CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

39.25° N · 84.58° W · GEOID 3956280

Northbrook

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

OhioNorthbrook, OHNorthbrookNorthbrook

The short answer

Northbrook is home to 10,742 people. Median household income is $67,426 a year and median rent is $1,555 a month, 27.7% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is moderate. The median home is valued at $157,400, about 2.3x annual median household income.

Northbrook is defined by its growth. Home value growth is 14.3% a year, against 8.1% a year in its closest peers. Also notable: Rent run 49% above what its fundamentals predict in the same metro area.

36OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Below average

Northbrook scores better than 36% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 238th of 290 in Ohio.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%52
Economy 20%58
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%21
Education 10%23
Commute 10%62
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$1,555
14% above the median place
Median household income
$67,426
16% below the median place
Median home value
$157,400
51% below the median place
Unemployment
3.4%
30% 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.

What stands out about Northbrook

  • How it is changingHousing has become less affordable here. Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, the median rent went from 24.4% to 27.7% of the median household's income, and the median home from 1.7 to 2.3 years of income. Among the 25 places most like it, the rent share fell 0.9 points on average, so it worsened faster here.
  • GrowthCompared with the 25 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as Midlothian, IL, Union, OH and Rittman, OH), household income growth here is higher: 6.7% a year against a typical 4.1% a year.
01

Moving to Northbrook

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
3.6% 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
$62,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,555 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,171 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $157,400.
Getting to work
23 minutes each way on average; 8.6% work from home; 2.5% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Browns Mills, NJ matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
3.6%
38% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
-7.2
below the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving out7
$77,881
11% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureNorthbrookAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year13.6%38% below
Moved from another state1County figure2.3%18% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-7.2below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$65,9717% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$77,88111% above
02

What it costs to live here

Owning with a mortgage costs about $384 a month less than the median rent, a rarer pattern than in 99% of the 2,298 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 290 Ohio places we track.

Northbrook27.7%
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
$62,200
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
27.7%
36% above the median place
Home price to income
2.3x
39% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
28%
just under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$49,900
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Northbrook, $1,555 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 Northbrook, but easier on the budget

Places that match Northbrook 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
Browns Mills, NJ9619.3% vs 27.7%$10,700Compare
Nebraska City, NE9616.9% vs 27.7%n/aCompare
Midlothian, IL9621.4% vs 27.7%$3,700Compare
Clayton, NJ9616.6% vs 27.7%$24,700Compare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Northbrook? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
68.5%
35% above the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,171
37% below the median place
Median home value1
$157,400
51% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureNorthbrookAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,55514% above
Rent to income127.7%36% above
Property tax rate11.3%37% above
Home price to income12.3x39% 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$1,96440% below
Median home value1$157,40051% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure4.0%24% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure54.4%6% above
Homeownership177.8%17% above
Renters paying 30%+168.5%35% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,17137% below
Vacant homes17.0%0% below
Median year built119700% below
03

Work and pay

Unemployment is 3.4%, 30% below the median place.

Unemployment1
3.4%
30% below the median place
Income per person1
$29,760
26% below the median place
Works from home1
8.6%
31% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Median household income$67,426 −16%
Mean commute23 min −7%
Poverty rate10.7% −1%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureNorthbrookAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$67,42616% below
Income per person1$29,76026% below
Unemployment13.4%30% below
Average annual pay6County figure$78,93120% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure2.6%30% below
Jobs6County figure514,266241% above
Poverty rate110.7%1% below
Mean commute123 min7% below
Works from home18.6%31% below
Commutes by transit1County figure2.5%191% above
04

Who lives here

High school or higher is 86.9%, 6% below the median place.

High school or higher1
86.9%
6% below the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
21.1%
34% below the median place
Homes with broadband1
95.3%
3% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Median age36.3 −7%
Household size2.6 +6%
Born abroad9.9% +12%
All 8 people measures
MeasureNorthbrookAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population110,7423919th largest
Median age136.37% below
Bachelor's or higher121.1%34% below
High school or higher186.9%6% below
Household size12.66% above
Born abroad19.9%12% above
No health insurance1County figure5.8%9% below
Homes with broadband195.3%3% above
05

Life in Northbrook

The nearest National Park Service site is William Howard Taft National Historic Site, about 10 miles away.

