CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

41.72° N · 81.36° W · GEOID 3949098

Mentor-on-the-Lake

Lake County, Ohio · part of the Cleveland, OH metro

OhioMentor-on-the-Lake, OHMentor-on-the-LakeMentor-on-the-Lake

The short answer

Mentor-on-the-Lake is home to 7,111 people. Median household income is $67,188 a year and median rent is $1,062 a month, 19.0% 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 $188,500, about 2.8x annual median household income.

What sets Mentor-on-the-Lake apart is how tight household budgets are. 31% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 92% of places its size. Also notable: Households average 1.94 people, smaller than than in 96% of places its size.

71OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Above average

Mentor-on-the-Lake scores better than 71% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 140th of 290 in Ohio.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%72
Economy 20%53
Safety 20%76
Amenities 15%36
Education 10%33
Commute 10%75
Growth 5%27
Median gross rent
$1,062
22% below the median place
Median household income
$67,188
16% below the median place
Median home value
$188,500
41% below the median place
Unemployment
3.9%
21% below 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.

01

Moving to Mentor-on-the-Lake

Lake County gains about 2.6 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in7,859
Moved out7,349
Net+510

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Ohio, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within OhioOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$63K
Leavers$64K

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

Who moves here
4.9% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.9% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Lake County report $62,800 a year in income on average; those leaving, $63,700.
Income you would need
$42,500 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,062 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,350 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $188,500.
Getting to work
21 minutes each way on average; 8.1% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Plymouth, WI matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
4.9%
15% below the median place
Moved from another state1
0.9%
57% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people8
2.6
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureMentor-on-the-LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year14.9%15% below
Moved from another state1County figure0.9%57% below
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure2.6above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$62,76011% below
Income of households moving out8County figure$63,7289% below
02

What it costs to live here

Homeowners pay a median of about 1.7% of home value a year in property tax, more than in 82% of the 2,266 places under 10,000 people we track.

Mentor-on-the-Lake19.0%
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
$42,480
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
19.0%
7% below the median place
Home price to income
2.8x
26% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
19%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$56,000
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Mentor-on-the-Lake, $1,062 a month, and local prices for everything else (96.9 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Mentor-on-the-Lake, but easier on the budget

Places that match Mentor-on-the-Lake 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
Plymouth, WI9616.1% vs 19.0%$2,800Compare
Monroe, WI9414.9% vs 19.0%$4,800Compare
Carroll, IA9312.4% vs 19.0%n/aCompare
Princeton, IL9315.1% vs 19.0%n/aCompare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Mentor-on-the-Lake.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Mentor-on-the-Lake? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
31.1%
38% below the median place
Property tax rate1
1.7%
85% above the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,350
28% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureMentor-on-the-LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,06222% below
Rent to income119.0%7% below
Property tax rate11.7%85% above
Home price to income12.8x26% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure93.97% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,27421% below
HUD area median income4County figure$105,0002% below
Property tax paid (median)1$3,1673% below
Median home value1$188,50041% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure4.9%54% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure47.2%8% below
Homeownership161.9%7% below
Renters paying 30%+131.1%38% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,35028% below
Vacant homes1County figure4.9%31% below
Median year built119750% below
03

Work and pay

Works from home is 8.1%, 35% below the median place.

Works from home1
8.1%
35% below the median place
Mean commute1
21 min
16% below the median place
Median household income1
$67,188
16% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureMentor-on-the-LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$67,18816% below
Income per person1$43,2908% above
Unemployment1County figure3.9%21% below
Average annual pay6County figure$61,5877% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.3%16% above
Jobs6County figure99,69034% below
Poverty rate18.5%21% below
Mean commute121 min16% below
Works from home18.1%35% below
Commutes by transit1County figure0.5%41% below
04

Who lives here

4% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 76% of the 1,842 places under 10,000 people we track.

Household size1
1.9
22% below the median place
Homes with broadband1
96.6%
5% above the median place
Median age1
44.4
14% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

No health insurance4.1% −36%
Born abroad4.1% −53%
High school or higher95.1% +3%
Bachelor's or higher24.7% −23%
All 9 people measures
MeasureMentor-on-the-LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population17,1115345th largest
Population change since 20207-0.3%below (median 1.1%)
Median age144.414% above
Bachelor's or higher124.7%23% below
High school or higher195.1%3% above
Household size11.922% below
Born abroad14.1%53% below
No health insurance14.1%36% below
Homes with broadband196.6%5% above
05

Life in Mentor-on-the-Lake

OpenStreetMap shows 0 libraries per 10,000 residents, fewer than in 80% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 290 Ohio places we track.

