What it's like to live in Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a small city in Ohio with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, crime rates well below the national average, and commutes that run shorter than most cities. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Brooklyn deals with air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, college degree attainment below the national average, cold winters, and heavy snowfall.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low crime rates
- Short commutes
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
- Cold winters
- Heavy snowfall — 64" per year
How Brooklyn compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Brooklyn
Based on Brooklyn's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,942
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $38,840 a year
- 32% of Brooklyn renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$32,620
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $16,310
- Homes cost 2.4× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 31% below US
$971/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $971 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $163,100. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $163,100 · 32% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.1% county unemployment
Unemployment in Cuyahoga County is 4.1%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Cuyahoga County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 75% below US
82 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 6207/100k · Brooklyn Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 20% below US
21 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 20.7 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 11% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 82°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 25°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 48% below US
19% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
2 public schools inside the boundary
There are 2 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 18:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Cuyahoga Valley National Park (15 miles away). There are 5 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Brooklyn's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are air quality that falls short of national benchmarks and college degree attainment below the national average. A year of median rent ($971/mo) equals 17% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, anyone prioritizing low crime, and people who want short commutes.
Other places near Brooklyn
All Ohio guides →Not sure Brooklyn is the one?
Put it side by side with another city.