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Place dossier plate
SheetOH-LIMA-OH · Lima, OH 35,304 pop · income 11th pct · 35 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Lima
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Lima on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Mertens · lowest
43,365
Mertens · lowest
43,365 median HH income
34.9% of the leader · rank #1
Kimmell · near
43,367
Kimmell · near
43,367 median HH income
34.9% of the leader · rank #2
Lima · this city
43,370
Lima · this city
43,370 median HH income
34.9% of the leader · rank #3
Norwood · near
43,370
Norwood · near
43,370 median HH income
34.9% of the leader · rank #4
Deer Creek · near
43,371
Deer Creek · near
43,371 median HH income
34.9% of the leader · rank #5
Clinton · near
43,374
Clinton · near
43,374 median HH income
34.9% of the leader · rank #6
Mason · highest
124,407
Mason · highest
124,407 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Lima on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 35,304.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Lima - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Lima lands in the 11th percentile for household income and the 7th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
11th
percentile, household income
8th
percentile, home value
22nd
percentile, median rent
7th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Lima, OH
Lima is a small city in Ohio, home to 35,304 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Lima brings in $43,370 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 21.2%. Typical homes in Lima are valued around $95,900, and the median resident age is 35.4 years. 11.8% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 52.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 6 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 94% from five years earlier. Lima's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: per-100,000 total crime stands at 4127.1 in FBI UCR data, above the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Ohio run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Ohio scores 92.8 (Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,092 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Ohio run around $228, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. The average commute for Lima workers runs 16.6 minutes, with 80.5% driving alone and 3.1% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 55.0 out of 100 (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Lima's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from population change to housing and income to comparison shortlist to within-city variation to schools and households to work and mobility to reported crime; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Lima, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles, local building permits, matched public-school count.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
Is Lima growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -781 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -2.2% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 6 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
How far does income reach against housing in Lima?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.
The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 2.2 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 21.2%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Which cities make useful reference points for Lima?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within Ohio, the closest population matches are Brunswick (35,284 residents, $85,313 income); Gahanna (35,438 residents, $106,004 income); Mason (35,148 residents, $124,407 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are American Fork, UT (35,312 residents); Mount Vernon, WA (35,312 residents); Hinesville, GA (35,282 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
PlainCities matches 35 Census tracts to this city.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Lima?
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 22 public schools within the city match. 11.8% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
Poverty estimate
21.2%
Bachelor's degree+
11.8%
Matched public schools
22
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 80.5%. The reported mean trip to work is 16.6 minutes.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Drive alone
80.5%
Work from home
3.1%
Public transit
1.4%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 14,186 workers age 16+.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 4127.1 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 81% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Total reported rate
4127.1
Violent rate
758.3
Property rate
3368.8
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living B+
92.8 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Household income F
$43,370
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
21.2%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
11.8%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime F
758 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Lima profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 75/100 (B+) · 92.8 index
Household income: 11/100 (F) · $43,370
Poverty rate: 11/100 (F) · 21.2%
Bachelor's+ share: 11/100 (F) · 11.8%
Violent crime: 3/100 (F) · 758 /100k
Where Lima sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Lima's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Lima highlighted among 9 peers.Read the chart values
Lima, OH (this city): home $95,900, crime 4,127/100k
Mount Vernon, WA : home $429,300, crime 1,966/100k
Hinesville, GA : home $174,300, crime 3,118/100k
Watertown, MA : home $737,600, crime 2,012/100k
Brunswick, OH : home $233,300, crime 449/100k
Gahanna, OH : home $322,300, crime 2,073/100k
Mason, OH : home $397,900, crime 565/100k
Marion, OH : home $105,900, crime 1,767/100k
Fairborn, OH : home $169,600, crime 1,567/100k
How does Lima compare to other US cities?
Here's how Lima stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income11% higher than other cities
Home value8% pricier than other cities
Median rent22% pricier than other cities
Safety7% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Ohio alone, Lima ranks #265 of 281 Ohio cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Lima against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Ohio only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Ohio-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Lima near the bottom of Ohio's cities
Among the 1,196 Ohio cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Lima ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Lima only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#1,042 of 1,145
9th percentile in Ohio
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,196
0th percentile in Ohio
Median Home Value
#998 of 1,164
14th percentile in Ohio
Poverty Rate
#123 of 1,196
90th percentile in Ohio
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#863 of 1,196
27th percentile in Ohio
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Ohio only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
11th percentile nationally for median household income · 7th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Lima's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Lima's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Lima's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$95,900Among the most affordablemore affordable than 92% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Lima's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.2×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#2,515 of 15,516
More affordable than 84% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#151 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 2.2×, Lima sits in the affordable band:
national rank #2,515 of 15,516 and #151 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$43,370Lima, OH median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Lima, OH median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Lima, OH.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)11.8%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)21.2%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)52.6%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
35,304
Median Income
$43,370
Median Home Value
$95,900
Median Age
35.4
Poverty Rate
21.2%
Labor force participation
52.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
11.8%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
4127.1
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
758.3
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
3368.8
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
22
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Lima's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
35,476 residents
2021
35,246 residents
2022
34,908 residents
2023
34,799 residents
2024
34,807 residents
2025
34,695 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
6
housing units authorized
Single-Family
6
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.2
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
103
6
97
$10.1M
2020
51
3
48
$5.0M
2021
60
0
60
$6.9M
2022
22
22
0
$2.4M
2023
3
3
0
$0.4M
2024
6
6
0
$1.0M
Permit volume decreased 94% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
16.6 minutes
Drive Alone
80.5%
Carpool
10.3%
Public Transit
1.4%
Walk
1.7%
Work from Home
3.1%
Other
3.0%
Based on 14,186 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Ohio statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $228
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Ohio at $228 (electricity about $105 , water and sewer about $45 ).
These are Ohio statewide averages, not a meter reading for Lima. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Ohio's BEA cost-of-living index is 92.8 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Lima is $1,092/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Ohio statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 55.0 / 100 (Moderate).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Ohio statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Lima sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Lima compares to similar-size Ohio cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.