More and more people would prefer to live in the cities and towns that surround Akron to avoid all the hustle and bustle.
So the question arises: what suburbs of Akron are the worst?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Akron ‘burbs need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Akron area if you will. Realistically, you can only expect some of the suburbs to live up to Akron proper, although Oakwood certainly tries.
We examined the 75 biggest suburbs of Akron to find out the worst places to live. And while you won’t necessarily find them on the worst places to live in Ohio lists, these places are a little too far downwind of Akron in terms of quality of life.
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$40,801 median income · $115,537 median home price
Located in
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
We’ll get the ball rolling with Cleveland, the absolute worst place to live around Akron according to the data.
And in the world of worst rankings, Cleveland beat the competition pretty handily thanks to scoring in the bottom 15% in three major categories. Income is the worst in the Akron area, and to make matters worse, the city ranks worst when it comes to home values.
But hey, at least it’s cheap to live there. But there’s a reason for that… it’s Cleveland.
You won’t feel bad about not having a great income for the area. There aren’t a bunch of places to spend your money anyway.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
$43,188 median income · $168,515 median home price
Located in
Stark County, Ohio
Welcome to Canton. Home to KMart, Big Lots, and a lot of gas stations.
This city is 20.4 miles to Akron. Income levels here are the 3rd lowest in the metro area, where families bring in about $43,188 a year, which only goes so far even on a shoestring budget.
But on the bright side, there are a lot of fast food joints in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$50,506 median income · $164,000 median home price
Back up the highway we go for the third worst Akron suburb you can live in. You might have expected to see Newton Falls on here. While the cost of living is low, your entertainment and work options are limited. And that’s an understatement.
In terms of numbers, it’s in the worst 15% for insurance, and the adult high school dropout rate is poor compared to other Akron suburbs.
But at least there are lovely parks to bring the kids during the day.
Data | Movers
$49,541 median income · $116,475 median home price
If you live in Sebring, most likely you struggle to make ends meet every month. It ranks as the 4th lowest Akron suburb for median household incomes.
Not only that, but this is the worst unemployed suburb you can live in if you choose to live near Akron. Remember, we looked at 75 cities for this study.
Sebring is about 28.1 miles to downtown.
Data | Movers
$54,593 median income · $133,201 median home price
Located in
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Garfield Heights has the distinction of being a Akron suburb. Which means that’s about all it has going for it.
All snarkiness aside, Garfield Heights has the 4th lowest home values in the metro Akron area, where the median price is $133,201. The median income is $227,813.
Garfield Heights has an unemployment rate of 8.4% which ranks 6th worst.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$60,154 median income · $199,067 median home price
Located in
Wayne County, Ohio
Rittman has 6,044 residents that probably know it’s a pretty crummy place to live when you look at the data. (Or, if you’ve ever been there, you don’t need to look at the data.)
Incomes are towards the bottom, and the poverty rate sits at 14.0%.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$53,414 median income · $131,579 median home price
Located in
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Ah, Maple Heights. You rank as the 7th worst place to live around Akron.
It’s the place with the 2nd most out of work residents in the Akron metro area (11.6%).
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$49,669 median income · $134,771 median home price
Located in
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Warrensville Heights is a city about 24.8 miles from Akron, but Akron probably wishes it was further away. It ranks as the 8th worst burb.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a worse place to live. Warrensville Heights has the 19th most uninsured people, 5th worst incomes, and has the 7th highest unemployment rate (8.3%) in the entire Akron metro area.
Homes only cost $134,771 for a reason. That’s cheap for Akron standards.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$56,106 median income · $158,558 median home price
Located in
Stark County, Ohio
If you absolutely have to live near Akron, then Alliance might be a place for you to consider as it’s only the 9th worst Akron suburb.
About 4.3% of residents are out of work.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$54,219 median income · $184,616 median home price
Rounding out the ten worst Akron suburbs to call home is Windham.
Located 27.4 miles outside the city, Windham is a real pit when you look at the data. Its residents have the 19th highest unemployment rate (5.5%), and poverty is far above the area average.
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 worst Akron suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: Determining The Worst Suburbs Around Akron for 2026
To figure out how bad a Akron suburb is to live in, we used Saturday Night Science to identify the kinds of things people like and then decide what suburbs have the least amount of those things.
Using the most recent American Community Survey data from 2020-2024, this is the criteria we used:
- High unemployment rate
- Low median household incomes
- Low population density (no things to do)
- Low home values
- A lot of high school dropouts
- High poverty
- High rate of uninsured families
We defined a suburb as any town within 30 miles of Akron.
