The 10 Best Cleveland Suburbs To Live In For 2022


We analyzed over 83 places around Cleveland to identify the most in demand places to live.

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Editor’s Note: Data has been updated for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the best Cleveland suburbs.

Big city living isn't for everyone--but at the same time, urban areas certainly have their perks.

There's the culture, the food, the arts, the food, the energy, and you know, the food. But there are drawbacks. There's traffic, expensive parking, expensive housing--pretty much, expensive everything, depending on which big city you're looking at.

But that's where the suburbs come in--they have all of the benefits of being near big cities, without actually having to be big cities.

Of course, not all suburbs of Cleveland are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. So without further ado...

Here are the 10 best suburbs to live around Cleveland for 2022:

  1. Oakwood
  2. South Russell
  3. Pepper Pike
  4. Rocky River
  5. Chagrin Falls
  6. Hudson
  7. Silver Lake
  8. Independence
  9. Moreland Hills
  10. Avon Lake

What's the best suburb of Cleveland? Oakwood ranks as the best suburb of Cleveland for 2022 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Oakwood, you're probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.

We'll tell you what makes each of these 10 Cleveland 'burbs better than the rest--but first, a bit about our methodology.

Note: 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 larger selection of suburbs.

Feel free to check out some more reading about Ohio:

The 10 Best Cleveland Suburbs To Live For 2022

Oakwood is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Cleveland area. We'll tell you the good about "Awesome Oakwood."

Everyone here is rich; families average $121,250 a year, which is the 7th highest in the Cleveland region. And only 0.98% are out of work. Homes average more than $261,100 each.

Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 8,958
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $121,250
Unemployment Rate: 1.0%
Poverty Rate: 6.0%
More on Oakwood: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Oakwood, OH

South Russell is the second best 'burb we looked at near Cleveland for 2022.

It ranks 4th for incomes in the area and only 1.41% of residents lack insurance, good for 8th best.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 3,761
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 2)
Median Income: $133,750
Unemployment Rate: 1.9%
Poverty Rate: 2.9%
More on South Russell: Real Estate | Data

Here in Pepper Pike, it's really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you'll see in the Cleveland 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 Pepper Pike.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 6,319
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Income: $182,743
Unemployment Rate: 1.7%
Poverty Rate: 4.4%
More on Pepper Pike: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Pepper Pike, OH

Rocky River ranks as the 4th best suburb of Cleveland for 2022.

You won't find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Rocky River and the schools are some of the best around.

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 20,115
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 7)
Median Income: $81,370
Unemployment Rate: 3.1%
Poverty Rate: 5.4%
More on Rocky River: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Rocky River, OH

Source: Public domain

Coming in as the fifth best is Chagrin Falls.

Chagrin Falls gets kudos for having the 7th most expensive homes in the Cleveland area, where houses sell for an average of $335,600. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 3,935
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 3)
Median Income: $81,029
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%
Poverty Rate: 2.3%
More on Chagrin Falls: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Chagrin Falls, OH

Source: Public domain

Hudson 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 2.88% which is 24th best in the area.

According to online reports, Hudson is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Cleveland area, meaning you need to get in soon.

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 22,249
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Median Income: $133,418
Unemployment Rate: 2.9%
Poverty Rate: 2.9%
More on Hudson: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Hudson, OH

The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Silver Lake.

Silver Lake 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 25.1 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 2,496
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Median Income: $114,688
Unemployment Rate: 4.7%
Poverty Rate: 2.2%
More on Silver Lake: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Silver Lake, OH

Source: Public domain

Independence 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 2.83% of people lack insurance, good for 28th in the area.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 7,167
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 3)
Median Income: $105,107
Unemployment Rate: 1.1%
Poverty Rate: 1.2%
More on Independence: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Independence, OH

Source: Public domain

Is 'Everything Better In Moreland Hills?'

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.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 3,315
Rank Last Year: 8 (Down 1)
Median Income: $170,391
Unemployment Rate: 6.7%
Poverty Rate: 1.3%
More on Moreland Hills: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Moreland Hills, OH

Source: Public domain

And rounding out the top ten for 2022 is Avon Lake.

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.

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 24,309
Rank Last Year: 15 (Up 5)
Median Income: $82,994
Unemployment Rate: 2.3%
Poverty Rate: 4.4%
More on Avon Lake: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Avon Lake, OH

Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Cleveland for 2022

Figuring out the best suburbs around Cleveland was pretty simple; we just needed to list several things that people like, and then find out which cities have the most of those things.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:

  • 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

Then we used the newest American Community Survey data for 2016-2020 to research each suburb.

FYI: We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Cleveland.

Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 84 suburbs to evaluate around Cleveland.

We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 84 in each category, where 1 was the "best.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality of life index.

And finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index the "Best Suburb near Cleveland." We're lookin' at you, Oakwood. You can download the data here.

Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the best of the best. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.

Summary: Welcome to the Best Cleveland 'Burbs of 2022

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.

So if you're hankering for some of the amenities of a larger city like Cleveland, but don't want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might just be for you.

For more Ohio reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Cleveland Suburbs

Rank City Population Median Income
1 Oakwood, OH 8,958 $121,250
2 South Russell, OH 3,761 $133,750
3 Pepper Pike, OH 6,319 $182,743
4 Rocky River, OH 20,115 $81,370
5 Chagrin Falls, OH 3,935 $81,029
6 Hudson, OH 22,249 $133,418
7 Silver Lake, OH 2,496 $114,688
8 Independence, OH 7,167 $105,107
9 Moreland Hills, OH 3,315 $170,391
10 Avon Lake, OH 24,309 $82,994
11 Avon, OH 23,233 $109,539
12 Gates Mills, OH 2,142 $167,250
13 Solon, OH 22,858 $114,214
14 Broadview Heights, OH 19,195 $87,815
15 Westlake, OH 32,154 $92,917
16 Strongsville, OH 44,675 $90,377
17 Reminderville, OH 4,384 $91,591
18 Olmsted Falls, OH 8,892 $80,538
19 Beachwood, OH 11,627 $88,709
20 Shaker Heights, OH 27,148 $88,635
21 Fairlawn, OH 7,536 $72,088
22 Lyndhurst, OH 13,431 $73,708
23 Highland Heights, OH 8,375 $108,652
24 Macedonia, OH 11,942 $96,029
25 Twinsburg, OH 18,754 $82,760
26 Valley View, OH 2,075 $83,233
27 Mayfield, OH 3,388 $90,739
28 University Heights, OH 12,908 $80,817
29 Kirtland, OH 6,801 $91,108
30 Aurora, OH 16,165 $113,438
31 Brecksville, OH 13,521 $105,527
32 Seven Hills, OH 11,597 $81,128
33 North Royalton, OH 30,179 $69,788
34 Stow, OH 34,770 $76,883
35 Orange, OH 3,269 $124,271
36 Richfield, OH 3,767 $63,692
37 Brunswick, OH 34,902 $70,384
38 Middleburg Heights, OH 15,514 $68,125
39 Mentor, OH 47,075 $73,208
40 Sheffield, OH 4,299 $83,477
41 Tallmadge, OH 17,681 $74,783
42 Northfield, OH 3,667 $65,629
43 Medina, OH 26,026 $66,691
44 North Ridgeville, OH 33,961 $77,560
45 Sheffield Lake, OH 9,001 $57,623
46 Fairview Park, OH 16,219 $63,744
47 Willowick, OH 14,103 $64,381
48 Berea, OH 18,713 $60,292
49 Lagrange, OH 2,355 $77,500
50 North Olmsted, OH 31,562 $72,666
51 Willoughby Hills, OH 9,545 $57,331
52 Walton Hills, OH 2,221 $86,071
53 Amherst, OH 12,193 $76,402
54 Wickliffe, OH 12,720 $67,356
55 Chardon, OH 5,168 $69,018
56 Willoughby, OH 22,904 $60,311
57 South Euclid, OH 21,449 $60,368
58 Mayfield Heights, OH 18,586 $55,901
59 Munroe Falls, OH 5,069 $59,406
60 Mentor-On-The-Lake, OH 7,391 $54,039
61 Lakewood, OH 50,002 $54,487
62 Cleveland Heights, OH 44,176 $59,086
63 Fairport Harbor, OH 3,067 $49,171
64 Parma Heights, OH 19,916 $51,328
65 Cuyahoga Falls, OH 49,191 $60,280
66 Parma, OH 78,623 $58,011
67 Streetsboro, OH 16,444 $64,667
68 Bedford, OH 12,555 $45,945
69 Eastlake, OH 18,072 $53,350
70 Brook Park, OH 18,486 $56,302
71 Richmond Heights, OH 10,376 $47,573
72 Kent, OH 29,698 $36,809
73 Grafton, OH 6,017 $67,455
74 Bedford Heights, OH 10,530 $43,912
75 Maple Heights, OH 22,178 $43,036
76 Brooklyn, OH 10,788 $52,341
77 Painesville, OH 19,817 $47,259
78 Euclid, OH 46,861 $40,342
79 Elyria, OH 53,844 $43,816
80 Warrensville Heights, OH 13,178 $39,919
81 Garfield Heights, OH 27,673 $43,901
82 East Cleveland, OH 17,047 $22,426
83 Akron, OH 197,375 $40,281
84 Lorain, OH 63,832 $40,486

How Is Your Town In ?

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.