Best Places45042, OH Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 45042, 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.
45042 ranks 14,014th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 45042
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.
45042's strengths and weaknesses
Where 45042 ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 94% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 79% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 78% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 78% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 75% of zip codes
Where 45042 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 64 pleasant days a year, better than only 14% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,269 a month, better than only 18% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 23% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 29% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 45042
A household needs to earn about $57,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 45042 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $80,451, 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 45042's effective rate of 1.23%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 45042
45042 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 45042.
Who works in 45042, and how
Work in 45042 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, 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 4%
Life in 45042
45042 has more parkland per resident than 86% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 45042 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 45042, month by month
45042 sees roughly 64 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 40, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 31° | 24° |
| April | 67° | 53° | 42° |
| July | 86° | 75° | 66° |
| October | 69° | 57° | 46° |
Flying in and out of 45042
The nearest airport, James M Cox Dayton International, is about 27 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, about 37 miles away.
The best schools in and around 45042
Schools across 45042 average a C+, better than 47% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Madison Elementary SchoolA · 65% proficient
- Carlisle Primary Elementary SchoolA− · 58% proficient
- Anthony Wayne Elementary SchoolA− · 57% proficient
Top middle schools
- Franklin Junior High SchoolA · 60% proficient
- Carlisle Junior High SchoolA · 59% proficient
- Talawanda Middle SchoolA− · 57% proficient
Top high schools
- Carlisle High SchoolB+ · 58% proficient
- Madison High SchoolB+ · 58% proficient
- Franklin High SchoolB+ · 58% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 45042 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
45042 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 45042 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 45042 suits
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 45042
Is 45042 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 45042 ranks 14,014th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, transit, and few empty homes, and lowest on air quality and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 45042 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $206,472. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $80,451 median income, cost of living beats 69% of zip codes.
Is 45042 safe?
45042 is safer than 49% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $303 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 45042?
July highs average about 86 degrees, and January highs near 40 with lows near 24. That works out to about 64 pleasant days a year, more than 14% of zip codes.
Is 45042 good for families?
Schools beat 47% of zip codes, crime safety beats 49%, and childcare runs $1,269 a month.
Compare 45042 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 45042. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 45042 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.
45042 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 45042: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 45042: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 45042: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 45042: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
45042 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.