Defiance County, Ohio Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Defiance County, OH Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageHealthier than 75% of counties in Ohio
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 74% of counties in Ohio
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Defiance County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 38,343 | 11,799,428 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 92.5 | 263.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.05% | 0.23% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.3 | 38.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 15,327 | 4,857,236 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Defiance County declined by 0.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 38,343 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Defiance County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 20.3% of residents. That is 0.1 points above Ohio as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 7,734 20.2% -0.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 7,665 20.0% -1.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 7,768 20.3% +0.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 7,564 19.7% +1.6 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Ohio, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.8% of the people living in Defiance County and men 50.2%.
- Women 49.8% Ohio 50.8%
- Men 50.2% Ohio 49.2%
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100% of everyone living in Defiance County
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Economy
Defiance County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Defiance County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $73,463 | $71,509 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.76% | 4.38% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.2% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Defiance County is about 3% higher than in Ohio.
Housing
| Metric | Defiance County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $155,506 | $139,044 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $845 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 79.3% | 67.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Defiance County is about 15.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $845 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Defiance County spend about 34 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 143 hours, about 6.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Defiance County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.1 | 21.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 34.3 | 42.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 143 | 176 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,427 | $5,447 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.0% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,410 | 8,648 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 611 | 1,212 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Ohio:
Hancock County (15.3 min), Van Wert County (15.5 min), Mercer County (16.0 min).
Slowest:
Morgan County (32.5 min), Vinton County (32.0 min), Brown County (32.0 min).
The average commute time in Defiance County is 17 minutes, shorter than the 21 minutes in Ohio.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Defiance County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Defiance County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17.8% | 28.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.46 | 2.37 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Ohio:
Delaware County (0.4), Warren County (0.4), Greene County (0.3).
Lowest:
Holmes County (0.1), Vinton County (0.2), Noble County (0.2).
Health
Defiance County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Defiance County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.8 | 77.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.5% | 17.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.7% | 24.3% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Ohio:
Delaware County (0.8), Union County (0.8), Warren County (0.8).
Lowest:
Adams County (0.8), Holmes County (0.8), Scioto County (0.8).
Defiance County, OH Compared With Nearby Counties
Defiance County, OH is typical in size for this group, 38,343 residents against a local median of 35,516, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Where Defiance County, OH breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 21% above the local median of $128,952 at $155,506.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 17.1 min against a local median of 20.5 min, 16% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 16% below the local median it puts Defiance County, OH at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $109,620 on median home price, so Defiance County, OH sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Defiance County, OH has the 2nd highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defiance County, OH | 38,343 | $73,463 #3/5 | $155,506 #2/5 | 17.1 min #2/5 |
| Williams County, OH | 36,719 | $61,606 | $115,123 | 17.0 min |
| Henry County, OH | 27,567 | $79,155 | $110,156 | 20.2 min |
| Fulton County, OH | 42,240 | $72,499 | $219,776 | 20.7 min |
| Putnam County, OH | 34,314 | $84,471 | $142,781 | 21.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Defiance County, Ohio.
How many people live in Defiance County, Ohio?
About 38,343 people live in Defiance County, Ohio, in 15,327 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 41.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Defiance County, Ohio urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Defiance County, Ohio has 93 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Defiance County, Ohio?
The median home costs 2.1 times the median household income ($155,506 against $73,463), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $845 a month takes about 14% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Defiance County, Ohio have a college degree?
17.8% of adults in Defiance County, Ohio hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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