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Hiram, Ohio

Hiram is a college town of about 1,000 people in Portage County, Ohio. Its population has held about steady since 2020. A typical home costs about 3 years of the typical household's income, compared with 4.1 across the U.S. The nearest metro area of about a million people or more, Cleveland, is about 30 miles away as the crow flies.

College town

Population
1,000
up 0.6% since 2020
Typical home, 2020-24
$223,400
Portage County prices up 22% since 2022
Household income
$75,313
U.S.: $80,734
Prices, Akron area
93.4
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
11 miles
Ravenna, OH
To Cleveland
30 mi
straight line

The book's checklist

  • Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 6.6% below the U.S. average in the Akron metro area.
  • More house for the moneyA typical home costs 3 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
  • A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Hiram 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 James A Garfield High School, about 3 miles away.
  • A hospital close byUniversity Hospitals Portage Medical Center in Ravenna, about 11 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big cityCleveland is about 30 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 Hiram 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

College town. About 61% of residents are college students, with Hiram College 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
$223,400U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then
Up 22%Portage County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities
$857 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income
$75,313U.S.: $80,734
Typical property tax bill
$1,928 a yearOhio: $2,822
Homes built since 2010
5%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices
93.4U.S. average = 100 (the Akron 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 22% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Akron metro area, not Hiram 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
1,0002020: 994
Median age
20.8 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older
12%U.S.: 17%
Under 18
8%U.S.: 22%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year
22%U.S.: 6%
College students
61%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 (55%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (17%); retail (8%)
Unemployment rate
6%U.S.: 5%
Work from home
29%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: University Hospitals Portage Medical Center, Ravenna, OH, about 11 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 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 Hiram itself. The nearest public high school is James A Garfield High School, about 3 miles away.

Colleges in or next to town: Hiram College (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.

Weather

January average low
16°F
July average high
81°F
Days 90°F or hotter
4 a year
Nights at or below freezing
138 a year
Rain and melted snow
44.1 inches a year
Snow
63 inches a year
Elevation
1,259 feet

Weather station: Hiram (7 miles away). 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: University Hospitals Portage Medical Center, Cuyahoga Falls, Cleveland.

Portage County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

  • Cuyahoga Valley National Park19 miles
  • James A. Garfield National Historic Site27 miles
  • First Ladies National Historic Site37 miles

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

Read about Hiram's history on Wikipedia.

Know Hiram?

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

  • West Farmington, OH530 people, 10 miles
  • South Canal, OH (unincorporated)673 people, 12 miles
  • Sugar Bush Knolls, OH219 people, 13 miles
  • Brady Lake, OH (unincorporated)831 people, 14 miles
  • Leavittsburg, OH (unincorporated)1,283 people, 14 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.