Map the Block › Places › Ohio › Defiance County
Defiance County, Ohio: crime rate, income and local data
FBI reports put Defiance County at 1.5 violent crimes per 1,000 people a year over 2021-2025, 50% lower than the rate for Ohio (3.0). The median household earns $73,064 and the unemployment rate was 2.9% in August 2026. Population: about 38,343 (Census, 2020-2024).
Last updated . Crime: FBI 2021-2025. Income and housing: Census ACS 2020-2024. Unemployment: BLS August 2026. Road work: October 11, 2026.
Also on the map: income · hazard risk · Superfund · dams
What is the crime rate in Defiance County?
Police agencies in Defiance County reported an average of 57 violent crimes and 325 property crimes a year from 2021 to 2025. That is 1.5 violent crimes per 1,000 residents, 50% lower than the Ohio rate (3.0), and 60% lower than the U.S. rate (3.7). Burglary, theft and car theft together come to 8.5 per 1,000 residents, compared with 16.6 across Ohio. Aggravated assaults make up 65% of the violent total.
| Offense (yearly average, 2021-2025) | Defiance County | Per 1,000 | Ohio per 1,000 | U.S. per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 57 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 3.7 |
| Murder | 0 | 0.00 | 0.06 | 0.06 |
| Rape | 17 | 0.45 | 0.49 | 0.40 |
| Robbery | 3 | 0.08 | 0.50 | 0.62 |
| Aggravated assault | 37 | 0.97 | 1.9 | 2.6 |
| Property crime | 325 | 8.5 | 16.6 | 18.1 |
| Burglary | 39 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 2.4 |
| Larceny-theft | 277 | 7.3 | 12.1 | 13.0 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 9 | 0.23 | 2.2 | 2.6 |
Most crime never reaches the police, so these are reported crimes, a floor rather than the full count. In 2024 about half of violent crimes (48%) and about 3 in 10 property crimes (31%) were reported to police (U.S. Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey). Rates also depend on how completely each agency reports to the FBI. County figures add up the city police and sheriff reports in the county (3 agencies; 100% of residents covered).
What is the median household income in Defiance County?
Half of households in Defiance County make more than $73,064 and half make less; across Ohio the midpoint is $71,389. The typical owner-occupied home is valued at $163,200 by its owners; renters pay a median $846. 9.3% of households received SNAP benefits in the past year (state: 12.5%). The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 2.9% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 563 people out of work and looking.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | Defiance County | Ohio | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 38,343 | 11,810,293 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $73,064 | $71,389 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $163,200 | $214,800 | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $846 | $1,034 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 5.2% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 10.5% | 13.3% | 12.5% |
| Households receiving SNAP (food stamps) | 9.3% | 12.5% | 12.1% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 19.0% | 31.5% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 79.3% | 67.2% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 41.1 | 39.7 | 38.9 |
| Households with broadband internet | 88.0% | 90.1% | 91.0% |
| People without health insurance | 8.4% | 6.4% | 8.4% |
What natural hazards and environmental sites are in Defiance County?
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Defiance County has an overall natural-hazard risk rating of “Very Low”. No single hazard among floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat waves, earthquakes and hurricanes is rated higher than “Relatively Moderate”. The index compares counties with each other and also weighs how vulnerable and resilient a community is, so it is a long-run estimate, not a forecast.
Superfund sites
EPA lists no Superfund site in Defiance County, active or completed (October 2026).
High-hazard dams
The National Inventory of Dams lists 1 high-hazard dam in Defiance County. None is rated Poor or Unsatisfactory; 1 is rated Satisfactory or Fair. The tallest is Defiance Upground Reservoir (24 ft). “High hazard” describes what lies downstream (people would probably die if the dam failed), not how likely the dam is to fail.
Industrial chemical releases
8 facilities in the county filed Toxics Release Inventory reports for 2024, together reporting 394,583 pounds of listed chemicals released on site. Reported releases are legal permitted amounts in most cases.
Disasters, air and water
No federal major disaster declaration covered Defiance County from 2016 through 2025 (COVID-19 excluded). Of 9 community water systems, none had an open health-based drinking-water violation in EPA's records (September 2026). EPA puts the county in radon zone 2 (moderate). NHTSA counted 6 traffic deaths in the county in 2024.
Is there road construction in Defiance County?
On October 11, 2026 the state transportation feed listed 2 highway work zones in Defiance County (all active that day). Roads listed: SR 15/Ottawa Ave and State Route 15 (Ralston Avenue)between Latchaw Drive. The map's construction layer is refreshed every morning.
See today's work zones on the map →
How many schools, nursing homes and parks are in Defiance County?
