Hard water in Massillon, OH

Tap water hardness
285mg/L
16.7gpg
Very hardCounty estimate

County estimate from 1,509 water samples in Stark County · July 2026

OH typical
113 mg/L
Softener for 3 people
32k grain
Data
County estimate

Water samples from around Massillon put hardness at about 285 mg/L (16.7 gpg), which would be very hard on the USGS scale. Treat this as a rough guide: it is the median of 1,509 samples taken across Stark County, mostly wells and streams, not a test of Massillon's treated tap water.

Massillon on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+OH typical 113Wooster: 85 mg/LWooster 85Portage Lakes: 116 mg/LPortage Lakes 116Akron: 116 mg/LAkron 116Kent: 188 mg/LKent 188Green: 220 mg/LGreen 220Barberton: 220 mg/LBarberton 220Stow: 220 mg/LStow 220Wadsworth: 247 mg/LWadsworth 247Canton: 285 mg/LCanton 285Alliance: 285 mg/LAlliance 285Massillon 285mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+OH 113Portage Lakes: 116 mg/LPortage La. 116Akron: 116 mg/LAkron 116Green: 220 mg/LGreen 220Barberton: 220 mg/LBarberton 220Wadsworth: 247 mg/LWadsworth 247Canton: 285 mg/LCanton 285285 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

At 285 mg/L, Massillon is 172 mg/L above the typical Ohio figure of 113. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 85 mg/L in Wooster to 285 in Canton.

What 285 mg/L means at home

Scale forms fast here. Kettles and coffee makers need regular descaling, and showerheads clog unless you clean them.

Tank water heaters collect mineral sediment that insulates the water from the burner, so flushing the tank matters more than usual.

Dishes and glass shower doors spot easily. Soap scum and a dull film on hair or laundry are common complaints.

Hardness is not a health problem, and EPA sets no limit for it. It is a matter of scale and soap.

What to do about it

At 285 mg/L most of the trouble is scale, and only a few things deal with it.

Ion-exchange water softener

The standard whole-house fix. It swaps calcium and magnesium for sodium or potassium and needs salt plus a drain. Size it with the calculator below.

Salt-free conditioner

No salt and no drain line. It changes how minerals form scale instead of removing them, so water still tests hard.

Reverse osmosis or carbon filter

Under-sink reverse osmosis removes minerals from drinking water only. Plain carbon filters improve taste but do not soften.

Softener size for Massillon

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 16.7 gpg = 3,751 grains a day. A 32,000-grain unit regenerates about every 8 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Massillon's water system

We could not match Massillon to a community water system in EPA's records. Your water bill or the yearly Consumer Confidence Report names the system and its ID.

Questions

Is Massillon water hard?

Yes. It measures about 285 mg/L (16.7 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.

What is the water hardness in Massillon in grains per gallon?

About 16.7 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 285 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 16.7.

What size water softener do I need in Massillon?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 16.7 gpg works out to about 3,751 grains a day. A 32,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 8 days.

Nearby cities

All 108 cities in Ohio

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (county estimate, July 4, 2026), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.