What it's like to live in Oxford
Oxford 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. Oxford deals with household incomes below the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, a poverty rate above the national average, and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low crime rates
- Short commutes
- Highly educated workforce
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Air quality concerns
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
- Cold winters
How Oxford compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Oxford
Based on Oxford's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,994
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $39,880 a year
- 58% of Oxford renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$47,600
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $23,800
- Homes cost 5.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 29% below US
$997/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $997 a month. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $238,000. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $238,000 · 58% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.6% county unemployment
Unemployment in Butler County is 4.6%, 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.
Butler County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 74% below US
84 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 674/100k · Oxford Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 42% below US
15 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 15.2 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 6 in 10 workers drive to work; 16% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 86°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 3.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▲ 69% above US
61% 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
3 public schools inside the boundary
There are 3 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. 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 William Howard Taft National Historic Site (30 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Oxford's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($997/mo) equals 29% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, anyone prioritizing low crime, and remote workers (16% of workers here already work from home).
Other places near Oxford
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