What it's like to live in Avon Lake
Avon Lake is a small city in Ohio with unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Avon Lake deals with commute times longer than most cities, cold winters, and snowy winters.
The good
- Low unemployment
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Highly educated workforce
- Growing population
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Above-average commute times
- Cold winters
- Snowy winters — 44" per year
How Avon Lake compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Avon Lake
Based on Avon Lake's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,074
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $61,480 a year
- 36% of Avon Lake renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$73,660
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $36,830
- Homes cost 3.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,537/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,537 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices run above average, with a median around $368,300. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $368,300 · 36% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 23% below US
3.3% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.3%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 85% below US
49 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 293/100k · Avon Lake Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 11% above US
29 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 28.9 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 22% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 83°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 24°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 58% above US
57% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.
Schools
7 public schools inside the boundary
There are 7 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Cuyahoga Valley National Park (28 miles away). There are 5 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Avon Lake's strongest points are unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are commute times longer than most cities and cold winters. A year of median rent ($1,537/mo) equals 16% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers, anyone prioritizing low crime, and remote workers (22% of workers here already work from home).
Other places near Avon Lake
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