What it's like to live in Ravenna
Ravenna 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 schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Ravenna deals with household incomes below the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, 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
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Low college degree attainment
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
- Cold winters
- Snowy winters — 45" per year
How Ravenna compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Ravenna
Based on Ravenna's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,894
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $37,880 a year
- 53% of Ravenna renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$27,940
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $13,970
- Homes cost 2.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 33% below US
$947/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $947 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 $139,700. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $139,700 · 53% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.8% county unemployment
Unemployment in Portage County is 4.8%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Portage County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 59% below US
134 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 1293/100k · Ravenna Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 12% below US
23 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 23 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 10% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 82°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 19°F. 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▼ 43% below US
21% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 21%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
7 public schools inside the boundary
There are 7 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Cuyahoga Valley National Park (18 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Ravenna'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 college degree attainment below the national average. A year of median rent ($947/mo) equals 19% 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 who doesn't drive.
Other places near Ravenna
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