Defiance County, OH

County

Add Comparison

2024 Population

38,343

US Senator

Bernie Moreno

Republican Party

US Senator

Jon Husted

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

41.1

0.735% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

10.5%

5.12% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$73,064

0.748% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$163,200

8.15% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

18,432

1.72% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Defiance County, OH reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99.5% of the residents in Defiance County, OH are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Defiance County, OH are Defiance College (118 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Defiance County, OH was $163,200, and the homeownership rate was 79.3%.

Most people in Defiance County, OH drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 19.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Defiance County, OH was 2 cars per household.

Defiance County, OH borders Allen County, IN, DeKalb County, IN, Henry County, OH, Paulding County, OH, Putnam County, OH, and Williams County, OH.

United States Ohio Defiance, OH

Population & Diversity

Defiance County, OH is home to a population of 38.3k people, from which 99.5% are citizens. As of 2024, 0.949% of Defiance County, OH residents were born outside of the country (364 people).

In 2024, there were 15 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (32.5k people) in Defiance County, OH than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.17k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 1.05k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.5%

2024 Citizenship

99.1%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.5% of Defiance County, OH residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Defiance County, OH was 99.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Defiance County, OH compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Defiance County, OH

White (Non-Hispanic)
32.5k ± 101
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
2.17k ± 415
Other (Hispanic)
1.05k ± 292

11.1%

Hispanic Population

4.27k people

11.1% of the people in Defiance County, OH are hispanic (4.27k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Defiance County, OH as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Ohio.

Most Common Origin

India
66,106 ± 6,295 people
Mexico
45,962 ± 5,253 people
China
32,703 ± 4,434 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Ohio was India, the natal country of 66,106 Ohio residents, followed by Mexico with 45,962 and China with 32,703.

Foreign-Born Population

0.949%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

364 people

1.57%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

599 people

As of 2024, 0.949% of Defiance County, OH residents (364 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Defiance County, OH was 1.57%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Defiance County, OH compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
912 ± 192
Gulf War (2001-)
349 ± 128
Gulf War (1990s)
158 ± 87

Defiance County, OH has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.61 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Defiance County, OH.

Economy

The economy of Defiance County, OH employs 18.4k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Defiance County, OH were Manufacturing (4,490 people), Retail Trade (2,517 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (2,049 people), and the highest paying industries were Construction ($67,262), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($65,354), and Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($61,646).

Employment

Occupations

18.4k

2024 Value

± 1,001

−1.72%

1 Year decline

± 7.77%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Defiance County, OH declined at a rate of −1.72%, from 18.8k employees to 18.4k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Defiance County, OH, are Production Occupations (2,676 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,181 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (1,713 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Defiance County, OH.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Ohio.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Ohio (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

18.4k

2024 Value

± 1,001

−1.72%

1 Year decline

± 7.77%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Defiance County, OH declined at a rate of −1.72%, from 18.8k employees to 18.4k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Defiance County, OH, are Manufacturing (4,490 people), Retail Trade (2,517 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (2,049 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Defiance County, OH, though some of these residents may live in Defiance County, OH and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$50,802

Median earning men ± $3,645

$39,238

Median earning women ± $2,880

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Construction ($68,192), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($67,159), and Public Administration ($61,683).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($61,540), Manufacturing ($52,500), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($48,306).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Ohio.

Y-Axis

1.48%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 5.51M people employed in Ohio. This represents a 1.48% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 15.4%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Ohio.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

71
Other Services (except Public Administration)
44
Retail Trade
40
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$216k
Manufacturing
$104k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$75.2k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Ohio went to Donald J. Trump with 55.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (43.9%), followed by Chase Oliver (0.489%).

Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted are the senators currently representing the state of Ohio. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Ohio is currently represented by 15 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Defiance County, OH. Showing the available data for Ohio.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (55.1%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (43.9%)
Democratic Party
Chase Oliver (0.489%)
Libertarian Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Ohio went to Donald J. Trump with 55.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (43.9%), followed by Chase Oliver (0.489%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Ohio for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Ohio

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Ohio.

