Dayton is a city of 136,579 people in Ohio. 48% of homes are owner-occupied. The typical home is worth $100,600, having risen by half since 2000. The poverty rate is 26.9%, above the 12.5% national rate. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 22% of adults. That trails the Ohio median by roughly 37%.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $45,247, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 34.1
US median: 38.9
Less educated
22% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
More affordable
home values down 17%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Dayton
What changed most since 1990
Population182,044 → 136,579(−25%)US over the same years: +35%
White share57.9% → 49.9%(−7.9 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Adults with a bachelor's degree12.3% → 21.6%(+9.3 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
Dayton's population equals 25% of Montgomery County's. Its number of households without a car equals 47% of the county's. Its number of residents living in poverty equals 46% of the county's.
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)25.5%(2,027)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)19.9%(1,586)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era27.6%(2,195)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War1.6%(129)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.5%(37)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 7,961 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Dayton, decade by decade
Dayton population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
182,044
$47,471
$102,243
12.3%
62.7
2000
166,179
$49,955
$121,504
14.4%
67.3
2010
141,527
$42,248
$113,791
15.3%
70.2
2020
137,644
$41,763
$84,115
18.4%
76.9
2024
136,579
$45,247
$100,600
21.6%
75.4
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
