measures for the county, with the Ohio figure alongside.
- life expectancy at birth
- 76.2 years
- Ohio 75.2
- years of life lost before 75, per 100,000 (premature death)
- 8,496.1
- Ohio 9,740
- population health group among U.S. counties
- 4 of 10
- 1 is healthiest
- community conditions group among U.S. counties
- 4 of 10
- 1 is best
- of children in poverty
- 12.9%
- Ohio 17.5%
- uninsured
- 6.5%
- Ohio 7.1%
No community water system in the county had a health-based drinking water violation in the rankings' reporting year.
| Measure | Defiance County | Ohio |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth (years) | 76.2 | 75.2 |
| Years of potential life lost before 75, per 100,000 (premature death) | 8,496.1 | 9,740 |
| Adults in fair or poor health | 18.2% | 17.9% |
| Uninsured | 6.5% | 7.1% |
| Children in poverty | 12.9% | 17.5% |
| Median household income | $72,241 | $67,873 |
| Income inequality (80th to 20th percentile household income ratio) | 3.7 | 4.6 |
| Households with severe housing problems | 9.3% | 12.7% |
| People per primary care physician | 1,816 | 1,328 |
| People per mental health provider | 435 | 286 |
| People per dentist | 2,546 | 1,535 |
| Preventable hospital stays per 100,000 Medicare enrollees | 3,436 | 3,033 |
| Medicare enrollees with a flu vaccination | 49% | 51% |
| Injury deaths per 100,000 | 87.2 | 100.7 |
| Suicides per 100,000 | 13.4 | 14.7 |
| Child deaths per 100,000 (under 18) | 41.6 | 59.2 |
| Infant deaths per 1,000 live births | 7.5 | 7.0 |
| Teen births per 1,000 females 15 to 19 | 17.4 | 17.4 |
| Average daily fine-particle pollution (PM2.5, µg/m³) | 7.8 | 7.8 |
| Any drinking water violation in the county | No | |
| Population used by the rankings | 38,315 | |
| Population health group (1 to 10 among U.S. counties; 1 is healthiest) | 4 | |
| Community conditions group (1 to 10 among U.S. counties; 1 is best) | 4 |
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute) · County Health Rankings · About this topic
Cancer
New cancers and cancer deaths per 100,000 people, age-adjusted, from the National Cancer Institute's State Cancer Profiles.
- new cancers a year per 100,000 people, age-adjusted, 2018 to 2022
- 478.7
- Ohio 472.9 · U.S. 448.6
- cases a year
- 252
- incidence trend
- stable
- cancer deaths a year per 100,000, age-adjusted, 2019 to 2023
- 165.3
- Ohio 160.3 · U.S. 145.4
- cancer deaths a year
- 91
- death-rate trend
- falling
- -0.9% a year
| Site | Per 100,000 | Ohio | Cases a year | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lung | 73.5 | 63.6 | 41 | stable |
| Colorectal | 43.4 | 38.4 | 23 | stable |
| Female breast | 104.1 | 133.0 | 28 | stable |
| Prostate | 133.9 | 120.8 | 37 | stable |
| Leukemia | 17.7 | 13.0 | 9 | rising |
| Bladder | 25.1 | 21.8 | 14 | stable |
Source: NCI State Cancer Profiles, county incidence 2018-2022 and mortality 2019-2023 · NCI cancer profiles · About this topic
Drug overdoses
Provisional overdose death counts by county from the CDC, 12 months at a time.
- overdose deaths in the 12 months ending September 2023
- 10
- CDC provisional count
- deaths per 100,000 residents
- 26.1
- Ohio 20.8 in the 12 months ending December 2025
- highest 12-month total since 2020
- 17
- 12 months ending August 2021
The county count has been suppressed (1 to 9 deaths) in every month after September 2023.
Source: CDC NCHS provisional county drug overdose deaths, 12-month-ending counts; CDC VSRR for the Ohio row · CDC overdose data · About this topic
Medicare
Who in the county is on Medicare and how they are covered, from CMS enrollment counts.
