East Cleveland vs Lorain

Which is the better fit for you?

East Cleveland, OH
56
Area Score
Bottom 40% nationally
Lorain, OH
55
Area Score
Bottom 36% nationally

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East Cleveland 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 East Cleveland to Lorain

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 92.9 against 92.9 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
+$20 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,070 in Lorain against $1,050 in East Cleveland.
The median home
102% more
$139,200 in Lorain against $68,800 in East Cleveland.
The weather you would swap
Winters 4°F colder
Normal January lows are 20°F in Lorain against 24°F in East Cleveland; July highs are 82°F against 81°F (summers 1°F hotter).

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

East Cleveland
Lorain
Opportunity: East Cleveland is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
50 · Bottom 37%
vs
43 · Bottom 22%
Growth: East Cleveland is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
38 · Bottom 26%
vs
37 · Bottom 25%
Climate: East Cleveland is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
69 · Bottom 45%
vs
63 · Bottom 28%
Physical resilience: East Cleveland is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
97 · Top 2%
vs
96 · Top 3%
Housing affordability: Lorain is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
58 · Bottom 32%
vs
68 · Top 46%
Schools: East Cleveland is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
15 · Bottom 7%
vs
13 · Bottom 6%
Access
95 · Top 39%
vs
95 · Top 39%
Economic stability: Lorain is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
10 · Bottom 1%
vs
26 · Bottom 6%

Measured values

MetricEast ClevelandLorainSource period
Population13,53465,3952024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$22,116$48,685 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$22,734$27,589 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Population density4,390/sq mi2,770/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$68,800$139,2002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$776 — more favorable$8872024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,050 — more favorable$1,070FY2025
Cost of living index92.992.92023
Homeownership rate37.1%57.1%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate3.3% — more favorable4.2%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)−1.2% — more favorable−1.3%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher — the two are too close to separate17.3% ±5%14.8% ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate39.4%25.2% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)04512 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents0.00.7 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+48.9%−6.3%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high81°F82°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low24°F20°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation33.3"36.7"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport17 mi17 miNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate26.5 min ±2.3 min26.0 min ±1.0 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age44.339.82024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools9252024-25 school year
Students per teacher14.2 — more favorable16.02024-25 school year
Math proficiency29.5%40.0% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency34.2%42.7% — more favorable2018-19 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.

Your best match

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

East Cleveland
—
East Cleveland: Your Score
56
Area Score
Lorain
—
Lorain: Your Score
55
Area Score

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

Full profiles: East Cleveland, OH · Lorain, OH · How this is calculated: methodology