The winegrowing centre lies in Rhenish Hesse, and belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Gau-Algesheim, whose seat is in the like-named town.

The Marian monastery St. Maria ad Gradus in Mainz held a considerable share of the local landholdings and in return saw to it that the place was supplied with pastoral care.

The earliest known seal dates from 1457 and shows the same composition as today's arms, with the “reversed” (that is, upside down) chevron.

The arms are based on those once borne by the Lords of Ockenheim, the local vassals who had been enfeoffed by the Archbishops of Mainz.

Ockenheim is linked to the Bingen am Rhein municipal bus network.