Akron has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Akron without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Akron: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$156,667 median income · $396,573 median home price
Located in
Montgomery County, Ohio
Oakwood is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Akron area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Oakwood.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $156,667 a year, which is the 6th highest in the Akron region. And only 2.3% are out of work. Homes average more than $396,573 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$139,934 median income · $359,405 median home price
Silver Lake is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Akron for 2026.
It ranks 7th for incomes in the area and only 1.2% of residents lack insurance, good for 3rd best.
$171,427 median income · $542,265 median home price
Located in
Summit County, Ohio
Here in Hudson, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Akron metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Hudson.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$171,875 median income · $487,890 median home price
South Russell ranks as the 4th best suburb of Akron for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in South Russell and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$227,813 median income · $696,160 median home price
Located in
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Coming in as the fifth best is Pepper Pike.
Pepper Pike gets kudos for having the 2nd most expensive homes in the Akron area, where houses sell for an average of $696,160. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$99,672 median income · $493,592 median home price
Chagrin Falls is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 3.0%.
According to online reports, Chagrin Falls is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Akron area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$115,733 median income · $354,545 median home price
Located in
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Independence.
Independence schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 21.5 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$185,592 median income · $731,145 median home price
Moreland Hills is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 1.7% of people lack insurance, good for 10th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$97,055 median income · $309,743 median home price
Located in
Summit County, Ohio
Is ‘Everything Better In Fairlawn?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$106,748 median income · $483,433 median home price
Located in
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Beachwood.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Ohio’s statewide median.
Ohio statewide median: $71,389
Ohio statewide median: $242,141
Ohio statewide median: 4.8%
Ohio statewide median: 13.3%
On the map
Where the best Akron suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Akron for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Akron was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Akron.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 75 suburbs to evaluate around Akron.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 75 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Akron.” We’re lookin’ at you, Oakwood.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Akron suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Akron Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oakwood | 8.71 | 9,458 | $156,667 | $396,573 |
| 2 | Silver Lake | 11.79 | 2,515 | $139,934 | $359,405 |
| 3 | Hudson | 13.21 | 23,039 | $171,427 | $542,265 |
| 4 | South Russell | 13.93 | 3,956 | $171,875 | $487,890 |
| 5 | Pepper Pike | 14.07 | 6,840 | $227,813 | $696,160 |
| 6 | Chagrin Falls | 16.71 | 4,201 | $99,672 | $493,592 |
| 7 | Independence | 17.29 | 7,534 | $115,733 | $354,545 |
| 8 | Moreland Hills | 17.29 | 3,456 | $185,592 | $731,145 |
| 9 | Fairlawn | 17.79 | 7,711 | $97,055 | $309,743 |
| 10 | Beachwood | 19.43 | 13,865 | $106,748 | $483,433 |
| 11 | Solon | 20.00 | 23,943 | $139,089 | $452,828 |
| 12 | Aurora | 21.00 | 17,581 | $127,886 | $428,906 |
| 13 | Shaker Heights | 21.57 | 28,922 | $104,073 | $342,442 |
| 14 | Broadview Heights | 23.21 | 19,771 | $103,125 | $365,133 |
| 15 | North Canton | 24.21 | 17,727 | $72,544 | $283,608 |
| 16 | Brecksville | 24.79 | 13,692 | $135,000 | $437,032 |
| 17 | Twinsburg | 24.86 | 19,410 | $99,144 | $354,964 |
