Best PlacesWest Akron, Akron, OH Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around West 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.
West Akron, Akron ranks 5,162nd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and health outcomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in West 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.
West Akron, Akron's strengths and weaknesses
Where West Akron, Akron ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 78% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 70% of neighborhoods
- Short commute21.7 minutes each way, better than 69% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 68% of neighborhoods
Where West Akron, Akron ranks low
- Health outlookBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Household income$44,008 median, better than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in West Akron, Akron
A household needs to earn about $30,000 a year to comfortably buy the median West Akron, Akron home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $44,008, 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 West Akron, Akron's effective rate of 1.40%, 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 3 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in West Akron, Akron
West 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 West Akron, Akron.
Who works in West Akron, Akron, and how
Work in West Akron, Akron centers on health care & social and transportation & warehousing. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in West Akron, Akron
West Akron, Akron has more parkland per resident than 87% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of West Akron, Akron and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in West Akron, Akron, month by month
West Akron, Akron sees roughly 102 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 West Akron, Akron
The nearest airport, Akron-Canton Regional, is about 13 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Cleveland-Hopkins International, about 27 miles away.
The best schools in and around West Akron, Akron
Schools across West Akron, Akron average a C, better than 39% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Fort Island Primary Elementary SchoolA+ · 80% proficient
- Portage Path Community Learning CenterD · 18% proficient
- Schumacher Community Learning CenterD− · 14% proficient
Top middle schools
- Copley-fairlawn Middle SchoolA+ · 76% proficient
- National Inventors Hall Of Fame School Center For StemB+ · 49% proficient
- Summit Academy Akron Middle SchoolD− · 13% proficient
Top high schools
- Copley High SchoolA · 75% proficient
- Akron Stem High SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Summit Academy Secondary - AkronD− · 17% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every West Akron, Akron school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
West 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 West Akron, Akron against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in West Akron, Akron
Is West Akron, Akron a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, West Akron, Akron ranks 5,162nd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, low disaster risk, and tree cover, 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 West Akron, Akron expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $104,740. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $44,008 median income, cost of living beats 16% of neighborhoods.
Is West Akron, Akron safe?
West Akron, Akron is safer than 7% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $825 per resident a year.
Compare West Akron, Akron with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to West Akron, Akron. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in West 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.
West Akron, Akron detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for West Akron, Akron: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in West Akron, Akron: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of West Akron, Akron: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in West Akron, Akron: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
West 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.