Akron’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You’ve got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in Akron.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in Ohio thanks in part to tons of entertainment and jobs, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in Akron. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.
So the question arises, which Akron neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Akron hoods need a little tender loving care. We examined 21 of Akron’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live.
$26,477 median income
$28,858 median income
$32,926 median income
$28,938 median income
$26,718 median income
$15,724 median income
$37,464 median income
$33,412 median income
$35,933 median income
$40,829 median income
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Ohio’s statewide median.
Ohio statewide median: $242,141
Ohio statewide median: $71,389
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Akron neighborhoods in 2026
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in Akron:
- High crime (Estimated)
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Akron, Ohio for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criterion into a “Worst Score.”
The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of Akron.
The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2026. Skip to the end to see the list of all 21 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
The full plate
Most dangerous neighborhoods to live in Akron for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middlebury | 4,993 | $49,643 | $26,477 |
| 2 | Summit Lake | 3,042 | $47,950 | $28,858 |
| 3 | East Akron | 11,283 | $57,546 | $32,926 |
| 4 | Lane-Wooster | 5,479 | $53,417 | $28,938 |
| 5 | University Of Ohio Akron | 6,913 | $41,960 | $26,718 |
| 6 | Downtown | 5,727 | $86,350 | $15,724 |
| 7 | South Akron | 5,586 | $48,550 | $37,464 |
| 8 | Elizabeth Park Valley | 4,646 | $69,143 | $33,412 |
| 9 | Rolling Acres | 2,592 | $70,850 | $35,933 |
| 9 | Kenmore | 15,909 | $66,290 | $40,829 |
| 11 | Chapel Hill | 7,198 | $76,183 | $33,985 |
| 12 | West Akron | 15,361 | $83,686 | $33,584 |
| 13 | North Hill | 15,911 | $75,423 | $38,185 |
| 14 | Firestone Park | 14,889 | $69,454 | $51,585 |
| 15 | Ellet | 16,052 | $100,408 | $51,493 |
| 16 | Goodyear Heights | 18,716 | $76,356 | $45,547 |
| 17 | Merriman Valley | 6,968 | $128,450 | $54,169 |
| 18 | Fairlawn Heights | 2,641 | $165,400 | $82,048 |
| 18 | Wallhaven | 4,745 | $162,380 | $59,502 |
| 20 | Highland Square | 10,343 | $110,085 | $46,670 |
| 21 | Northwest Akron | 12,084 | $158,750 | $91,588 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 21 Akron neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: The worst neighborhoods around Akron
Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Akron with Middlebury landing at the bottom of the pack.
The worst neighborhoods in Akron are Middlebury, Summit Lake, East Akron, Lane-Wooster, University Of Ohio Akron, Downtown, South Akron, Elizabeth Park Valley, Rolling Acres, and Kenmore.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Akron aren’t all bad. Northwest Akron takes the cake as the best place to live in Akron.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best 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
Worst Neighborhoods In Akron FAQs
What is the most dangerous neighborhood in Akron?
Middlebury ranks as the worst neighborhood in Akron for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Summit Lake and East Akron are next on the list.
What are the worst neighborhoods in Akron?
The worst-ranked neighborhoods in Akron are Middlebury, Summit Lake, East Akron, Lane-Wooster, University Of Ohio Akron, Downtown, South Akron, Elizabeth Park Valley, Rolling Acres, and Kenmore. We scored all 21 neighborhoods in the city.
Why does Middlebury rank as the worst?
Middlebury posts the roughest combined numbers in Akron: a median household income of $26,477 and a median home value of $49,643, with crime, unemployment, and density folded into the score.
Are these neighborhoods dangerous everywhere?
No. The scores are neighborhood-wide averages, and conditions change block by block and hour by hour. Plenty of people live in these neighborhoods without incident; the numbers just say the odds run tougher.
How do you rank the worst neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on crime, unemployment, income, density, and home values, using Census tract and FBI data. The worst combined score tops the list.
