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Buckeye Lake, Ohio

Buckeye Lake is a suburb of about 2,600 people in Licking County, Ohio, in the Newark area. It has grown about 2% since 2020. The nearest metro area of about a million people or more, Columbus, is about 27 miles away as the crow flies.

Suburb of Newark

Population
2,590
up 2.5% since 2020
Household income
$79,286
U.S.: $80,734
Prices, Columbus area
95.5
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
8 miles
Newark, OH
To Columbus
27 mi
straight line

The book's checklist

  • Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 4.5% below the U.S. average in the Columbus metro area.
  • More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Buckeye Lake to say.
  • A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Buckeye Lake itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
  • Schools in townNo public schools inside the town. The nearest high school is Lakewood High School, about 3 miles away.
  • A hospital close byLicking Memorial Hospital in Newark, about 8 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big cityColumbus is about 27 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Buckeye Lake meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

Buckeye Lake runs into the built-up area around Newark (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Home prices since then
Up 23%Licking County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities
$863 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income
$79,286U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them
74%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill
$2,577 a yearOhio: $2,822
Homes built before 1940
14%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010
12%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
15%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices
95.5U.S. average = 100 (the Columbus metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 23% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Columbus metro area, not Buckeye Lake alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate
2,5902020: 2,527
Median age
48.9 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older
19%U.S.: 17%
Under 18
14%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
14%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year
4%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work
Manufacturing (16%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (15%)
Unemployment rate
1%U.S.: 5%
Average commute
22 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home
11%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line
15%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Licking Memorial Hospital, Newark, OH, about 8 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 2 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

There are no public schools inside Buckeye Lake itself. The nearest public high school is Lakewood High School, about 3 miles away.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Ohio's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet
80%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription
95%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low
21°F
July average high
86°F
Days 90°F or hotter
15 a year
Nights at or below freezing
122 a year
Rain and melted snow
44.6 inches a year
Snow
17 inches a year
Elevation
882 feet

Weather stations: Newark Heath Ap (6 miles away) and Buckeye Lake 1 N (1 mile away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Licking Memorial Hospital, Newark, Columbus.

Licking County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

  • Hopewell Culture National Historical Park46 miles

Read about Buckeye Lake's history on Wikipedia.

Know Buckeye Lake?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Smaller places

  • Fairfield Beach, OH (unincorporated)1,432 people, 1 mile
  • Harbor Hills, OH (unincorporated)1,555 people, 3 miles
  • Thornport, OH (unincorporated)998 people, 3 miles
  • Jacksontown, OH (unincorporated)276 people, 4 miles
  • Kirkersville, OH486 people, 6 miles
  • Thurston, OH616 people, 7 miles
  • Granville South, OH (unincorporated)1,146 people, 9 miles
  • Pleasantville, OH964 people, 9 miles

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
  3. Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
  4. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
  9. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
  10. U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
  11. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
  12. National Park Service, park unit boundaries
  13. USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
  14. U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.