Best Places45688, OH Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 45688, 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.
45688 ranks 27,628th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 45688
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.
45688's strengths and weaknesses
Where 45688 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 92% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 85% of zip codes
Where 45688 ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Short commute38.9 minutes each way, better than only 5% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 45688
A household needs to earn about $25,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 45688 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $57,979, 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 45688's effective rate of 1.04%, 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 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 45688
45688 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 45688.
Who works in 45688, and how
Work in 45688 centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 20%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 45688
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 45688.
What the weather is like in 45688, month by month
45688 sees roughly 60 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 45688
The nearest airport, Tri-State/Milton J Ferguson Field, is about 24 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is John Glenn Columbus International, about 91 miles away.
The best schools in and around 45688
Schools across 45688 average a B−, better than 58% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Oak Hill ElementaryA · 70% proficient
- Rock Hill Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Southwestern Elementary SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Top middle schools
- South Gallia Middle SchoolB+ · 50% proficient
- Rock Hill Middle SchoolB− · 39% proficient
Top high schools
- Symmes Valley High SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- South Gallia High SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Rock Hill Sr High SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 45688 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
45688 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 45688 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 45688
Is 45688 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 45688 ranks 27,628th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, tree cover, and cheap car insurance, and lowest on internet speeds and cell coverage. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 45688 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $94,216. The overall cost of living runs about 5% below the national average. Set against a $57,979 median income, cost of living beats 13% of zip codes.
Is 45688 safe?
45688 is safer than 36% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $319 per resident a year.
Compare 45688 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 45688. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 45688 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.
45688 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 45688: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 45688: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 45688: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 45688: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
45688 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.