Cuyahoga Falls vs Fort Atkinson

Which is the better fit for you?

Cuyahoga Falls, OH
66
Area Score
Top 25% nationally
Fort Atkinson, WI
65
Area Score
Top 27% nationally

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Cuyahoga Falls receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Cuyahoga Falls to Fort Atkinson

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Everyday prices
The Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes no regional price index for Fort Atkinson, so nothing here is estimated in its place.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Needs a price index for both places.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$192 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,156 in Fort Atkinson against $1,348 in Cuyahoga Falls.
The median home
16% more
$211,800 in Fort Atkinson against $183,300 in Cuyahoga Falls.
The weather you would swap
Winters 10°F colder
Normal January lows are 11°F in Fort Atkinson against 21°F in Cuyahoga Falls; July highs are 83°F against 85°F (summers 2°F cooler).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Cuyahoga Falls
Fort Atkinson
Opportunity: Fort Atkinson is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
70 · Top 24%
vs
72 · Top 20%
Growth: Fort Atkinson is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
23 · Bottom 8%
vs
32 · Bottom 17%
Climate: Cuyahoga Falls is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
64 · Bottom 31%
vs
56 · Bottom 7%
Physical resilience: Cuyahoga Falls is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
90 · Top 11%
vs
81 · Top 21%
Housing affordability
84 · Top 7%
vs
84 · Top 7%
Schools: Cuyahoga Falls is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
49 · Bottom 49%
vs
48 · Bottom 48%
Access: Cuyahoga Falls is the more favorable of the two.
Access
93 · Top 46%
vs
86 · Bottom 30%
Economic stability: Fort Atkinson is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
61 · Top 45%
vs
72 · Top 19%

Measured values

MetricCuyahoga FallsFort AtkinsonSource period
Population50,90912,4632024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$72,705 ±$5,336$79,302 ±$8,0422024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$43,797 — more favorable$38,2292024 ACS 5-Year
Population density1,974/sq mi2,132/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$183,300$211,8002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,038$961 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,348$1,156 — more favorableFY2026
Homeownership rate64.4%68.5%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate3.2%2.9% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)0.0%+0.4% — more favorableJuly 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher37.7% — more favorable26.2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate10.2%6.8% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)4391212 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents0.81.0 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−52.1%−87.0%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high85°F83°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low21°F11°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation32.5"35.5"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport19 mi — more favorable29 miNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate23.4 min ±0.8 min22.4 min ±2.4 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age38.443.52024 ACS 5-Year
Students per teacher14.812.4 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency59.7%40.4%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency64.1%40.1%2018-19 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

2 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Ohio and Wisconsin do not give the same test. Each state writes its own assessment and sets its own passing score, so the two proficiency rows above are not directly comparable — the difference between them partly measures which standard is harder. Students per teacher and the school count are unaffected, and each profile ranks its own proficiency within its own state.

Physical risk tradeoff

Cuyahoga Falls

Elevated or high exposure: hail.

Fort Atkinson

Elevated or high exposure: hail, tornado.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Cuyahoga Falls
—
Cuyahoga Falls: Your Score
66
Area Score
Fort Atkinson
—
Fort Atkinson: Your Score
65
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Cuyahoga Falls, OH · Fort Atkinson, WI · How this is calculated: methodology