What it's like to live in Wadsworth
Wadsworth is a small city in Ohio with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, county unemployment below 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. Wadsworth deals with larger class sizes than the national average, cold winters, fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment in the county
- Low crime rates
- Highly educated workforce
The not so good
- High student-teacher ratio
- Cold winters
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Wadsworth compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Wadsworth
Based on Wadsworth's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,134
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $42,680 a year
- 42% of Wadsworth renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$49,580
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $24,790
- Homes cost 3.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 24% below US
$1,067/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,067 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $247,900. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $247,900 · 42% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.5% county unemployment
Unemployment in Medina County is 3.5%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Medina County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 70% below US
100 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 855/100k · Wadsworth Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
24 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 24.3 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 16% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 80°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
Education & workforce▲ 14% above US
41% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 41% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
10 public schools inside the boundary
There are 10 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. 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 (18 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Wadsworth's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are cold winters and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city. A year of median rent ($1,067/mo) equals 16% 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 (16% of workers here already work from home).
Other places near Wadsworth
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