Ohio isn’t just any flyover Midwest state, it’s actually one of the safest, most family friendly states in the USA.
Ask any Ohioan and they will tell you that there are a ton of family friendly activities everywhere you turn, here. The Buckeye State is just one big playground for little and big kids alike. If you’re looking for a state with affordable, family friendly staycations, Ohio is your place. There are 74 State Parks and 8 National Parks that dot Ohio’s landscape. Amusement parks like Kings Island and Cedar Rapids will keep your family entertained for an entire weekend. And if museums and zoos are more your style, check out the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Cumberland’s Wild Animal Safari Park, and/or the Akron Art Museum.
There are 253 breweries and 70 wineries in Ohio. So after you drop your kids at one of Ohio’s day or overnight summer camps, you and your significant other can enjoy a break as well. Summers never end in this Great Lake State. In all seriousness, Ohio has some of the best schools in the country. Blue Ribbon elementary schools, gold star high schools, and colleges like Ohio State, Miami of Ohio, and Xavier, have been delivering the next generation to work at major Ohio companies like Procter & Gamble, Good Year, and AK Steel. Ohio is the 34th largest state and the seventh most populous state in the country. Needless to say, there’s a family friendly living situation for everyone in this state. There are port cities on Lake Erie that provide safe neighborhoods and suburban living. There are quaint, affluent cities like Worthington that look like they jumped out of a postcard. And cities like Sylvania, provide solitude and good ‘ol country livin’.
To take a closer look at the top ten places to live on our family friendly Ohio cities for 2026, grab your family, a Skyline Chili-dog, and head to a sunny spot on the Ohio River and read on.
$111,643 median income · 31.9% households with kids
Located in
Wood County, Ohio
Perrysburg is a city in Wood County, Ohio, United States, along the south side of the Maumee River. The population was 20,623 at the 2010 census. Located about 12 miles southwest of Toledo, it was founded before the now larger port city on Lake Erie. It has since become a suburb of the city.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$171,427 median income · 39.8% households with kids
Located in
Summit County, Ohio
Coordinates: 411423N 812627W 41.2398397; -81.4407840
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$155,167 median income · 35.9% households with kids
Located in
Franklin County, Ohio
Upper Arlington is a suburb in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, on the northwest side of the Columbus metropolitan area. As of July, 2015, the population was estimated to be 34,907.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$115,567 median income · 31.2% households with kids
Located in
Lorain County, Ohio
Avon Lake is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, located on Lake Erie. The population was 22,581 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$135,000 median income · 28.5% households with kids
Located in
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Brecksville is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, and a suburb in the Greater Cleveland area. The city’s population was 13,656 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$127,382 median income · 33.1% households with kids
Located in
Franklin County, Ohio
Worthington is an affluent city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, and is a northern suburb of the larger Columbus. The population was 13,575 at the 2010 census. The city was founded in 1803 by the Scioto Company led by James Kilbourne, who was later elected to the United States House of Representatives, and named in honor of Thomas Worthington, who later became governor of Ohio.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$125,401 median income · 36.0% households with kids
Located in
Warren County, Ohio
Mason is a city in southwestern Warren County, Ohio, United States, approximately 22 miles from downtown Cincinnati. As of the 2010 census, Mason’s population was 30,712.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$99,786 median income · 38.6% households with kids
Located in
Delaware County, Ohio
Delaware is a city in and the county seat of Delaware County, Ohio, United States. Delaware was founded in 1808 and was incorporated in 1816. It is located near the center of Ohio, is about 30 miles north of Columbus, and is part of the Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Area. The population was 34,753 at the 2010 census, while the Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH Combined Statistical Area has 2,002,604 people.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$150,995 median income · 36.7% households with kids
Located in
Hamilton County, Ohio
Montgomery is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, settled in 1796. The town was a coach stop on the Cincinnati-Zanesville Road, later known as the Montgomery Pike, with an inn, two taverns, a grist mill and a carding mill to process its agricultural products. It would remain a rather sleepy hamlet until the 1960s when it became an affluent bedroom community for people working in Cincinnati. It retains its historic downtown with many other 19th-century houses scattered throughout the community. It is currently accessed from exit 15 off Interstate 71 and exit 50 off Interstate 275, and it is the eastern terminus of the Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway about five miles northeast of the Cincinnati city line. The population was 10,251 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$77,385 median income · 28.9% households with kids
Located in
Medina County, Ohio
Medina mi-DY-na is a city in Medina County, Ohio. The population was 26,678 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Medina County.
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
On the map
Where Ohio’s most family-friendly cities are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which place is best for families in Ohio anyways?
To give you the places in Ohio that are best for families, we must look at a handful of metrics. We want to measure the criteria people want in a family-friendly city utilizing Saturday Night Science.
