What it's like to live in Sylvania
Sylvania is a small city in Ohio with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, household incomes running above the national average, and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Sylvania deals with county unemployment above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, cold winters, and snowy winters.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Short commutes
- Highly educated workforce
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment in the county
- Air quality concerns
- Cold winters
- Snowy winters — 37" per year
How Sylvania compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Sylvania
Based on Sylvania's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,144
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $42,880 a year
- 39% of Sylvania renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$49,840
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $24,920
- Homes cost 2.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 24% below US
$1,072/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,072 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $249,200. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $249,200 · 39% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
6.0% county unemployment
Unemployment in Lucas County is 6.0%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Lucas County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 76% below US
79 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 633/100k · Sylvania Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 16% below US
22 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 21.9 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 18% 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.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▲ 44% above US
52% 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 and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is River Raisin National Battlefield Park (22 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Sylvania's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are county unemployment above the national average and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,072/mo) equals 13% 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 remote workers (18% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up.
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