What it's like to live in Willoughby
Willoughby 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. Willoughby deals with cold winters and heavy snowfall.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low crime rates
- Short commutes
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Cold winters
- Heavy snowfall — 114" per year
How Willoughby compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Willoughby
Based on Willoughby's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,342
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $46,840 a year
- 46% of Willoughby renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$43,380
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $21,690
- Homes cost 3.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 17% below US
$1,171/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,171 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $216,900. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $216,900 · 46% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.8% county unemployment
Unemployment in Lake County is 3.8%, 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.
Lake County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 71% below US
95 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 794/100k · Willoughby Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 13% below US
23 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 22.7 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 comfortable, with highs around 80°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 22°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. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforceNear US average
37% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 37% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
5 public schools inside the boundary
There are 5 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, close to 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 James A Garfield National Historic Site (3 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Willoughby's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are cold winters and heavy snowfall. A year of median rent ($1,171/mo) equals 20% of the median household income here, about the same as 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).
Other places near Willoughby
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