We also limited the analysis to places with 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 worst.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
And finally, we crowned the city with the worst quality of life index, the “Worst Suburb near Akron.” We’re looking at you, Cleveland.
We updated this article for 2026, which reflects our eleventh time ranking the worst suburbs around Akron.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Worst Akron Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Worst Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Values |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland | 12.71 | 366,097 | $40,801 | $115,537 |
| 2 | Canton | 13.64 | 69,755 | $43,188 | $168,515 |
| 3 | Newton Falls | 14.50 | 4,549 | $50,506 | $164,000 |
| 4 | Sebring | 14.57 | 4,146 | $49,541 | $116,475 |
| 5 | Garfield Heights | 15.36 | 29,269 | $54,593 | $133,201 |
| 6 | Rittman | 15.71 | 6,044 | $60,154 | $199,067 |
| 7 | Maple Heights | 16.86 | 23,258 | $53,414 | $131,579 |
| 8 | Warrensville Heights | 18.00 | 13,545 | $49,669 | $134,771 |
| 9 | Alliance | 19.21 | 21,478 | $56,106 | $158,558 |
| 10 | Windham | 20.21 | 2,020 | $54,219 | $184,616 |
| 11 | Lodi | 20.50 | 2,783 | $51,914 | $258,680 |
| 12 | Ravenna | 22.29 | 11,274 | $59,971 | $215,181 |
| 13 | Massillon | 23.07 | 32,338 | $56,446 | $212,708 |
| 14 | Kent | 23.14 | 27,116 | $42,964 | $243,706 |
| 15 | Bedford | 23.36 | 12,931 | $57,308 | $152,982 |
| 16 | Navarre | 23.36 | 2,047 | $59,542 | $225,924 |
| 17 | Barberton | 24.14 | 24,844 | $52,267 | $152,665 |
| 18 | Garrettsville | 24.50 | 2,752 | $66,404 | $280,378 |
| 19 | Lakemore | 25.64 | 2,914 | $59,758 | $178,562 |
| 20 | Orrville | 25.79 | 8,343 | $72,569 | $235,321 |
| 21 | Bedford Heights | 26.57 | 10,847 | $50,269 | $190,891 |
| 22 | Parma | 27.07 | 79,870 | $69,295 | $210,914 |
| 23 | Brooklyn | 28.07 | 11,158 | $69,346 | $201,508 |
| 24 | Brewster | 29.36 | 2,105 | $57,192 | $162,607 |
| 25 | Creston | 29.64 | 2,413 | $68,500 | $254,921 |
| 26 | Parma Heights | 29.93 | 20,581 | $61,009 | $214,164 |
| 27 | Brook Park | 29.93 | 18,284 | $71,332 | $191,188 |
| 28 | Northfield | 30.36 | 3,543 | $70,917 | $297,574 |
| 29 | Grafton | 31.86 | 5,657 | $90,724 | $307,182 |
| 30 | Cuyahoga Falls | 32.14 | 50,909 | $72,705 | $213,993 |
| 31 | Streetsboro | 32.79 | 17,661 | $90,274 | $279,257 |
| 32 | Wooster | 34.00 | 26,971 | $66,898 | $259,956 |
| 33 | Norton | 34.64 | 11,524 | $90,464 | $244,015 |
| 34 | Canal Fulton | 36.07 | 5,337 | $62,044 | $262,126 |
| 35 | Cleveland Heights | 36.43 | 44,497 | $72,826 | $202,639 |
| 36 | Louisville | 37.14 | 9,602 | $64,375 | $240,230 |
| 37 | New Franklin | 37.21 | 13,843 | $90,244 | $241,578 |
| 38 | Medina | 37.79 | 25,950 | $77,385 | $374,184 |
| 39 | Berea | 37.86 | 18,218 | $74,926 | $239,040 |
| 40 | Tallmadge | 38.21 | 18,335 | $89,410 | $282,064 |
| 41 | North Royalton | 38.50 | 30,972 | $83,670 | $334,792 |
| 42 | Seville | 38.93 | 2,116 | $76,938 | $302,251 |
| 43 | Mogadore | 41.79 | 3,806 | $82,557 | $257,496 |
| 44 | Wadsworth | 42.29 | 24,492 | $79,490 | $311,603 |
| 45 | Orange | 42.57 | 3,485 | $170,063 | $551,009 |
| 46 | Munroe Falls | 42.86 | 5,000 | $81,214 | $274,601 |
| 47 | Richfield | 42.93 | 3,721 | $82,560 | $487,652 |
| 48 | Hartville | 45.07 | 3,377 | $69,648 | $291,821 |
| 49 | Green | 45.36 | 27,393 | $95,047 | $315,866 |