After researching U.S. Census data produced for the state of Ohio, we looked at the data for every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:
- Crime (Both violent and property)
- Quality of local schools
- Distance to a major city without necessarily being in it
- % of households with children
- Family-friendly amenities nearby (museums, libraries, and colleges)
We then gave each city a “Family Score.”
The higher the score, the better the city is for families. We also limited our results to cities with over 10,000 people. For Ohio, that meant a total of 150 cities.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the best cities for families in Ohio.
The full plate
Best Places For Families In Ohio
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price | % Households w/ Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perrysburg | 25,181 | $111,643 | $330,761 | 31.9% |
| 2 | Hudson | 23,039 | $171,427 | $542,265 | 39.8% |
| 3 | Upper Arlington | 36,293 | $155,167 | $632,819 | 35.9% |
| 4 | Avon Lake | 25,752 | $115,567 | $422,131 | 31.2% |
| 5 | Brecksville | 13,692 | $135,000 | $437,032 | 28.5% |
| 6 | Worthington | 14,938 | $127,382 | $478,891 | 33.1% |
| 7 | Mason | 35,509 | $125,401 | $510,362 | 36.0% |
| 8 | Delaware | 44,589 | $99,786 | $407,929 | 38.6% |
| 9 | Montgomery | 10,855 | $150,995 | $677,977 | 36.7% |
| 10 | Medina | 25,950 | $77,385 | $374,184 | 28.9% |
| 11 | Powell | 14,451 | $195,495 | $567,815 | 45.3% |
| 12 | Twinsburg | 19,410 | $99,144 | $354,964 | 30.9% |
| 13 | Westerville | 38,645 | $109,404 | $446,095 | 33.5% |
| 14 | Pickerington | 24,477 | $111,833 | $419,073 | 44.6% |
| 15 | Sylvania | 19,055 | $100,189 | $319,899 | 30.4% |
| 16 | Westlake | 34,104 | $112,200 | $414,010 | 25.6% |
| 17 | Broadview Heights | 19,771 | $103,125 | $365,133 | 28.9% |
| 18 | Solon | 23,943 | $139,089 | $452,828 | 35.0% |
| 19 | Bexley | 13,114 | $157,841 | $572,577 | 44.0% |
| 20 | New Albany | 10,896 | $238,250 | $632,192 | 53.9% |
| 21 | Dublin | 49,294 | $160,296 | $559,786 | 41.9% |
| 22 | Aurora | 17,581 | $127,886 | $428,906 | 31.4% |
| 23 | University Heights | 13,394 | $96,971 | $278,811 | 32.1% |
| 24 | Rocky River | 21,490 | $94,026 | $393,092 | 24.1% |
| 25 | Hilliard | 38,033 | $128,189 | $384,175 | 39.3% |
| 26 | Lebanon | 21,501 | $83,685 | $397,421 | 33.1% |
| 27 | Berea | 18,218 | $74,926 | $239,040 | 26.3% |
| 28 | Celina | 10,903 | $62,849 | $234,400 | 26.4% |
| 29 | Blue Ash | 13,455 | $115,313 | $447,598 | 33.0% |
| 30 | Avon | 25,317 | $135,915 | $471,403 | 36.6% |
| 31 | Troy | 26,842 | $68,830 | $280,154 | 32.5% |
| 32 | Loveland | 13,197 | $94,323 | $445,808 | 33.3% |
| 33 | Springboro | 19,980 | $119,659 | $427,302 | 39.9% |
| 34 | North Canton | 17,727 | $72,544 | $283,608 | 19.2% |
| 35 | Wickliffe | 12,659 | $81,750 | $193,210 | 27.0% |
| 36 | Vermilion | 10,343 | $69,701 | $260,645 | 24.1% |
| 37 | Marysville | 27,518 | $92,619 | $364,500 | 34.7% |
| 38 | Urbana | 11,204 | $68,003 | $201,188 | 30.2% |
| 39 | Mayfield Heights | 20,022 | $66,524 | $228,639 | 25.6% |
| 40 | Willowick | 14,162 | $77,228 | $191,619 | 19.8% |
| 41 | Bowling Green | 29,983 | $45,154 | $259,039 | 18.1% |
| 42 | Gahanna | 35,486 | $109,061 | $374,129 | 33.9% |
| 43 | Parma | 79,870 | $69,295 | $210,914 | 22.6% |
| 44 | Harrison | 13,084 | $100,000 | $316,154 | 34.6% |
| 45 | Bellefontaine | 13,807 | $58,806 | $240,468 | 31.8% |
| 46 | New Philadelphia | 17,520 | $58,547 | $204,371 | 24.5% |
| 47 | Brunswick | 35,246 | $90,663 | $313,497 | 28.9% |
