Living in Granville, Ohio: homes, schools and costs

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 moneyA typical home costs 4 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood4 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 0.6 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 3 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town4 public schools: 1 elementary, 2 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byLicking Memorial Hospital in Newark, about 3 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityColumbus is about 26 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 Granville 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

Granville 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.

College town. About 1 in 3 residents is a college student, with Denison University in town. Concerts, sports and good food all year, and a big employer that rarely closes. Expect higher home prices close to campus.

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

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $502,300U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 23%Licking County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,129 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $124,408U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 82%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $8,027 a yearOhio: $2,822
Homes built before 1940: 24%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 8%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%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 Granville 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: 6,2522020: 5,965
Median age: 28 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 20%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 14%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 66%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 14%U.S.: 6%
College students: 34%share of all residents

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: Schools, health care and social services (39%); professional and business services (17%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (8%)
Unemployment rate: 3%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 22 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 25%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 3%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 3 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

4 public schools in Granville, run by Granville Exempted Village.

Colleges in or next to town: Denison University (1,000 to 4,999 students).

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: 84%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 91%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: 43.4 inches a year
Snow: 15 inches a year
Elevation: 897 feet

Weather stations: Newark Heath Ap (3 miles away) and Newark Wtr Wks (5 miles 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

Licking Memorial HospitalEmergency room3

Newark, OHCity of 51,0004

Columbus, OHMetro of 2.2 million26

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

14 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including Colony Burying Ground, Old and the Granville Historic District.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Hopewell Culture National Historical Park52 miles

Campus life. Check Denison University's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Granville's history on Wikipedia.

Know Granville?

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

Heath, OH10,900 people, 4 miles
Newark, OH51,000 people, 4 miles
Hebron, OH2,400 people, 6 miles
Beechwood Trails, OH3,100 people, 8 miles
Buckeye Lake, OH2,600 people, 8 miles
Millersport, OH1,000 people, 11 miles

Smaller places

Granville South, OH (unincorporated)1,146 people, 2 miles
Alexandria, OH501 people, 6 miles
Jacksontown, OH (unincorporated)276 people, 8 miles
Harbor Hills, OH (unincorporated)1,555 people, 9 miles
St. Louisville, OH359 people, 9 miles
Kirkersville, OH486 people, 9 miles
Fairfield Beach, OH (unincorporated)1,432 people, 10 miles
Thornport, OH (unincorporated)998 people, 10 miles

Sources

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.