Best Places45044, OH Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 45044, 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.
45044 ranks 9,981st 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 45044
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.
45044's strengths and weaknesses
Where 45044 ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 83% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 80% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 79% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 78% of zip codes
Where 45044 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 62 pleasant days a year, better than only 11% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,273 a month, better than only 17% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 24% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 45044
A household needs to earn about $68,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 45044 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $92,651, 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 45044's effective rate of 1.19%, 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 45044
45044 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 45044.
Who works in 45044, and how
Work in 45044 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 45044
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 45044.
What the weather is like in 45044, month by month
45044 sees roughly 62 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 45044
The nearest airport, James M Cox Dayton International, is about 32 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, about 32 miles away.
The best schools in and around 45044
Schools across 45044 average a B−, better than 59% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Independence Elementary SchoolA+ · 84% proficient
- Vangorden Elementary SchoolA+ · 83% proficient
- Woodland Elementary SchoolA · 68% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lebanon Junior HighA+ · 75% proficient
- Monroe Junior High SchoolA+ · 69% proficient
- Hopewell Junior SchoolA · 67% proficient
Top high schools
- Lakota East High SchoolA · 71% proficient
- Monroe High SchoolA · 67% proficient
- Lebanon High SchoolA− · 65% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 45044 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
45044 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 45044 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 45044 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 80% of zip codes and 15% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 45044
Is 45044 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 45044 ranks 9,981st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, cell coverage, and what local pay buys, 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 45044 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $247,094. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $92,651 median income, cost of living beats 80% of zip codes.
Is 45044 safe?
45044 is safer than 46% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $312 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 45044?
July highs average about 86 degrees, and January highs near 40 with lows near 24. That works out to about 62 pleasant days a year, more than 11% of zip codes.
Is 45044 good for families?
Schools beat 59% of zip codes, crime safety beats 46%, and childcare runs $1,273 a month.
Compare 45044 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 45044. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 45044 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.
45044 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 45044: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 45044: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 45044: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 45044: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
45044 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.