Here are the top 16 ‘Best Places to Live in Ohio’ according to ‘U.S. News’ World Report

And not surprisingly, Columbus ranks high on the 2025-2026 “Best Places to Live” report by U.S. News.

To compile this list, U.S. News used data from Applied Geographic Solutions and their own internal resources, as well as the U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Commerce, the federal Reserve, and the Bureau for Economic Analysis, as well as state and local sources.

The data was categorized into six indexes: Happiness, Affordability, Health Care Quality, Retiree Taxes, Desirability, and Job Market. Each of those indexes also have their own categories. For example, Happiness took into consideration crime rates, air quality, and overall well-being.

So, let’s get to it – who comes out on top (and bottom)?

16. Cleveland
Overall Score: 4.0

15. Canton
Overall Score: 4.2

14. Youngstown
Overall Score: 4.7

13. Toledo
Overall Score: 4.7

12. Cincinnati
Overall Score: 4.8

11. Dayton
Overall Score: 4.9

10. Akron
Overall Score: 4.9

9. Sandusky
Overall Score:4.9

8. Mansfield
Overall Score: 4.9

7. Lorain
Overall Score: 5.0

6. Springfield
Overall Score: 5.2

5. Lima
Overall Score: 5.3

4. Hamilton
Overall Score: 5.3

3. Columbus
Overall Score: 6.0

2. Parma
Overall Score: 6.0

1. Mentor
Overall Score: 6.1

In Columbus specifically, the average home value is $255,115, while the national average right now is $370,489. The average commute time is 19.8 minutes, there’s a pretty even age distribution here, and there are more single people here than the national average. However, it appears that Columbus “has a less healthy job market than similarly sized metro areas,” and a higher unemployment rate than the national average.

To see more individualized details on each of these cities, visit the report here and click “see details” next to each city’s name!

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