AreaProfile

Akron, OH

Metro Area Profile

699,820 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Akron, OH metropolitan area.

72
Area Score
Top 27% of 99 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
OpportunityTop 31% of 99 published metros70
Growth99th of 99 published metros12
Housing affordabilityTop 4% of 99 published metros100
Climate72nd of 99 published metros64
Physical resilienceTop 6% of 99 published metros91
AccessTop 40% of 99 published metros95
Economic stabilityTop 47% of 99 published metros72
The quick read

Residential permitting has slowed: 678 units authorized over the past twelve months, 41% below the prior year.

Housing is more affordable relative to local incomes than in most published city profiles, with rent taking 17% of median household income.

Natural-hazard exposure is lower than in most comparable published metro profiles, placing Akron in the top 6% for physical resilience.

At a glance

Population
699,820
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$72,371
Top 34% nationally
Density
777/sq mi
900.2 sq mi of land
Median age
41.0
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Metro area
Akron, OH
Nearest major airport
CAK
17 mi · Akron-Canton Rgnl
Median home value
$213,000
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.7% is lower than 79% of the 99 measured US metros.

Employment grew 0.1% over the past year, to 344,055 employed residents.

35% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 80% of measured US metros.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$1,076$72,371Top 34%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$752$42,464Top 20%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate12.6%Bottom 40%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute25.1 minTop 39%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher35.1%Top 20%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment344,055Bottom 28%June 2026
Employment change (3 years)-0.3%Bottom 37%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)0.1%Top 21%June 2026
Labor force357,366Bottom 28%June 2026
Labor force participation64.4%Top 22%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$63,430Bottom 39%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$48,840Bottom 44%2025 OEWS
Metro employment319,560Bottom 30%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)-1.3%Bottom 1%June 2026
Unemployment rate3.7%Bottom 21%June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032026/012026/066.13.3
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.7% in June 2026.
Largest occupations — Akron, OH
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Fast Food and Counter Workers9,480$28,690
General and Operations Managers9,010$98,340
Stockers and Order Fillers8,780$37,600
Registered Nurses8,040$80,770
Retail Salespersons7,770$31,060
Home Health and Personal Care Aides6,310$34,310

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,033 takes 17% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 2.9 times median household income here, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Rent as a share of income
17.1%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
2.9×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,033
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$213,000
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income2.94Bottom 37%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate68.1%Bottom 39%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±197319,249Top 8%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$12$1,033Top 41%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$2,443$213,000Top 49%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income17.1%Bottom 36%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate7.1%Bottom 17%2024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
12/ 100
Ranks 99 of 99 published city profiles
Permitting is decreasing, measured from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has been broadly flat since 2020, at 702,209 in 2024.

New construction is predominantly single-family: only 1% of permitted units are in buildings of five or more homes.

At 1.0 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US metros.

Units permitted
678
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
1.0
Bottom 2% nationally
Year over year
−41%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
0.7%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
20202021202220232024702k697k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population.

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 85°F and January a low of 21°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 32.5 inches.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station AKRON FULTON INTL AP, 9.6 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND3.7"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation32.5"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low21°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high85°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing46°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

91 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are hail, strong wind and heat wave.

HailElevated
Strong windModerate
Ice stormModerate
Winter weatherModerate
Heat waveModerate

Low or minimal exposure: inland flooding, lightning, tornado, earthquake, cold wave, hurricane, wildfire, landslide.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Taxes

AreaProfile does not yet publish tax comparisons. No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, methodology transparency and update cadence, and the product rule is to omit a dimension rather than estimate it. The Area Score is calculated without a tax component and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Nothing on AreaProfile is individualized tax advice.

Access

6 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 17 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Akron-Canton RgnlCAK17 mi8,204 ft
Cleveland-Hopkins IntlCLE32 mi9,953 ft
Youngstown/Warren RgnlYNG36 mi9,003 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
72
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)

Profile recalculated August 29, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.

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