A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Walnut Township$1,720/mo

Typical home $282K (Census) · tax rate 1.03% · or rent about $1,145/mo · Housing →

Thorn Township$2,030/mo

Typical home $334K (Census) · tax rate 1.01% · or rent about $963/mo · Housing →

The difference: $310 a month, about $3,700 a year, between Thorn Township and Walnut Township.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Walnut Township and Thorn Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Walnut TownshipThorn Township

Walnut Township ↔ Thorn Township6.1 miles apart · They share a border

Report cards

Thorn Township places higher on 11 of 19 OH lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Ohio ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools

BWalnut TownshipBetter than 64% of districts in the state B+Thorn TownshipBetter than 68% of districts in the state

Health

B−Walnut TownshipHealthier than 54% of U.S. towns B−Thorn TownshipHealthier than 55% of U.S. towns

5Walnut Township

11Thorn Township

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Fastest growingGrowth · 1036 towns #735#172 Highest incomeIncome · 1041 towns #499#224 Most educatedPeople · 1041 towns #615#350 Most remote workersWork · 1019 towns #552#299 Most conserved landOutdoors · 970 towns #396#635 Cheapest rentCost of living · 999 towns #766#541 Best schoolsSchools · 624 towns #265#128 Lowest depressionHealth · 1041 towns #400#192

Left end = #1 in Ohio. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Walnut Township’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

Walnut TownshipThorn Township

Snow a year17″17″

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)18th 24th

Outdoors & history

Walnut TownshipThorn Township

Trails3 mi 1 mi

Conserved land4.9%2.4%

National Register places4 1

Archive photos—1

Community

Walnut TownshipThorn Township

Library hours a week—38 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Ohio average

Walnut TownshipThorn Township

People

Population 6,763Highest 4,641Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -2.5%Lowest OH: +2.3% +7.1%Highest OH: +2.3%

Median age 50.2±3Lowest 26% above OH 53.6±5.4Highest 35% above OH

Thorn Township and Walnut Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 16.8%±2.7Lowest OH: 22% 17.2%±4.8Highest OH: 22%

Thorn Township and Walnut Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 23%±3.8Lowest OH: 18.3% 30.6%±5.5Highest OH: 18.3%

Thorn Township and Walnut Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 21.1%Lowest OH: 31.5% 30.7%Highest OH: 31.5%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.5%±0.9Highest OH: 5.6% 2.4%±1.3Lowest OH: 5.6%

Walnut Township and Thorn Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $75,363±$11kLowest 6% above OH $96,463±$13kHighest 35% above OH

Thorn Township and Walnut Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $282,300±$18kLowest 31% above OH $333,800±$49kHighest 55% above OH

Thorn Township and Walnut Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,145±$122Highest 11% above OH $963±$262Lowest 7% below OH

Walnut Township and Thorn Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,917Lowest 3% above OH $3,387Highest 20% above OH

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 31.5%±12.1Lowest OH: 45.9% 51.3%±17.2Highest OH: 45.9%

Thorn Township and Walnut Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 6.4%Highest OH: 13.3% 4.1%Lowest OH: 13.3%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 81.4%Lowest OH: 67.2% 89.7%Highest OH: 67.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1973Lowest 3 yrs newer than OH 1991Highest 21 yrs newer than OH

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 32 minHighest 35% above OH 27 minLowest 15% above OH

Work from home 8.8%±2.9Lowest OH: 13% 13.4%±4.3Highest OH: 13%

Thorn Township and Walnut Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 6.1%Lowest 6.4%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 22.3 miHighest 18.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.27Lowest 0.35Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Columbus (26%)Newark (9%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Thorn TownshipFew work in Walnut Township

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 4.9%Highest 2.4%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 2.6 miHighest 0.7 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Highest 1Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 7.3Highest 5.8Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #265 of 624 in OH #128 of 624 in OH

School district Walnut Township LocalNorthern Local

High school in town Millersport Jr/Sr High SchoolNone in town

Students per teacherat that high school 14.3 —

Ohio average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Walnut Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Walnut Township’s Town Square.

Thorn Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Thorn Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Walnut Township and Thorn Township

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Walnut Township

+ Compare

Union Township9,246 people · $311K homes

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Pleasant Township6,267 people · $288K homes

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Liberty Township8,395 people · $319K homes

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Richland Township2,611 people · $262K homes

Towns like Walnut Township

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Jefferson Township7,489 people · $208K homes

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Bethlehem Township5,508 people · $187K homes

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Amherst Township6,522 people · $217K homes

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Margaretta Township5,481 people · $191K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Walnut Township vs Thorn Township

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $310 more a month in Thorn Township

Walnut Township and Thorn Township share a border

Thorn Township places higher on 11 of 19 OH lists

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Walnut Township and Thorn Township

Bordering Walnut Township

Towns like Walnut Township

Post to Walnut Township

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