Bernie Moreno

Senator from Ohio

Assumed office on January 3, 2025

Jon Husted

Senator from Ohio

Assumed office on January 21, 2025
While elections for full class 3 terms will take place in 2028, Ohio will hold a special election in 2026 to elect a senator to complete the remainder of JD Vance's term.

Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted are the senators currently representing Ohio.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Ohio over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2023, universities in Defiance County, OH awarded 118 degrees. The student population of Defiance County, OH in 2023 is skewed towards men, with 310 male students and 201 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Defiance County, OH are White (85 and 72%), Hispanic or Latino (13 and 11%), Black or African American (11 and 9.32%), and Two or More Races (6 and 5.08%).

The largest universities in Defiance County, OH by number of degrees awarded are Defiance College (118 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Defiance County, OH are General Business Administration & Management (14 and 11.9%), Kinesiology & Exercise Science (14 and 11.9%), and General Business (13 and 11%).

The median tuition cost in Defiance County, OH for private four year colleges is $37,978.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Defiance County, OH, the percentage of applicants admitted was 42.4%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 20.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 511 (60.7% men and 39.3% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 511 students enrolled in Defiance County, OH, 60.7% men and 39.3% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 324 records, of which 49.4% were women and 50.6% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Kinesiology & Exercise Science
14 degrees awarded
General Business
13 degrees awarded
Criminal Justice - Police Science
8 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Defiance County, OH was Kinesiology & Exercise Science with 14 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Defiance County, OH according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Defiance College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

118 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Defiance College with 118 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 50 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Defiance County, OH, which is 0.735 times less than the 68 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 85 degrees mean that there were 6.54 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 13 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($37,978) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($800) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,400) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Defiance County, OH was $163,200 in 2024, which is 0.491 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $150,900 to $163,200, a 8.15% increase. The homeownership rate in Defiance County, OH is 79.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Defiance County, OH have an average commute time of 19.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Defiance County, OH is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 9.32% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Defiance County, OH. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.98%.

Housing

Property

$163,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$5,953

$12,152

Median Property Taxes

±$733

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Defiance County, OH the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Defiance County, OH compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

79.3%

Homeownership

2024

62.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 79.3% of the housing units in Defiance County, OH were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 78.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Defiance County, OH compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$73,064

Median Household Income

± $4,002

15.3k

Number of Households

± 859

In 2024, the median household income of the 15.3k households in Defiance County, OH declined from $73,064 from the previous year's value of $73,615.

The following chart displays the households in Defiance County, OH distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Defiance County, OH is from Ohio.

0.453

2023 Wage GINI in Ohio

0.456

2022 Wage GINI in Ohio

In 2023, the income inequality in Ohio was 0.453 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.645% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Ohio was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Ohio in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Ohio across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (83.7%)
Carpooled (7.65%)
Worked At Home (5.97%)

In 2024, 83.7% of workers in Defiance County, OH drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (7.65%) and those who worked at home (5.97%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

19.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Defiance County, OH have a shorter commute time (19.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.625% of the workforce in Defiance County, OH have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Defiance County, OH compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Defiance County, OH distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Defiance County, OH have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 9.32% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Defiance County, OH. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.98%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

10.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Defiance County, OH (3.95k out of 37.7k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Defiance County, OH is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 12.9% of the children was living in poverty in Defiance County, OH. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 8.8%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 124 in Defiance County, OH. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 52.5 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

91.6% of the population of Defiance County, OH has health coverage, with 51.3% on employee plans, 11.6% on Medicaid, 14.5% on Medicare, 13.4% on non-group plans, and 0.66% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Defiance County, OH see 1,816 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,816 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2546 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 435 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.9% were men and 49.1% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,816 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Defiance County, OH

Primary care physicians in Defiance County, OH see an average of 1,816 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,816 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Defiance County, OH in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.7% under 18 years, 18.4% between 18 and 34 years, 37.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 19.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.9% were men and 49.1% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

8.4%

Uninsured

51.3%

Employer Coverage

11.6%

Medicaid

14.5%

Medicare

13.4%

Non-Group

0.66%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Defiance County, OH declined by 4.87% from 8.84% to 8.4%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Defiance County, OH changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 41.6 in Defiance County, OH.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Defiance County, OH.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 42.2% in Defiance County, OH.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Defiance County, OH.