Living in Dayton, OH
Mid-size city in Ohio
Dayton is a mid-size city in Ohio, home to about 137,000 people, with 961,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, much of daily life is walkable. Life moves at a moderate pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
Is Dayton a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $147k and rents for $1,650 a month
- Strong healthcare: 9 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Low natural disaster risk: 5 federally declared disasters since 2000
- Mild summers: highs around 85°F
👎 Cons
- Fewer family amenities than most places
- Cloudier than most places
- Higher crime: violent crime is 2.5× the US rate (FBI 2019)
- Smaller job market: about 961,000 people live within 31 mi
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Dayton ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Dayton: common questions
What is the cost of living in Dayton?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $147k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,650 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 93, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Dayton?
Ohio collects about $932 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 1.78% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Dayton safe?
Violent crime is well above the national rate (2.5× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Dayton?
Dayton has cold winters: winter days average around 39°F and summer days around 85°F, with roughly 12″ of snow a year.
Does Dayton get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding: 5 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.33 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Dayton?
The nearest major airport is CVG, about 57 mi away.
How Dayton scores
Each bar compares Dayton with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Nearby
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Is Dayton right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.