Best PlacesNorthwest Akron, Akron, OH Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Northwest Akron, Akron, 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.
Northwest Akron, Akron ranks 1,556th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Northwest 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.
Northwest Akron, Akron's strengths and weaknesses
Where Northwest Akron, Akron ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
Where Northwest Akron, Akron ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 20% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 26% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Northwest Akron, Akron
A household needs to earn about $73,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Northwest Akron, Akron home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $101,671, 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 Northwest Akron, Akron's effective rate of 1.73%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Northwest Akron, Akron
Northwest Akron, Akron runs older than the country, 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 Northwest Akron, Akron.
Who works in Northwest Akron, Akron, and how
Work in Northwest Akron, Akron centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 74%
- Work from home 23%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in Northwest Akron, Akron
Northwest Akron, Akron has more parkland per resident than 98% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Northwest Akron, Akron and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Northwest Akron, Akron, month by month
Northwest 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 Northwest Akron, Akron
The nearest airport, Akron-Canton Regional, is about 15 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Cleveland-Hopkins International, about 25 miles away.
The best schools in and around Northwest Akron, Akron
Schools across Northwest Akron, Akron average a B−, better than 62% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Woodridge Elementary SchoolA− · 56% proficient
- King Community Learning CenterB · 48% proficient
- Judith A Resnik Community Learning CenterB · 47% proficient
Top middle schools
- Woodridge Middle SchoolB+ · 50% proficient
- National Inventors Hall Of Fame School Center For StemB+ · 49% proficient
- Litchfield Community Learning CenterD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Woodridge High SchoolA · 68% proficient
- Firestone Community Learning CenterB− · 42% proficient
- Akron Stem High SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Northwest Akron, Akron school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Northwest 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 Northwest Akron, Akron against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Northwest Akron, Akron
Is Northwest Akron, Akron a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Northwest Akron, Akron ranks 1,556th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, tree cover, and civic engagement, and lowest on cell coverage and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Northwest Akron, Akron expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $249,093. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $101,671 median income, cost of living beats 85% of neighborhoods.
Is Northwest Akron, Akron safe?
Northwest Akron, Akron is safer than 52% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $398 per resident a year.
Compare Northwest Akron, Akron with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Northwest Akron, Akron. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Northwest 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.
Northwest Akron, Akron detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Northwest Akron, Akron: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Northwest Akron, Akron: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Northwest Akron, Akron: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Northwest Akron, Akron: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Northwest 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.