| 48 | Amherst | 12,906 | $90,725 | $274,430 | 27.6% |
| 49 | Stow | 34,240 | $93,727 | $284,989 | 28.6% |
| 50 | Steubenville | 18,124 | $48,172 | $128,222 | 25.4% |
| 51 | Ironton | 10,768 | $47,648 | $119,423 | 27.5% |
| 52 | Newark | 50,783 | $61,670 | $242,480 | 30.0% |
| 53 | Beachwood | 13,865 | $106,748 | $483,433 | 24.8% |
| 54 | Painesville | 20,548 | $51,516 | $222,958 | 30.3% |
| 55 | Mentor | 47,171 | $88,949 | $269,569 | 25.0% |
| 56 | Strongsville | 45,983 | $103,253 | $360,031 | 25.5% |
| 57 | Wadsworth | 24,492 | $79,490 | $311,603 | 27.6% |
| 58 | Trenton | 13,583 | $80,635 | $279,523 | 36.2% |
| 59 | Parma Heights | 20,581 | $61,009 | $214,164 | 26.1% |
| 60 | Defiance | 17,276 | $61,439 | $181,260 | 25.5% |
| 61 | Circleville | 14,142 | $60,296 | $287,499 | 27.9% |
| 62 | Monroe | 15,401 | $105,250 | $352,114 | 40.9% |
| 63 | Centerville | 25,205 | $85,492 | $383,031 | 21.6% |
| 64 | North Olmsted | 31,924 | $84,363 | $270,520 | 24.6% |
| 65 | Dover | 13,053 | $64,276 | $227,325 | 25.2% |
| 66 | Norwalk | 17,095 | $60,844 | $211,828 | 27.9% |
| 67 | Lancaster | 41,249 | $59,133 | $273,883 | 30.3% |
| 68 | Lyndhurst | 13,801 | $91,238 | $230,587 | 17.4% |
| 69 | Seven Hills | 11,603 | $97,222 | $299,505 | 21.8% |
| 70 | Lakewood | 50,007 | $68,954 | $286,113 | 15.2% |
| 71 | London | 10,484 | $60,231 | $280,969 | 23.2% |
| 72 | Xenia | 25,689 | $56,029 | $252,478 | 28.9% |
| 73 | Alliance | 21,478 | $56,106 | $158,558 | 30.6% |
| 74 | Ashland | 18,911 | $60,029 | $229,714 | 25.1% |
| 75 | Findlay | 40,287 | $61,423 | $240,719 | 25.8% |
| 76 | Euclid | 48,823 | $50,285 | $144,364 | 25.2% |
| 77 | Wooster | 26,971 | $66,898 | $259,956 | 23.1% |
| 78 | Kent | 27,116 | $42,964 | $243,706 | 19.7% |
| 79 | Chillicothe | 21,902 | $54,086 | $196,991 | 26.2% |
| 80 | Beavercreek | 47,126 | $110,088 | $332,151 | 29.2% |
| 81 | Fremont | 15,835 | $47,024 | $173,490 | 27.6% |
| 82 | Ashtabula | 17,856 | $44,120 | $151,258 | 26.9% |
| 83 | Ravenna | 11,274 | $59,971 | $215,181 | 24.2% |
| 84 | Kettering | 57,206 | $74,681 | $243,733 | 25.2% |
| 85 | Fostoria | 12,344 | $54,151 | $139,393 | 28.9% |
| 86 | Hamilton | 63,468 | $55,166 | $299,684 | 30.9% |
| 87 | Clayton | 13,277 | $92,879 | $253,570 | 29.0% |
| 88 | Brook Park | 18,284 | $71,332 | $191,188 | 23.8% |
| 89 | Cincinnati | 311,224 | $52,909 | $249,568 | 22.4% |
| 90 | Forest Park | 20,025 | $75,956 | $237,983 | 30.9% |
| 91 | South Euclid | 21,534 | $81,297 | $178,615 | 27.1% |
| 92 | Richmond Heights | 10,626 | $60,833 | $239,479 | 17.6% |
| 93 | Fairfield | 44,828 | $77,937 | $279,552 | 27.6% |
| 94 | New Franklin | 13,843 | $90,244 | $241,578 | 23.6% |
| 95 | Columbus | 914,802 | $66,082 | $245,979 | 26.8% |
| 96 | Sandusky | 24,606 | $50,139 | $146,646 | 27.8% |
| 97 | Miamisburg | 19,948 | $82,900 | $261,699 | 33.8% |
| 98 | Van Wert | 10,790 | $55,113 | $179,630 | 30.6% |
| 99 | Bedford | 12,931 | $57,308 | $152,982 | 21.8% |
| 100 | Tallmadge | 18,335 | $89,410 | $282,064 | 23.4% |
Source: U.S. Census data via Saturday Night Science. 150 Ohio cities with more than 10,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: The Best Places To Raise A Family In Ohio
If you’re looking for a breakdown of cities in Ohio ranked by criteria that most agree make a place a great spot for families, this is an accurate list.
The best places for families in Ohio are Perrysburg, Hudson, Upper Arlington, Avon Lake, Brecksville, Worthington, Mason, Delaware, Montgomery, and Medina.