Founded or incorporated in 1924. 83 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents8.4 −17%
Playgrounds per 10k19.7 2.1×
Grocery stores per 10k2.8 +33%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k15.5 +39%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails1 km −75%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

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

  • James A. Garfield National Historic Site 4 miles
  • David Berger National Memorial 18 miles
  • Cuyahoga Valley National Park 34 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars22.6 +9%
Shops31.1 +3%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.5 −15%
Doctors' offices and clinics17.2 −15%
Child care centers2.0 −13%

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

Nearest National Park Service site11
3.6
88% below the median place
Public schools14
57
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students14
27,757
above the median place (median 4,897)
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureMentor-on-the-LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools14County figure57above (median 9)
Public school students14County figure27,757above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher14County figure17.413% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure22.69% above
Shops per 10k9County figure31.13% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure3.515% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure17.215% below
Child care centers per 10k9County figure2.013% below
Parks per 10k108.417% below
Playgrounds per 10k1019.7109% above
Grocery stores per 10k102.833% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1015.539% above
Libraries per 10k100.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails100.575% below
Transit stops per sq mi100.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site113.688% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles11350% above
National Register listings12County figure83above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 141, 27% below the median place.

Violent crime per 100k
141
27% below the median place
Property crime per 100k
423
65% 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.

July average high15
81°F
6% below the median place
Wildfire risk16
28.9
53% below the median place
Heat wave risk16
67.2
25% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureMentor-on-the-LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high15County figure81°F6% below
January average low15County figure20°F19% below
Average temperature15County figure50°F9% below
Annual precipitation15County figure42.4 in3% below
Natural hazard risk16County figure77.316% below
Hurricane risk16County figure49.530% below
Tornado risk16County figure75.28% below
Wildfire risk16County figure28.953% below
Heat wave risk16County figure67.225% below
Median air quality index17County figure422% below
Good air days17County figure67.2%2% below
08

Mentor-on-the-Lake in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 19% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 19% 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, Mentor-on-the-Lake does better than 71% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 29%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,062/mo (2024)$1,350/mo$1,110 to $1,650/mo+4.1%
Median household income$67,188 (2024)$85,000$71,500 to $100,500+4.0%
Median home value$188,500 (2024)$267,000$194,000 to $367,000+6.0%
Population7,120 (2025)7,1606,870 to 7,460+0.1%

The median home would be worth 3.1 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.8 now.

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

09

Places like Mentor-on-the-Lake

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

PlaceRentIncome
Coal City, IL$1,123$72,857Compare
Saraland, AL$1,060$61,509Compare
Marysville, MI$974$66,901Compare
Depew, NY$1,061$73,556Compare
Depew, NYMarysville, MISaraland, ALCoal City, ILMentor-on-the-Lake, OHCoal CitySaralandMarysvilleDepewCoal CitySaralandMarysvilleDepew

Places built like Mentor-on-the-Lake

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 Mentor-on-the-Lake performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Mentor-on-the-Lake, OH19.0%4.2%/yr-0.3%
Plymouth, WI16.1%4.9%/yr-1.4%Compare
Sturgeon Bay, WI22.0%0.8%/yr2.7%Compare
Utica, MI23.1%0.9%/yr-2.3%Compare
Monroe, WI14.9%6.5%/yr-0.8%Compare
Baraboo, WI16.2%6.0%/yr5.3%Compare
Ripon, WI17.0%1.2%/yr-1.6%Compare

Common questions

Is Mentor-on-the-Lake a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 71 out of 100, better than 71% of the places we rate and 140th of 290 in Ohio. On cost, space and class size it scores 50 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Mentor-on-the-Lake expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 19.0% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $188,500.

What salary do you need to live in Mentor-on-the-Lake?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $42,480 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is Mentor-on-the-Lake safe?

There were 141 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to Mentor-on-the-Lake?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Coal City, IL, Saraland, AL, Marysville, MI and Depew, 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 Mentor-on-the-Lake with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Mentor-on-the-Lake itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/mentor-on-the-lake-ohio

Citytistics. “Mentor-on-the-Lake, Ohio.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/mentor-on-the-lake-ohio/

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