Best Places44231, OH Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 44231, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
44231 ranks 10,721st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on heat safety by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 44231
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.
44231's strengths and weaknesses
Where 44231 ranks high
- Heat safetyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 86% of zip codes
- School gradeB+, better than 78% of zip codes
Where 44231 ranks low
- Cheap childcare$1,273 a month, better than only 17% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 25% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 27% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 30% of zip codes
- Short commute29.5 minutes each way, better than only 31% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 44231
A household needs to earn about $53,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 44231 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $78,905, 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 44231's effective rate of 1.09%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 44231
44231's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 44231.
Who works in 44231, and how
Work in 44231 centers on manufacturing and construction. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 44231
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 44231.
What the weather is like in 44231, month by month
44231 sees roughly 86 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 83 degrees. January highs sit near 35, with lows near 22. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 28° | 22° |
| April | 60° | 48° | 39° |
| July | 83° | 72° | 63° |
| October | 64° | 53° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 44231
The nearest airport, Akron-Canton Regional, is about 33 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Cleveland-Hopkins International, about 41 miles away.
The best schools in and around 44231
Schools across 44231 average a B+, better than 78% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- James A Garfield Elementary SchoolA · 66% proficient
- A J Jordak Elementary SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Katherine Thomas Elementary SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Top middle schools
- Crestwood Intermediate SchoolA · 60% proficient
- Cardinal Middle SchoolA− · 55% proficient
- James A Garfield Middle SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
Top high schools
- James A Garfield High SchoolB+ · 58% proficient
- Crestwood High SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Cardinal High SchoolB · 47% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 44231 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
44231 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 44231 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 44231
Is 44231 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 44231 ranks 10,721st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on heat safety, cheap car insurance, and few empty homes, and lowest on childcare costs and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 44231 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $195,012. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $78,905 median income, cost of living beats 57% of zip codes.
Is 44231 safe?
Yes, 44231 is safer than 59% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $255 per resident a year.
Compare 44231 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 44231. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 44231 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.
44231 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 44231: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 44231: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 44231: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 44231: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
44231 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.