Living in Sunbury, 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 3.4 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood9 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 0.8 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 2.9 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town7 public schools: 3 elementary, 2 middle, 1 high school and 1 other.
A hospital close byMount Carmel St. Ann's in Westerville, about 9 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityColumbus is about 19 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 Sunbury 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

Boom town. The population is up 32% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.

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: $374,600U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 22%Delaware County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,649 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $108,787U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 73%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $4,289 a yearOhio: $2,822
Homes built before 1940: 8%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 40%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 22% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Columbus metro area, not Sunbury 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: 8,8572020: 6,735
Median age: 35.5 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 13%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 28%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 48%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 9%U.S.: 6%
College students: 7%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 (25%); finance, insurance and real estate (17%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (11%)
Unemployment rate: 1%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 27 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 23%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 5%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Mount Carmel St. Ann's, Westerville, OH, about 9 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

7 public schools in Sunbury, run by Big Walnut Local.

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: 88%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 96%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: 22°F
July average high: 86°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 20 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 110 a year
Rain and melted snow: 42.2 inches a year
Snow: 19 inches a year
Elevation: 961 feet

Weather station: Westerville (9 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

Mount Carmel St. Ann'sEmergency room9

Columbus, OHMetro of 2.2 million19

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: Mount Carmel St. Ann's, Columbus.

Delaware 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

3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Hopewell Culture National Historical Park59 miles

Read about Sunbury's history on Wikipedia.

Know Sunbury?

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

Galena, OH1,000 people, 1 miles
Centerburg, OH1,700 people, 10 miles
Huber Ridge, OH4,100 people, 11 miles
New Albany, OH11,800 people, 12 miles
Johnstown, OH5,500 people, 12 miles
Minerva Park, OH2,000 people, 12 miles

Smaller places

Hartford (Croton), OH413 people, 9 miles
Marengo, OH285 people, 11 miles
Riverlea, OH578 people, 14 miles
Sparta, OH127 people, 14 miles
Jersey, OH (unincorporated)304 people, 15 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.