Best Places45424, OH Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 45424, 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.
45424 ranks 6,907th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 45424
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.
45424's strengths and weaknesses
Where 45424 ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 89% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 87% of zip codes
Where 45424 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 58 pleasant days a year, better than only 6% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,270 a month, better than only 18% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 31% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 45424
A household needs to earn about $56,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 45424 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $86,106, 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 45424's effective rate of 1.56%, 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 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 45424
45424'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 45424.
Who works in 45424, and how
Work in 45424 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 45424
45424 has more parkland per resident than 79% of zip codes and more late-night spots per resident than 65% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 45424 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 45424, month by month
45424 sees roughly 58 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 40, with lows near 22. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 31° | 22° |
| April | 67° | 53° | 40° |
| July | 87° | 76° | 65° |
| October | 70° | 57° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 45424
The nearest airport, James M Cox Dayton International, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, about 62 miles away.
The best schools in and around 45424
Schools across 45424 average a B−, better than 54% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Bethel Elementary SchoolA+ · 73% proficient
- Smith Middle SchoolA · 69% proficient
- Fairborn Intermediate SchoolB · 45% proficient
Top middle schools
- Bethel Middle SchoolA · 66% proficient
- Baker Middle SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Mad River Middle SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- Bethel High SchoolA− · 65% proficient
- Stivers School For The ArtsB+ · 54% proficient
- Fairborn High SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 45424 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
45424 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 45424 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 45424 suits
Families
Schools land around the 54th percentile and crime safety beats 78%.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 71% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 11% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 45424
Is 45424 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 45424 ranks 6,907th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, cell coverage, and fast internet, and lowest on the weather and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 45424 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $193,913. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $86,106 median income, cost of living beats 71% of zip codes.
Is 45424 safe?
Yes, 45424 is safer than 78% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $221 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 45424?
July highs average about 87 degrees, and January highs near 40 with lows near 22. That works out to about 58 pleasant days a year, more than 6% of zip codes.
Is 45424 good for families?
Schools beat 54% of zip codes, crime safety beats 78%, and childcare runs $1,270 a month.
Compare 45424 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 45424. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 45424 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.
45424 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 45424: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 45424: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 45424: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 45424: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
45424 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.