| 18 | Seven Hills | 25.14 | 11,603 | $97,222 | $299,505 |
| 19 | Strongsville | 26.64 | 45,983 | $103,253 | $360,031 |
| 20 | Brunswick | 27.93 | 35,246 | $90,663 | $313,497 |
| 21 | Olmsted Falls | 28.71 | 8,639 | $96,837 | $297,060 |
| 22 | Middleburg Heights | 28.86 | 15,786 | $78,815 | $271,583 |
| 23 | Stow | 29.00 | 34,240 | $93,727 | $284,989 |
| 24 | Walton Hills | 29.21 | 2,010 | $106,055 | $321,532 |
| 25 | Macedonia | 29.57 | 12,152 | $101,285 | $339,074 |
| 26 | University Heights | 29.93 | 13,394 | $96,971 | $278,811 |
| 27 | Green | 30.50 | 27,393 | $95,047 | $315,866 |
| 28 | Hartville | 30.79 | 3,377 | $69,648 | $291,821 |
| 29 | Richfield | 32.93 | 3,721 | $82,560 | $487,652 |
| 30 | Munroe Falls | 33.00 | 5,000 | $81,214 | $274,601 |
| 31 | Orange | 33.29 | 3,485 | $170,063 | $551,009 |
| 32 | Wadsworth | 33.57 | 24,492 | $79,490 | $311,603 |
| 33 | Mogadore | 34.07 | 3,806 | $82,557 | $257,496 |
| 34 | Seville | 36.93 | 2,116 | $76,938 | $302,251 |
| 35 | North Royalton | 37.36 | 30,972 | $83,670 | $334,792 |
| 36 | Tallmadge | 37.64 | 18,335 | $89,410 | $282,064 |
| 37 | Berea | 38.00 | 18,218 | $74,926 | $239,040 |
| 38 | Medina | 38.07 | 25,950 | $77,385 | $374,184 |
| 39 | New Franklin | 38.64 | 13,843 | $90,244 | $241,578 |
| 40 | Louisville | 38.71 | 9,602 | $64,375 | $240,230 |
| 41 | Cleveland Heights | 39.43 | 44,497 | $72,826 | $202,639 |
| 42 | Canal Fulton | 39.79 | 5,337 | $62,044 | $262,126 |
| 43 | Norton | 41.21 | 11,524 | $90,464 | $244,015 |
| 44 | Wooster | 41.86 | 26,971 | $66,898 | $259,956 |
| 45 | Streetsboro | 43.07 | 17,661 | $90,274 | $279,257 |
| 46 | Cuyahoga Falls | 43.71 | 50,909 | $72,705 | $213,993 |
| 47 | Grafton | 44.00 | 5,657 | $90,724 | $307,182 |
| 48 | Northfield | 45.50 | 3,543 | $70,917 | $297,574 |
| 49 | Parma Heights | 45.93 | 20,581 | $61,009 | $214,164 |
| 50 | Brook Park | 45.93 | 18,284 | $71,332 | $191,188 |
| 51 | Creston | 46.21 | 2,413 | $68,500 | $254,921 |
| 52 | Brewster | 46.50 | 2,105 | $57,192 | $162,607 |
| 53 | Brooklyn | 47.79 | 11,158 | $69,346 | $201,508 |
| 54 | Parma | 48.79 | 79,870 | $69,295 | $210,914 |
| 55 | Bedford Heights | 49.29 | 10,847 | $50,269 | $190,891 |
| 56 | Orrville | 50.07 | 8,343 | $72,569 | $235,321 |
| 57 | Lakemore | 50.21 | 2,914 | $59,758 | $178,562 |
| 58 | Garrettsville | 51.36 | 2,752 | $66,404 | $280,378 |
| 59 | Barberton | 51.71 | 24,844 | $52,267 | $152,665 |
| 60 | Bedford | 52.50 | 12,931 | $57,308 | $152,982 |
| 61 | Navarre | 52.50 | 2,047 | $59,542 | $225,924 |
| 62 | Kent | 52.71 | 27,116 | $42,964 | $243,706 |
| 63 | Massillon | 52.79 | 32,338 | $56,446 | $212,708 |
| 64 | Ravenna | 53.57 | 11,274 | $59,971 | $215,181 |
| 65 | Lodi | 55.36 | 2,783 | $51,914 | $258,680 |
| 66 | Windham | 55.64 | 2,020 | $54,219 | $184,616 |
| 67 | Alliance | 56.64 | 21,478 | $56,106 | $158,558 |
| 68 | Warrensville Heights | 57.86 | 13,545 | $49,669 | $134,771 |
| 69 | Maple Heights | 59.00 | 23,258 | $53,414 | $131,579 |
| 70 | Rittman | 60.14 | 6,044 | $60,154 | $199,067 |
| 71 | Garfield Heights | 60.50 | 29,269 | $54,593 | $133,201 |
| 72 | Sebring | 61.29 | 4,146 | $49,541 | $116,475 |
| 73 | Newton Falls | 61.50 | 4,549 | $50,506 | $164,000 |
| 74 | Canton | 62.21 | 69,755 | $43,188 | $168,515 |
| 75 | Cleveland | 63.14 | 366,097 | $40,801 | $115,537 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 75 suburbs within 30 miles of Akron.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Akron ‘Burbs of 2026
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Akron are Oakwood, Silver Lake, Hudson, South Russell, Pepper Pike, Chagrin Falls, Independence, Moreland Hills, Fairlawn, and Beachwood.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Akron but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you. Not sold on Ohio? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Akron FAQs
What is the best suburb of Akron?
Oakwood is the best suburb of Akron for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Silver Lake and Hudson are next.
What are the best suburbs of Akron?
The best suburbs of Akron are Oakwood, Silver Lake, Hudson, South Russell, Pepper Pike, Chagrin Falls, Independence, Moreland Hills, Fairlawn, and Beachwood. We ranked all 75 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Oakwood?
The median household income in Oakwood is $156,667 and the median home costs $396,573. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Akron?
Any place within 30 miles of Akron qualifies. 75 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Akron suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Oakwood, takes the crown.
