Best PlacesDowntown Akron, Akron, OH Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Downtown Akron, Akron, 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.
Downtown Akron, Akron ranks 5,579th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on transit by a wide margin, and health outcomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Downtown Akron, Akron
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.
Downtown Akron, Akron's strengths and weaknesses
Where Downtown Akron, Akron ranks high
- TransitBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 85% of neighborhoods
- Short commute20.1 minutes each way, better than 79% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 67% of neighborhoods
Where Downtown Akron, Akron ranks low
- Health outlookBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Household income$15,275 median, better than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Downtown Akron, Akron
A household needs to earn about $38,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Downtown Akron, Akron home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $15,275, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 Downtown Akron, Akron's effective rate of 1.38%, 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 Downtown Akron, Akron
Downtown Akron, Akron's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 Downtown Akron, Akron.
Who works in Downtown Akron, Akron, and how
Work in Downtown Akron, Akron centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 75%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 17%
Life in Downtown Akron, Akron
Downtown Akron, Akron has more restaurants and bars per resident than 92% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 91% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Downtown Akron, Akron and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Downtown Akron, Akron, month by month
Downtown Akron, Akron sees roughly 100 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 39, 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 | 39° | 30° | 22° |
| April | 65° | 52° | 40° |
| July | 88° | 76° | 64° |
| October | 69° | 57° | 46° |
Flying in and out of Downtown Akron, Akron
The nearest airport, Akron-Canton Regional, is about 12 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Cleveland-Hopkins International, about 29 miles away.
The best schools in and around Downtown Akron, Akron
Schools across Downtown Akron, Akron average a C, better than 41% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Portage Path Community Learning CenterD · 18% proficient
- Mcebright Community Learning CenterD · 17% proficient
- Leggett Community Learning CenterD− · 15% proficient
Top middle schools
- National Inventors Hall Of Fame School Center For StemB+ · 49% proficient
Top high schools
- Akron Early College High SchoolA+ · 81% proficient
- Akron Stem High SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Akron Alternative AcademyD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Downtown Akron, Akron school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Downtown Akron, Akron 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 Downtown Akron, Akron against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Downtown Akron, Akron
Is Downtown Akron, Akron a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Downtown Akron, Akron ranks 5,579th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on transit, cheap car insurance, and cell coverage, and lowest on health outcomes and crime. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Downtown Akron, Akron expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $135,897. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $15,275 median income, cost of living beats 6% of neighborhoods.
Is Downtown Akron, Akron safe?
Downtown Akron, Akron is safer than 3% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $1,117 per resident a year.
Compare Downtown Akron, Akron with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Downtown Akron, Akron. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Downtown Akron, Akron 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.
Downtown Akron, Akron detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Downtown Akron, Akron: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Downtown Akron, Akron: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Downtown Akron, Akron: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Downtown Akron, Akron: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Downtown Akron, Akron 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.