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 residents1.9 −82%
Playgrounds per 10k11.2 +19%
Grocery stores per 10k0.9 −56%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k5.6 −50%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi1.6 7.4×

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 10 miles
  • Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park 46 miles
  • Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument 49 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 site10
9.6
69% below the median place
Public schools12
202
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students12
109,365
above the median place (median 4,897)
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureNorthbrookAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure202above (median 9)
Public school students12County figure109,365above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher12County figure17.312% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure24.518% above
Shops per 10k8County figure30.30% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure4.47% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure19.44% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure3.761% above
Parks per 10k91.982% below
Playgrounds per 10k911.219% above
Grocery stores per 10k90.956% below
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k95.650% below
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi91.6above (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site109.669% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles10350% above
National Register listings11County figure410above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Tornado risk is 99.4, 22% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Northbrook. Larger places are fetched first.

Tornado risk14
99.4
22% above the median place
Heat wave risk14
98.9
10% above the median place
Good air days15
34.2%
50% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureNorthbrookAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure86°F1% below
January average low13County figure23°F9% below
Average temperature13County figure54°F1% below
Annual precipitation13County figure44.4 in1% above
Natural hazard risk14County figure96.34% above
Hurricane risk14County figure38.246% below
Tornado risk14County figure99.422% above
Wildfire risk14County figure47.323% below
Heat wave risk14County figure98.910% above
Median air quality index15County figure5426% above
Good air days15County figure34.2%50% below
08

Northbrook in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 28% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 28% 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, Northbrook does better than 50% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 95%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,555/mo (2024)$2,020/mo$1,660 to $2,460/mo+4.5%
Median household income$67,426 (2024)$86,000$73,000 to $102,000+4.2%
Median home value$157,400 (2024)$238,000$173,000 to $328,000+7.2%

The median home would be worth 2.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.3 now.

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

09

Places like Northbrook

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

PlaceRentIncome
Coatesville, PA$1,471$59,256Compare
Odenville, AL$1,581$70,296Compare
Pine Hill, NJ$1,411$72,588Compare
Dundalk, MD$1,473$64,520Compare
Dundalk, MDPine Hill, NJOdenville, ALCoatesville, PANorthbrook, OHNorthbrookCoatesvilleOdenvillePine HillDundalkNorthbrookCoatesvilleOdenvillePine HillDundalk

Places built like Northbrook

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 Northbrook performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Northbrook, OH27.7%6.7%/yrn/a
Midlothian, IL21.4%3.1%/yr-3.2%Compare
Union, OH18.3%0.8%/yr4.0%Compare
Rittman, OH16.2%4.3%/yr-0.2%Compare
Blacklick Estates, OH23.5%5.6%/yrn/aCompare
Sandwich, IL15.3%4.1%/yr2.2%Compare
Colona, IL12.6%3.3%/yr-2.0%Compare

Common questions

Is Northbrook a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 36 out of 100, better than 36% of the places we rate and 238th of 290 in Ohio. Housing has become less affordable here. Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, the median rent went from 24.4% to 27.7% of the median household's income, and the median home from 1.7 to 2.3 years of income. Among the 25 places most like it, the rent share fell 0.9 points on average, so it worsened faster here. Compared with the 25 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as Midlothian, IL, Union, OH and Rittman, OH), household income growth here is higher: 6.7% a year against a typical 4.1% a year. On cost, space and class size it scores 69 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Northbrook expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 27.7% 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 $157,400.

What salary do you need to live in Northbrook?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $62,200 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Northbrook?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Coatesville, PA, Odenville, AL, Pine Hill, NJ and Dundalk, MD.

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. 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.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 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
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. 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 Northbrook with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Northbrook itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/northbrook-ohio

Citytistics. “Northbrook, Ohio.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/northbrook-ohio/

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