Best Places44003, OH Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 44003, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
44003 ranks 25,155th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and health outcomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 44003
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
44003's strengths and weaknesses
Where 44003 ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 80% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 79% of zip codes
Where 44003 ranks low
- Health outlookBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Short commute37.6 minutes each way, better than only 6% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 14% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 44003
A household needs to earn about $39,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 44003 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $58,566, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 44003's effective rate of 1.07%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 44003
44003's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 44003.
Who works in 44003, and how
Work in 44003 centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 44003
44003 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 81% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 44003 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 44003, month by month
44003 sees roughly 90 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 37, with lows near 21. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 28° | 21° |
| April | 61° | 48° | 37° |
| July | 84° | 72° | 61° |
| October | 66° | 55° | 44° |
Flying in and out of 44003
The nearest airport, Erie International/Tom Ridge Field, is about 38 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Cleveland-Hopkins International, about 68 miles away.
The best schools in and around 44003
Schools across 44003 average a B+, better than 77% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Pymatuning Valley Primary Elementary SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- Jefferson ElementaryB+ · 53% proficient
Top middle schools
- Pymatuning Valley Middle SchoolA · 59% proficient
- Jefferson Area Junior High SchoolA− · 56% proficient
Top high schools
- Jefferson Area Sr High SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- Pymatuning Valley High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 44003 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
44003 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 44003 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 44003
Is 44003 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 44003 ranks 25,155th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, low disaster risk, and heat safety, and lowest on health outcomes and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 44003 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $143,008. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $58,566 median income, cost of living beats 25% of zip codes.
Is 44003 safe?
44003 is safer than 16% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $474 per resident a year.
Compare 44003 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 44003. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 44003 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
44003 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 44003: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 44003: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 44003: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 44003: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
44003 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.