Best Places45638, OH Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 45638, 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.
45638 ranks 22,765th 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 45638
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.
45638's strengths and weaknesses
Where 45638 ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 93% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 79% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 78% of zip codes
Where 45638 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 57 pleasant days a year, better than only 4% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Household income$58,108 median, better than only 21% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 28% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 45638
A household needs to earn about $33,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 45638 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $58,108, 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 45638's effective rate of 1.01%, 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 45638
45638'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 45638.
Who works in 45638, and how
Work in 45638 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 45638
45638 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 92% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 72% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 45638 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 45638, month by month
45638 sees roughly 57 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 46, with lows near 25. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 34° | 25° |
| April | 70° | 55° | 42° |
| July | 89° | 76° | 67° |
| October | 73° | 58° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 45638
The nearest airport, Tri-State/Milton J Ferguson Field, is about 13 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is John Glenn Columbus International, about 102 miles away.
The best schools in and around 45638
Schools across 45638 average a B, better than 69% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Ironton Elementary SchoolA · 63% proficient
- Dawson-bryant Elementary SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Rock Hill Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
Top middle schools
- Ironton Middle SchoolA− · 57% proficient
- Dawson-bryant Middle SchoolB · 46% proficient
- Rock Hill Middle SchoolB− · 39% proficient
Top high schools
- Ironton High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Dawson-bryant High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
- Green High SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 45638 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
45638 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 45638 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 45638 suits
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 45638
Is 45638 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 45638 ranks 22,765th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, walkability, and a stable housing market, and lowest on the weather and health outcomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 45638 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $124,653. The overall cost of living runs about 19% below the national average. Set against a $58,108 median income, cost of living beats 30% of zip codes.
Is 45638 safe?
45638 is safer than 32% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $352 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 45638?
July highs average about 89 degrees, and January highs near 46 with lows near 25. That works out to about 57 pleasant days a year, more than 4% of zip codes.
Is 45638 good for families?
Schools beat 69% of zip codes, crime safety beats 32%, and childcare runs $951 a month.
Compare 45638 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 45638. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 45638 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.
45638 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 45638: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 45638: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 45638: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 45638: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
45638 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.