What is the cost of living in Akron?

Akron has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 93.4, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 76.8, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,268/month.

What is the median salary in Akron?

The median salary in Akron is $64,986 annually (mean: $68,501). Top occupations include Fast Food and Counter Workers, General and Operations Managers, Stockers and Order Fillers.

The violent crime rate in the Akron area is 293 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1545 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Akron?

The state of OH has 3,586 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 18.2:1. Charter schools make up 9.3% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Akron?

Infant center-based childcare in the Akron area averages $11,791 per year. Preschool averages $9,394/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Akron a good place to relocate?

Akron has a Life Score of 50/100 (D), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Akron sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Akron ranks #245 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Akron, OH

LiveAbility 47.8/100 places Akron #245 of 387 (middle third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

93.4
Cost index (US=100): $1,268
2BR rent / mo: $64,986
Median salary: 47.8
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Akron ranks #245 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (47.8/100), with its strongest marks in safety and job market.

#245
of 387 US metros · Near median: 11,883,304
metro-area population: 293
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 3,586
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: schools (20/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Akron ranks #245 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 93.4 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,268/mo, median salary $64,986; LiveAbility Score 47.8/100, strongest in safety and job market.

Signature: LiveAbility 47.8/100 places Akron #245 of 387 (middle third).

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 93.4 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,268/mo.

LiveAbility 47.8/100 keeps Akron in the middle third (#245 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Akron area is 311,740.

Akron vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

48 Top 64% higher than 36% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Akron housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Akron MSA; housing RPP 76.8 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,268/mo.

Studio

$904

/month

1 Bedroom

$985

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,268

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,547

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,681

/month

Akron wages and employment

Akron posts 311,740 total employment with median salary $64,986.

Median Salary

$64,986

Mean Salary

$68,501

Total Employment

311,740

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$28,690
General and Operations Managers	$98,340
Stockers and Order Fillers	$37,600
Registered Nurses	$80,770
Retail Salespersons	$31,060

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Akron area from NCES.

Schools

3,586

Enrollment

1,675,943

Student:Teacher

18.2:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Akron area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$11,791

per year

Toddler (Center)

$10,686

per year

Preschool (Center)

$9,394

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Akron's composite Life Score is 50/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

52/100

Average

Wages

55/100

Above average

Rent

55/100

Above average

Crime

59/100

Above average

Schools

80/100

Elite

Childcare

33/100

Weak

Environment

4/100

Bottom decile

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Akron ranks #245 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 47.8/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Safety (59/100)

Safety

59
Job market

55
Housing

55
Low hazard

53
Cost of living

52
Air quality

44
Climate

37
Schools

20

What this shows Akron's strongest dimensions are safety and job market; its weakest among scored dims is schools at 20/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Akron to

Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood Iowa City Ithaca Jackson Jackson Jackson

Metros near Akron on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Akron on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Akron cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Akron wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Akron?

Akron runs a $64,986 median salary at a 93.4 cost index, ranking #245 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Akron's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Akron head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Akron
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.