- people on Medicare, 2025
- 9,578
- 25% of residents
- aged 65 or over
- 8,316
- younger people with disabilities
- 1,262
- chose a Medicare Advantage plan
- 50.3%
- also on Medicaid
- 13.3%
- with Part D drug coverage
- 86.4%
- enrollment since 2020
- +7.2%
- 8,935 enrollees then
Source: CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment by county, 2025 · CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment · About this topic
Severe weather
Hail, wind, flooding and tornado reports logged for the county in NOAA's Storm Events database.
- severe weather reports, 2016 to 2026
- 60
- NOAA Storm Events log
- in reported damage
- $112,500
- largest hail
- 1.50 in
- May 28, 2017
- strongest measured gust
- 73 mph
- August 11, 2021
The costliest event was tornadoes on July 29, 2023, $55,000 in damage. A ground and drone servey revelaed a tornado touched down at a property west of Casebeer Miller Road and north of Buckskin Raod, and tracked quickly to the nort…
| Kind | Reports |
|---|---|
| damaging thunderstorm wind | 34 |
| hail | 19 |
| tornadoes | 5 |
| flash floods | 1 |
| Kind | Reports |
|---|---|
| winter weather | 22 |
| high wind | 6 |
| winter storms | 6 |
Source: NOAA Storm Events database, 2016-2026 · NOAA storm events · About this topic
Weather warnings
Every warning, watch and advisory the National Weather Service has issued for the county since 2015.
- tornado warnings since 2015
- 11
- severe thunderstorm warnings
- 135
- flash flood warnings
- 5
- winter storm or blizzard warnings
- 9
- warnings, watches and advisories in all
- 880
| Product | Count |
|---|---|
| Tornado Warning | 11 |
| Tornado Watch | 13 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 135 |
| Flash Flood Warning | 5 |
| Flood Warning | 152 |
| Areal Flood Warning | 14 |
| Areal Flood Advisory | 35 |
| Winter Storm Warning | 9 |
| Winter Weather Advisory | 62 |
| Excessive Heat Warning | 8 |
| Heat Advisory | 36 |
| Wind Chill Warning | 3 |
| Year | Warnings |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 | 1 |
Source: National Weather Service warnings/watches/advisories, Iowa Environmental Mesonet VTEC archive, since 2015 · IEM warning archive · About this topic
Drought
How often the U.S. Drought Monitor has put the county in drought since 2000.
- weeks in moderate drought or worse since 2020
- 73
- of them severe or worse
- 35
- most recently 10 weeks in 2026
- weeks at least abnormally dry since 2020
- 149
- of all weeks since 2000 in drought
- 11%
The worst reading since 2000 was extreme drought in December 2025.
As of September 1, 2026: no drought.
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor weekly county statistics, 2000-2026 · U.S. Drought Monitor · About this topic
Hazard mitigation
FEMA-funded projects in the county that reduce future flood, storm and other losses: buyouts, plans, studies and equipment.
- hazard mitigation projects since 2006
- 10
- FEMA grants
- total project worth
- $5 million
- $3 million federal
- properties covered
- 46
Largest: Acquisition of Private Real Property (Structures and Land) - Riverine for Defiance, $2 million (fiscal 2011).
| Project type | Projects |
|---|---|
| Acquisition of Private Real Property (Structures and Land) - Riverine | 7 |
| Local Multijurisdictional Multihazard Mitigation Plan - UPDATE | 1 |
| FMA or CRS Plan | 1 |
Source: OpenFEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance projects, v4 API · OpenFEMA · About this topic
Air toxics
The EPA's modeled lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics across the county.
- lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics
- 20 in a million
- EPA AirToxScreen 2020
Mostly formaldehyde (16.1 in a million) and carbon tetrachloride (3 in a million).
Source: EPA AirToxScreen 2020 · EPA AirToxScreen · About this topic
Fluoridated water
The share of county residents on community water whose water is fluoridated, from the Ohio Department of Health.
- of residents on community water receive fluoridated water
- 100%
Source: Ohio Department of Health county fluoridation profiles (DataOhio) · ODH fluoridation report (DataOhio) · EPA SDWIS search · About this topic
Firefighting foam (PFAS)
PFAS-based aqueous film-forming foam registered in the county with Ohio EPA, which is collecting it for disposal so it is never sprayed again.
