Should I Move To
Roughly 50,605 people live in Lakewood, Ohio. Living here costs affordable relative to the rest of the country, 11% below the national average. Median rent runs about $941/mo; the typical household pulls in $63,299. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 52/100 — a C-, putting it at #402 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Lakewood sits at 89 — affordable when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($941/mo against $63,299 median household income), housing eats roughly 18% of a typical paycheck — comfortably under the 30% rule of thumb, which is unusual. Buying-side, the median home value is $221,100.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is cold-winter: roughly 82°F in summer, 25°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 41 inches. Very walkable in most central neighborhoods — daily errands rarely require a car. Air quality reads good (AQI 49).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Lakewood is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 70/100 (grade B-) on the families profile. Strongest on affordability (83/100); weakest on environmental quality (22/100).
For retirees, Lakewood is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 62/100 (grade C+) on the retirees profile. Strongest on affordability (83/100); weakest on environmental quality (22/100).
For remote workers, Lakewood is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 62/100 (grade C+) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on affordability (83/100); weakest on environmental quality (22/100).
For young professionals, Lakewood is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 58/100 (grade C) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on affordability (83/100); weakest on environmental quality (22/100).
Lakewood, Ohio pulls a 52/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade C-), currently ranked #402 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Lakewood's cost-of-living index is 89 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the affordable band — 11% below the national average. Median rent runs about $941/mo.
Cold-winter — summer averages around 82°F, winter averages around 25°F, with about 41 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 74/100. Very walkable in most central neighborhoods — daily errands rarely require a car.
Lakewood has about 50,605 residents, 51% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 34.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Lakewood head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how Lakewood stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Lakewood with other Ohio cities scored on UrbRank.
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