| 50 | University Heights | 45.93 | 13,394 | $96,971 | $278,811 |
| 51 | Macedonia | 46.29 | 12,152 | $101,285 | $339,074 |
| 52 | Walton Hills | 46.64 | 2,010 | $106,055 | $321,532 |
| 53 | Stow | 46.86 | 34,240 | $93,727 | $284,989 |
| 54 | Middleburg Heights | 47.00 | 15,786 | $78,815 | $271,583 |
| 55 | Olmsted Falls | 47.14 | 8,639 | $96,837 | $297,060 |
| 56 | Brunswick | 47.93 | 35,246 | $90,663 | $313,497 |
| 57 | Strongsville | 49.21 | 45,983 | $103,253 | $360,031 |
| 58 | Seven Hills | 50.71 | 11,603 | $97,222 | $299,505 |
| 59 | Twinsburg | 51.00 | 19,410 | $99,144 | $354,964 |
| 60 | Brecksville | 51.07 | 13,692 | $135,000 | $437,032 |
| 61 | North Canton | 51.64 | 17,727 | $72,544 | $283,608 |
| 62 | Broadview Heights | 52.64 | 19,771 | $103,125 | $365,133 |
| 63 | Shaker Heights | 54.29 | 28,922 | $104,073 | $342,442 |
| 64 | Aurora | 54.86 | 17,581 | $127,886 | $428,906 |
| 65 | Solon | 55.86 | 23,943 | $139,089 | $452,828 |
| 66 | Beachwood | 56.43 | 13,865 | $106,748 | $483,433 |
| 67 | Fairlawn | 58.07 | 7,711 | $97,055 | $309,743 |
| 68 | Independence | 58.57 | 7,534 | $115,733 | $354,545 |
| 69 | Moreland Hills | 58.57 | 3,456 | $185,592 | $731,145 |
| 70 | Chagrin Falls | 59.14 | 4,201 | $99,672 | $493,592 |
| 71 | Pepper Pike | 61.79 | 6,840 | $227,813 | $696,160 |
| 72 | South Russell | 61.93 | 3,956 | $171,875 | $487,890 |
| 73 | Hudson | 62.64 | 23,039 | $171,427 | $542,265 |
| 74 | Silver Lake | 64.07 | 2,515 | $139,934 | $359,405 |
| 75 | Oakwood | 67.14 | 9,458 | $156,667 | $396,573 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 75 suburbs within 30 miles of Akron.
Summary
Summary: The areas around Akron where the dream is more of a nightmare for 2026
Well there you have it — the worst of the ‘burbs surrounding Akron with Cleveland casting itself ahead of the pack.
The worst suburbs of Akron are Cleveland, Canton, Newton Falls, Sebring, Garfield Heights, Rittman, Maple Heights, Warrensville Heights, Alliance, and Windham.
As we mentioned earlier, the suburbs around Akron aren’t all bad. Oakwood takes the cake as the best place to live around Akron. Wondering how Cleveland stacks up against a bigger name? See Cleveland, OH vs. Baltimore, MD side by side.
Questions and answers
Worst Suburbs Of Akron FAQs
What is the worst suburb of Akron?
Cleveland ranks as the worst suburb around Akron for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Canton and Newton Falls are next on the list.
What are the worst suburbs of Akron?
The worst-ranked suburbs around Akron are Cleveland, Canton, Newton Falls, Sebring, Garfield Heights, Rittman, Maple Heights, Warrensville Heights, Alliance, and Windham. We scored all 75 places within 30 miles.
Why does Cleveland rank as the worst suburb?
Cleveland posts the roughest combined numbers of the 75 suburbs we scored: a median household income of $40,801, a median home value of $115,537, and a poverty rate of 30.6%.
What is the best-ranked suburb near Akron?
Oakwood lands at the opposite end of this ranking, making it the best-ranked suburb near Akron by these measures. Our separate best suburbs of Akron list covers that side properly.
How do you rank the worst suburbs?
Suburbs are scored on unemployment, income, density, home values, dropouts, poverty, and insurance coverage, using Census American Community Survey data. Real numbers, light heart — every one of these towns has people making it work.