- fire departments or other holders registered
- 1
- of PFAS-based AFFF foam registered with Ohio EPA
- 15 gal
- in sealed containers
- 0 gal
- in opened containers
- 15 gal
Source: Ohio EPA AFFF firefighting-foam inventory · Ohio EPA PFAS · About this topic
Road salt grants
H2Ohio pays for brine makers, calibrated spreaders and covered salt barns so less chloride reaches streams and wells.
- H2Ohio chloride-reduction grant awarded in the county
- 1
Source: Ohio EPA H2Ohio chloride reduction grants · Ohio EPA chloride reduction grants · About this topic
Rail accidents
Accidents railroads reported to the Federal Railroad Administration in the county since 2010. Yard mishaps at walking speed dominate; main-line derailments are the rare, dangerous ones.
- rail equipment accidents since 2010
- 7
- FRA Form 54
- derailments
- 2
Source: FRA Form 54 rail equipment accident reports, county fallback for railAccidentLine() · FRA rail equipment accidents (Form 54) · About this topic
House records
Where the house-by-house records on this county's ZIP pages come from, and how current they are.
- parcel records placed on the map
- 13,980
- snapshot of July 19, 2023
OGRIP Ohio Statewide Parcels, Defiance County (thin records).
Office: Ohio Department of Administrative Services, Office of Information Technology (OGRIP), from the Defiance County Auditor.
These are thin parcel records from the state's OGRIP compilation: location and class, without the auditor's appraisal detail.
2.1% of the parcels carry no land-use class.
Source: OGRIP Ohio Statewide Parcels, Defiance County (thin records), snapshot 2023-07-19 · Ohio Department of Administrative Services · About this topic
Places
The 16 cities, villages and townships whose residents live mostly in Defiance County, with the population of each.
Cities 1
Villages 3
ZIP codes
The 8 ZIP codes whose residents live mostly in Defiance County, largest first. Each links to its own page; the water system column links to the utility serving most of its residents.
| ZIP | Name | Residents | Water system | Radon | Home value | School district | Flood |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43512 | Defiance | 28,208 | Defiance City 60% Inland rivers |
3.6 pCi/L average radon | Median home $158,800 | Defiance City 3.5 stars overall | 4.2% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43526 | Hicksville | 5,995 | Hicksville Village 58% Groundwater (wells) |
2.5 pCi/L average radon | Median home $168,400 | Hicksville Exempted Village 4.5 stars overall | 0.0% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43556 | Sherwood | 1,762 | Sherwood Village 43% Mostly private wells |
3.1 pCi/L average radon | Median home $195,900 | Central Local 4.5 stars overall | 6.1% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43549 | Washington Township and Ney | 1,359 | Ney Village 22% Mostly private wells |
Too few radon tests | Median home $180,300 | Central Local 4.5 stars overall | 14% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43536 | Mark Township and Mark Center | 383 | no mapped system | Too few radon tests | Median home $133,200 | Central Local 4.5 stars overall | 1.0% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43519 | Tiffin Township and Evansport | 143 | no mapped system | Too few radon tests | Median home $114,700 | Northeastern Local 4.5 stars overall | 9.1% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43520 | Farmer Township and Farmer | 77 | no mapped system | Too few radon tests | No Census data | Central Local 4.5 stars overall | 0.0% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43530 | Richland Township and Jewell | 15 | no mapped system | Too few radon tests | No Census data | Northeastern Local 4.5 stars overall | 0.0% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
Source: residents: 2020 Census (POP100, ZCTA) · water systems: EPA SDWIS + service-area-boundary join · radon: Ohio Department of Health radon test results by ZIP since 2010 · home value: Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year by ZCTA (housing/commute tables) · school districts: Ohio school district boundaries (OGRIP via ODOT) · flood: FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer.
On the map
The map has no county view of its own yet: open it at 43512, the county's most populous ZIP code, and zoom out. Every ZIP code in the table above links to its page, and each page opens the map at that ZIP.
Rankings within the county
The county's ZIP codes ranked by what the map measures; each heading links to the topic's page.
Cite and data
Cite this page as:
Ohio Hometown Atlas (Open Shower Co), "Defiance County", https://hometownatlas.openshowerco.com/county/defiance/, built 2026-09-15, accessed [date].
Machine-readable: /api/county/defiance.json (open JSON, CC BY 4.0 for the compilation; the underlying records keep their own terms) · How to cite · Report a correction · Built 2026-09-15