CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

39.29° N · 84.53° W · GEOID 3927706

Forest Park

Hamilton County, Ohio · part of the Cincinnati, OH metro

OhioForest Park, OHForest ParkForest Park

The short answer

Forest Park is home to 20,025 people. Median household income is $75,956 a year and median rent is $1,306 a month, 20.6% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $190,400, about 2.5x annual median household income.

What sets Forest Park apart is how far household money goes. Money left after rent is $62,200, against $48,000 in its closest peers. Also notable: Home value growth is 11.1% a year, against 7.8% a year in its closest peers.

47OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Average

Forest Park scores better than 47% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 223rd of 290 in Ohio.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%69
Economy 20%47
Safety 20%46
Amenities 15%27
Education 10%37
Commute 10%56
Growth 5%55
Median gross rent
$1,306
4% below the median place
Median household income
$75,956
5% below the median place
Median home value
$190,400
40% below the median place
Unemployment
5.0%
1% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Forest Park

  • HousingThe median home costs 2.5 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 90% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.
  • Life nearbyOpenStreetMap shows 0 libraries per 10,000 residents, fewer than in 86% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 290 Ohio places we track.
01

Moving to Forest Park

Hamilton County loses about 7.2 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in27,769
Moved out32,512
Net−4,743

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Butler County, OH4,5355,632−1,097
Clermont County, OH2,4983,769−1,271
Warren County, OH1,9152,554−639
Kenton County, KY1,3611,554−193
Boone County, KY530804−274

Within Ohio, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within OhioOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$66K
Leavers$78K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Hamilton County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
5.7% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.3% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Hamilton County report $66,000 a year in income on average; those leaving, $77,900, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$52,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,306 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,473 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $190,400.
Getting to work
24 minutes each way on average; 11.4% work from home; 3.0% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Corbin, KY matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
5.7%
0% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people8
-7.2
below the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving out8
$77,881
11% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureForest ParkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year15.7%0% above
Moved from another state1County figure2.3%18% above
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure-7.2below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$65,9717% below
Income of households moving out8County figure$77,88111% above
02

What it costs to live here

Owning with a mortgage costs only about $167 a month more than the median rent, a smaller gap than in 88% of the 2,298 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

Forest Park20.6%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$52,240
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
20.6%
1% above the median place
Home price to income
2.5x
34% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
21%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$62,200
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Forest Park, $1,306 a month, and local prices for everything else (97.0 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Forest Park, but easier on the budget

Places that match Forest Park on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Corbin, KY9417.2% vs 20.6%n/aCompare
Cynthiana, KY9216.9% vs 20.6%n/aCompare
Souderton, PA9116.6% vs 20.6%$15,500Compare
Prosser, WA9114.7% vs 20.6%$2,700Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Forest Park.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Forest Park? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
39.2%
23% below the median place
Property tax rate1
1.6%
73% above the median place
Median home value1
$190,400
40% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureForest ParkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,3064% below
Rent to income120.6%1% above
Property tax rate11.6%73% above
Home price to income12.5x34% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure95.45% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,44211% below
HUD area median income4County figure$109,9002% above
Property tax paid (median)1$2,9888% below
Median home value1$190,40040% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure4.0%24% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure54.4%6% above
Homeownership154.9%17% below
Renters paying 30%+139.2%23% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,47321% below
Vacant homes1County figure7.0%1% below
Median year built119690% below
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 3.0%, 248% above the median place.

Commutes by transit1
3.0%
248% above the median place
Income per person1
$32,344
19% below the median place
Mean commute1
24 min
4% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Works from home11.4% −8%
Median household income$75,956 −5%
Unemployment5.0% +1%
Poverty rate10.6% −2%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureForest ParkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$75,9565% below
Income per person1$32,34419% below
Unemployment15.0%1% above
Average annual pay6County figure$78,93120% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure2.6%30% below
Jobs6County figure514,266241% above
Poverty rate110.6%2% below
Mean commute124 min4% below
Works from home111.4%8% below
Commutes by transit13.0%248% above
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 97.1%, 5% above the median place.

Homes with broadband1
97.1%
5% above the median place
High school or higher1
87.0%
6% below the median place
Born abroad1
16.7%
89% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Median age36.1 −7%
Household size2.7 +6%
No health insurance8.2% +28%
Bachelor's or higher26.2% −18%
All 9 people measures
MeasureForest ParkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population120,0252306th largest
Population change since 20207-0.7%below (median 1.1%)
Median age136.17% below
Bachelor's or higher126.2%18% below
High school or higher187.0%6% below
Household size12.76% above
Born abroad116.7%89% above
No health insurance18.2%28% above
Homes with broadband197.1%5% above
05

Life in Forest Park

About 0 km of named paths and bike trails are mapped in and around the city, fewer than in 84% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 290 Ohio places we track.

