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Elevation

Elevation of Dayton

740ft

above sea level · 226 m

Dayton is a city in Ohio with 136,688 people, the 6th most populous in the state. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, it’s the 84th highest.

By the Mapsfera Team

Elevation profile

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Place facts

Coordinates
39.76° N · 84.19° W
In degrees, minutes and seconds: 39° 45′ 32″ N · 84° 11′ 30″ W
UTM coordinates
16S · 740,582 E · 4,404,776 N
Zone 16 · NAD83, the official US datum
County
Montgomery County
The city spans 2 counties; its reference point is in this one
State
Ohio
OH · capital: Columbus
Time zone
Eastern Time
UTC−5 · UTC−4 in summer (daylight saving time)
Population (2025)
136,688 people
55.8 sq mi of land · 2,450 people/sq mi
Elevation model
USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
Lidar from December 2022: the ground height at the city’s reference point.

Population

Dayton had 136,688 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 0.7% fewer than in April 2020, when it had 137,604. Its 55.8 sq mi of land work out to 2,450 people/sq mi; the state average is 291 people/sq mi.

It’s the 6th most populous of the 1,265 places the Census counts in Ohio (cities, towns and CDPs), after Columbus (938,396), and holds 1.1% of the state’s population.

The city spreads across 2 counties. By population: Montgomery County (136,688); no one lives in its part of Greene County. Its reference point, where we measure the elevation, is in Montgomery County.

Compared with US cities of 100,000 to 250,000

Dayton sits at 740 ft (226 m) above sea level. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, the highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft). The average is 862 ft: Dayton is 122 ft below it.

The state capital, Columbus, is 65 mi away in a straight line and 40 ft higher than Dayton.

The nearest city with more than 250,000 people is Cincinnati, 48 mi away in a straight line and 188 ft lower.

Of the 6 cities in Ohio with a page, Dayton is the 3rd highest. The others are Akron (960 ft), Columbus (780 ft), Cleveland (654 ft), Toledo (611 ft), and Cincinnati (552 ft).

The highest point in Ohio is Campbell Hill, at 1,550 ft according to the USGS: 810 ft above Dayton, 49 mi away in a straight line.

  1. 82 Georgetown 754 ft
  2. 83 Athens 753 ft
  3. 84 Dayton 740 ft
  4. 85 Elgin 740 ft
  5. 86 Round Rock 732 ft

Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list

Nearest cities with a page

Tools for this place

Elevation profile Draw a route from Dayton and see how much it climbs and drops. Elevation of a point Compare the elevation of Dayton with any other point on the map. Map of Montgomery County The county on the map with all its cities and towns, ready to print or download. Time zone The time right now in Dayton and its clock changes. What county am I in? See which county, city and ZIP code you’re in, from your location. Blank map of Ohio counties Print it blank, with names or to color in.

Frequently asked questions

What people most often ask about the elevation of Dayton.

What is the elevation of Dayton?

Dayton is 740 feet (226 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.

What are the coordinates of Dayton?

Latitude 39.75895 and longitude -84.19161, in decimal degrees (39° 45′ 32″ N · 84° 11′ 30″ W). In UTM, zone 16: 740,582 E and 4,404,776 N, on NAD83.

How does Dayton rank among the highest US cities of its size?

It’s the 84th highest of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people. The highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft).

What county is Dayton in?

Several: Montgomery County and Greene County. Most of its people live in Montgomery County.

Which is higher, Dayton or Columbus?

Columbus. Dayton sits at 740 ft and Columbus at 780 ft: a difference of 40 ft, 65 mi apart in a straight line.

How is elevation measured?

Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.

Sources

  • USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
  • USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
  • TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
  • timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
  • Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).

Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know