Federal school lists show 14 public and 2 private schools in the county. 3 nursing homes are certified by Medicare or Medicaid here; star ratings for each are on the map and on Medicare's Care Compare. USGS mapping shows 11 fire or EMS stations and 3 police or sheriff stations. 1 state park or recreation area: Independence Dam State Park.
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in Defiance County
Gun shops
4 gun shops with a public storefront are on the map in Defiance County, plus 6 more licensed dealers without a public storefront (not shown). 2 of them are pawnshops licensed to sell guns. On the ATF list: Oxbow Bait & Tackle (Defiance), Packrat's Pawn LLC (Defiance), Walmart #5385 (Defiance) and Wooden Indian Pawn & Gun (Defiance).
Liquor stores
No liquor stores are on the map in Defiance County. Ohio has no complete public liquor licence list we can use, so this count also draws on OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps and may miss some stores or include closed ones.
Planned Parenthood
There is no Planned Parenthood health center in Defiance County on the map.
See them on the map: gun shops →
Sources: ATF licensee list (Sept 2026); state liquor licence lists, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (non-official; partial in some states); HHS Title X directory and CMS NPPES.
Common questions
What is the crime rate in Defiance County?
Defiance County averaged 57 reported violent crimes a year in 2021-2025, or 1.5 per 1,000 residents, 50% lower than the Ohio rate (3.0). The property-crime rate was 8.5 per 1,000 (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting).
What is the median household income in Defiance County?
$73,064 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024 average), compared with $71,389 for Ohio and $80,734 nationally.
What is the unemployment rate in Defiance County?
The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 2.9% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 563 people out of work and looking.
What natural hazards affect Defiance County?
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Defiance County has an overall natural-hazard risk rating of “Very Low”. No single hazard among floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat waves, earthquakes and hurricanes is rated higher than “Relatively Moderate”.
Is there road construction in Defiance County right now?
On October 11, 2026 the state transportation feed listed 2 highway work zones in Defiance County (all active that day). Roads listed: SR 15/Ottawa Ave and State Route 15 (Ralston Avenue)between Latchaw Drive.
How many nursing homes are in Defiance County?
3 Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes (CMS provider data, September 2026).
How does Defiance County compare with neighboring counties?
| County | Population | Violent crimes per 1,000 (2021-25) | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allen County, IN | 392,378 | 2.2 | $70,737 |
| DeKalb County, IN | 43,807 | 0.75 | $74,331 |
| Henry County | 27,567 | 1.2 | $80,099 |
| Paulding County | 18,791 | 1.7 | $67,731 |
| Putnam County | 34,314 | 0.64 | $84,928 |
| Williams County | 36,719 | 0.94 | $61,048 |
More: Ohio statewide numbers · Sex-offender registry search (U.S. Justice Department, NSOPW)
Where do these numbers come from?
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting 2021-2025 (agency level, Return A), averaged and summed by county by Map the Block; Census population; state and national rates: FBI estimated crimes 2021-2025.
- Income, housing, education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013 (median household income) and related tables.
- Monthly unemployment: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), county data, not seasonally adjusted. Public domain.
- Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county scores; disasters: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
- Superfund: U.S. EPA, Superfund site boundaries and NPL status (October 2026). Dams: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Inventory of Dams (public map service, October 2026). Chemical releases: U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory, reporting year 2024 (basic data file).
- Air and water: U.S. EPA AirData, annual AQI by county 2024; EPA Air Quality Design Values 2023-2025 (June 2026); U.S. EPA SDWIS via ECHO drinking-water download (September 30, 2026). Traffic deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024; Census population.
- Work zones: State departments of transportation, via the U.S. DOT Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and state 511 feeds; refreshed every morning (snapshot October 11, 2026).
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE public school locations 2024-25; budgets: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2024; National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE Private School geocodes (Private School Survey 2023-24). Nursing homes: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Nursing Home Provider Information and Penalties (September 2026). Stations: U.S. Geological Survey, National Structures Dataset (Fire Stations/EMS Stations), October 2026 pull.
- Parks: USGS Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1); state park agencies' open data (CA, NY, PA, TN, TX, FL, NJ, KY, HI, UT, MT and others); OpenStreetMap contributors for some hours, phones, fees and camping; U.S. National Park Service: unit boundaries (Land Resources Division), Acreage Report (Sept 30, 2026), park pages on nps.gov (hours, fees), Visitor Use Statistics (2025).
Map the Block shows public statistics about places, not people, and does not rate or rank neighborhoods as places to live. Figures are as published by each source; check the source before relying on a number.
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