410 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 17 of them National Historic Landmarks. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents4.0 −61%
Playgrounds per 10k10.0 +6%
Grocery stores per 10k0.5 −76%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k14.0 +25%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi1.4 6.7×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • William Howard Taft National Historic Site 12 miles
  • Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park 42 miles
  • Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument 45 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars24.5 +18%
Shops30.3 +0%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.4 +7%
Doctors' offices and clinics19.4 −4%
Child care centers3.7 +61%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Nearest National Park Service site11
11.5
63% below the median place
Public schools14
202
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students14
109,365
above the median place (median 4,897)
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureForest ParkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools14County figure202above (median 9)
Public school students14County figure109,365above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher14County figure17.312% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure24.518% above
Shops per 10k9County figure30.30% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure4.47% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure19.44% below
Child care centers per 10k9County figure3.761% above
Parks per 10k104.061% below
Playgrounds per 10k1010.06% above
Grocery stores per 10k100.576% below
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1014.025% above
Libraries per 10k100.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails100.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi101.4above (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1111.563% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles11350% above
National Register listings12County figure410above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 260, 36% above the median place.

Violent crime per 100k
260
36% above the median place
Property crime per 100k
1,105
9% below the median place
Months reported
12 of 12
by the city police department to the FBI

Counts only offenses reported by the city police department. Sheriff, state and campus police are not included, and some departments do not report to the FBI at all, so compare with care.

Tornado risk16
99.4
22% above the median place
Heat wave risk16
98.9
10% above the median place
Good air days17
34.2%
50% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureForest ParkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high15County figure86°F1% below
January average low15County figure23°F9% below
Average temperature15County figure54°F1% below
Annual precipitation15County figure44.4 in1% above
Natural hazard risk16County figure96.34% above
Hurricane risk16County figure38.246% below
Tornado risk16County figure99.422% above
Wildfire risk16County figure47.323% below
Heat wave risk16County figure98.910% above
Median air quality index17County figure5426% above
Good air days17County figure34.2%50% below
08

Forest Park in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 21% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 21% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Forest Park does better than 68% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 75%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,306/mo (2024)$1,680/mo$1,380 to $2,040/mo+4.3%
Median household income$75,956 (2024)$97,000$82,000 to $114,500+4.1%
Median home value$190,400 (2024)$278,000$202,000 to $383,000+6.5%
Population20,041 (2025)20,14019,320 to 21,000+0.1%

The median home would be worth 2.9 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.5 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Forest Park

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Nederland, TX$1,400$77,570Compare
Belton, MO$1,290$69,226Compare
Glenpool, OK$1,370$79,525Compare
Rensselaer, NY$1,219$70,080Compare
Rensselaer, NYGlenpool, OKBelton, MONederland, TXForest Park, OHForest ParkNederlandBeltonGlenpoolRensselaerForest ParkNederlandBeltonGlenpoolRensselaer

Places built like Forest Park

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Forest Park performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Forest Park, OH20.6%6.4%/yr-0.7%
Blue Island, IL21.6%4.2%/yr-3.4%Compare
Painesville, OH24.1%0.8%/yr1.8%Compare
Chicago Ridge, IL22.7%7.1%/yr-2.9%Compare
Springdale, OH21.7%3.6%/yr1.2%Compare
Zion, IL22.6%4.1%/yr-1.3%Compare
Circleville, OH19.0%7.4%/yr5.1%Compare

Common questions

Is Forest Park a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 47 out of 100, better than 47% of the places we rate and 223rd of 290 in Ohio. The median home costs 2.5 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 90% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. OpenStreetMap shows 0 libraries per 10,000 residents, fewer than in 86% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 290 Ohio places we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 63 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Forest Park expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 20.6% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $190,400.

What salary do you need to live in Forest Park?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $52,240 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is Forest Park safe?

There were 260 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to Forest Park?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Nederland, TX, Belton, MO, Glenpool, OK and Rensselaer, NY.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  12. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  13. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  14. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  15. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  16. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  17. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Forest Park with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Forest Park itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/forest-park-ohio

Citytistics. “Forest Park, Ohio.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/forest-park-ohio/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.