What it's like to live in Middletown
Middletown is a smaller city in Ohio with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, crime rates well below the national average, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Middletown deals with unemployment above the national average, household incomes below the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and college degree attainment below the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low crime rates
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment
- Below-average household incomes
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
- Cold winters
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Middletown compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Middletown
Based on Middletown's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,014
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $40,280 a year
- 48% of Middletown renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$32,880
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $16,440
- Homes cost 2.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 29% below US
$1,007/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $1,007 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 $164,400. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $164,400 · 48% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 26% above US
5.4% unemployment
Unemployment here is 5.4%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 55% below US
165 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 1718/100k · Middletown Police Department · 2024 data
Getting aroundNear US average
24 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 24.2 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 9% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 84°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 23°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 4.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 51% below US
18% 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
15 public schools inside the boundary
There are 15 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park (24 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Middletown's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are unemployment above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,007/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and anyone prioritizing low crime. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up and anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Middletown
All Ohio guides →Not sure Middletown is the one?
Put it side by side with another city.