What’s the best part of Akron? It could be where everyone knows their neighbor. Or it could be where home prices are the highest, meaning it’s where everyone wants to live.
Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and find out which neighborhoods in Akron are the best based on Saturday Night Science.
Whether you live in the sticks or in an apartment building downtown, you want a little pocket that you can call home. And each neighborhood offers different perks and benefits.
Smaller neighborhoods usually have obvious benefits — less crime, a slower pace of life, and a lower cost of living. But not all Akron neighborhoods are created equal. Some are better than others. But which ones?
If you’re thinking of moving to Ohio and Akron is on the top of your list, check out the best neighborhoods for 2026.
$91,588 median income · $158,750 median home value
$46,670 median income · $110,085 median home value
$82,048 median income · $165,400 median home value
$59,502 median income · $162,380 median home value
$54,169 median income · $128,450 median home value
$45,547 median income · $76,356 median home value
$51,493 median income · $100,408 median home value
$51,585 median income · $69,454 median home value
$38,185 median income · $75,423 median home value
$33,584 median income · $83,686 median home value
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
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best Akron, OH neighborhoods in 2026
To rank the best neighborhoods in Akron, we had to determine what criteria define “best” and then apply Saturday Night Science to it.
Using FBI crime, Census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:
- High incomes
- Low unemployment rates
- Low crime
- High home prices
- High population densities (A proxy for things to do)
We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 21 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.
And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index, the “Best City Neighborhood In Akron.” We’re lookin’ at you, Northwest Akron.
Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best places Akron, Ohio has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city, from best to worst.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best neighborhoods to live in Akron.
The full plate
Table: Best Akron neighborhoods for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northwest Akron | 12,084 | $158,750 | $91,588 |
| 2 | Highland Square | 10,343 | $110,085 | $46,670 |
| 3 | Fairlawn Heights | 2,641 | $165,400 | $82,048 |
| 4 | Wallhaven | 4,745 | $162,380 | $59,502 |
| 5 | Merriman Valley | 6,968 | $128,450 | $54,169 |
| 6 | Goodyear Heights | 18,716 | $76,356 | $45,547 |
| 7 | Ellet | 16,052 | $100,408 | $51,493 |
| 8 | Firestone Park | 14,889 | $69,454 | $51,585 |
| 9 | North Hill | 15,911 | $75,423 | $38,185 |
| 10 | West Akron | 15,361 | $83,686 | $33,584 |
| 11 | Chapel Hill | 7,198 | $76,183 | $33,985 |
| 12 | Rolling Acres | 2,592 | $70,850 | $35,933 |
| 13 | Kenmore | 15,909 | $66,290 | $40,829 |
| 14 | Elizabeth Park Valley | 4,646 | $69,143 | $33,412 |
| 15 | South Akron | 5,586 | $48,550 | $37,464 |
| 16 | Downtown | 5,727 | $86,350 | $15,724 |
| 17 | University Of Ohio Akron | 6,913 | $41,960 | $26,718 |
| 18 | Lane-Wooster | 5,479 | $53,417 | $28,938 |
| 19 | East Akron | 11,283 | $57,546 | $32,926 |
| 20 | Summit Lake | 3,042 | $47,950 | $28,858 |
| 21 | Middlebury | 4,993 | $49,643 | $26,477 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 21 Akron neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: Putting a bow on our analysis of the best neighborhoods in Akron
If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in Akron where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best neighborhoods in Akron are Northwest Akron, Highland Square, Fairlawn Heights, Wallhaven, Merriman Valley, Goodyear Heights, Ellet, Firestone Park, North Hill, and West Akron.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Akron aren’t all good. Middlebury takes the title of the worst neighborhood to live in Akron.
We ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst in the chart below. Not sold on Ohio? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Neighborhoods In Akron FAQs
What is the best neighborhood in Akron?
Northwest Akron is the best neighborhood in Akron for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Highland Square and Fairlawn Heights are next.
What are the best neighborhoods in Akron?
The best neighborhoods in Akron are Northwest Akron, Highland Square, Fairlawn Heights, Wallhaven, Merriman Valley, Goodyear Heights, Ellet, Firestone Park, North Hill, and West Akron. We ranked all 21 neighborhoods in the city.
How expensive is Northwest Akron?
The median household income in Northwest Akron is $91,588 and the median home costs $158,750. The best blocks in Akron rarely come at a discount.
How do you rank Akron neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on income, home values, population density, unemployment, and crime, using Census tract data. The neighborhood with the best combined score, Northwest Akron, takes the top spot.
Which Akron neighborhood ranked last?
Middlebury came in last of the 21 neighborhoods we scored. Every city has a bottom of the table; in Akron the numbers put it there.
