CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

41.01° N · 81.54° W · GEOID 3964136

Portage Lakes

Summit County, Ohio · part of the Akron, OH metro

OhioPortage Lakes, OHPortage LakesPortage Lakes

The short answer

Portage Lakes is home to 5,913 people. Median household income is $64,375 a year and median rent is $1,162 a month, 21.7% 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 $167,000, about 2.6x annual median household income.

Portage Lakes has an unusual mix of residents. Households average 1.86 people, smaller than than in 98% of places its size. It is the 3rd-lowest of 290 Ohio places we track. Also notable: Rent took 18.9% of the median income in the 2019 survey and 21.7% in 2024. In the 25 places most like it the share fell 0.1 points on average, so affordability slipped more here.

55OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Above average

Portage Lakes scores better than 55% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 200th of 290 in Ohio.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%64
Economy 20%38
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%39
Education 10%51
Commute 10%73
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
$1,162
15% below the median place
Median household income
$64,375
20% below the median place
Median home value
$167,000
48% below the median place
Unemployment
5.1%
3% 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 Portage Lakes

  • HousingHomeowners pay a median of about 1.8% of home value a year in property tax, more than in 86% of the 2,266 places under 10,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Portage Lakes

Summit County loses about 0.6 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in19,167
Moved out19,417
Net−250

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Cuyahoga County, OH3,5172,621+896
Stark County, OH2,4712,701−230
Portage County, OH2,2872,396−109
Medina County, OH1,3331,225+108
Wayne County, OH471564−93

Within Ohio, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within OhioOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$64K
Leavers$70K

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

Who moves here
4.7% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.2% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Summit County report $63,500 a year in income on average; those leaving, $69,800, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$46,500 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,162 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,307 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $167,000.
Getting to work
21 minutes each way on average; 10.0% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Milford, OH matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
1.2%
40% below the median place
Moved here in the past year1
4.7%
19% below the median place
Income of households moving in7
$63,549
10% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasurePortage LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure4.7%19% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.2%40% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-0.60% above
Income of households moving in7County figure$63,54910% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$69,8091% below
02

What it costs to live here

Owning with a mortgage costs only about $145 a month more than the median rent, a smaller gap than in 87% of the 2,469 places under 10,000 people we track.

Portage Lakes21.7%
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
$46,480
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
21.7%
6% above the median place
Home price to income
2.6x
32% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
22%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$51,700
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Portage Lakes, $1,162 a month, and local prices for everything else (96.8 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Portage Lakes, but easier on the budget

Places that match Portage Lakes 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
Milford, OH9414.5% vs 21.7%$16,800Compare
Middleburg Heights, OH9216.4% vs 21.7%$15,900Compare
Manchester, IA9215.7% vs 21.7%n/aCompare
Columbiana, OH9215.4% vs 21.7%n/aCompare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Portage Lakes? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
38.3%
24% below the median place
Property tax rate1
1.8%
95% above the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,307
30% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasurePortage LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,16215% below
Rent to income121.7%6% above
Property tax rate11.8%95% above
Home price to income12.6x32% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure93.47% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,23124% below
HUD area median income4County figure$97,10010% below
Property tax paid (median)1$2,9639% below
Median home value1$167,00048% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure3.9%21% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure51.1%1% below
Homeownership161.4%7% below
Renters paying 30%+138.3%24% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,30730% below
Vacant homes1County figure6.7%5% below
Median year built119621% below
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Mean commute1
21 min
14% below the median place
Median household income1
$64,375
20% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Income per person$47,750 +19%
Works from home10.0% −20%
Poverty rate11.9% +10%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasurePortage LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$64,37520% below
Income per person1$47,75019% above
Unemployment1County figure5.1%3% above
Average annual pay6County figure$65,3281% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.9%5% above
Jobs6County figure259,89172% above
Poverty rate111.9%10% above
Mean commute121 min14% below
Works from home110.0%20% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

The median resident is 51.5 years old, older than in 93% of the 2,479 places under 10,000 people we track.

Household size1
1.9
26% below the median place
Median age1
51.5
32% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
87.4%
5% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

High school or higher95.4% +3%
No health insurance5.5% −14%
Bachelor's or higher32.6% +2%
All 8 people measures
MeasurePortage LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population15,9135996th largest
Median age151.532% above
Bachelor's or higher132.6%2% above
High school or higher195.4%3% above
Household size11.926% below
Born abroad1County figure6.0%32% below
No health insurance15.5%14% below
Homes with broadband187.4%5% below
05

Life in Portage Lakes

The nearest National Park Service site is Cuyahoga Valley National Park, about 17 miles away.

189 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 residents13.5 +33%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k3.4 +59%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k8.5 −24%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails1 km −50%
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

  • Cuyahoga Valley National Park 17 miles
  • First Ladies National Historic Site 17 miles
  • David Berger National Memorial 33 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars22.4 +8%
Shops29.1 −4%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.9 −5%
Doctors' offices and clinics18.9 −6%
Child care centers2.8 +22%

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

Nearest National Park Service site10
16.5
46% below the median place
Public schools12
144
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students12
68,391
above the median place (median 4,897)
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasurePortage LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure144above (median 9)
Public school students12County figure68,391above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher12County figure15.72% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure22.48% above
Shops per 10k8County figure29.14% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure3.95% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure18.96% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.822% above
Parks per 10k913.533% above
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k93.459% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k98.524% below
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails91.050% below
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1016.546% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles104100% above
National Register listings11County figure189above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

July average high is 83°F, 4% below 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 Portage Lakes. Larger places are fetched first.

July average high13
83°F
4% below the median place
January average low13
20°F
21% below the median place
Average temperature13
51°F
8% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasurePortage LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure83°F4% below
January average low13County figure20°F21% below
Average temperature13County figure51°F8% below
Annual precipitation13County figure39.2 in11% below
Natural hazard risk14County figure91.21% below
Hurricane risk14County figure61.213% below
Tornado risk14County figure91.112% above
Wildfire risk14County figure53.213% below
Heat wave risk14County figure90.30% above
Median air quality index15County figure442% above
Good air days15County figure63.6%7% below
08

Portage Lakes in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 22% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 22% 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, Portage Lakes does better than 63% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 10%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,162/mo (2024)$1,490/mo$1,220 to $1,820/mo+4.2%
Median household income$64,375 (2024)$81,000$68,500 to $95,500+3.9%
Median home value$167,000 (2024)$232,000$168,000 to $320,000+5.6%

The median home would be worth 2.9 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.6 now.

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

09

Places like Portage Lakes

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

PlaceRentIncome
Vermilion, OH$1,099$69,701Compare
Richmond Heights, OH$961$60,833Compare
South Brooksville, FL$1,260$61,196Compare
Sierra Vista Southeast, AZ$1,180$75,417Compare
Sierra Vista Southeast, AZSouth Brooksville, FLRichmond Heights, OHVermilion, OHPortage Lakes, OHPortage LakesVermilionRichmond HeightsSouth BrooksvilleSierra Vista SoutheastPortage LakesVermilionRichmond HeightsSouth BrooksvilleSierra Vista Southeast

Places built like Portage Lakes

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 Portage Lakes performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Portage Lakes, OH21.7%2.4%/yrn/a
Milford, OH14.5%8.7%/yr-2.2%Compare
Columbiana, OH15.4%4.4%/yr3.0%Compare
Richmond Heights, OH19.0%3.4%/yr-3.0%Compare
Geneva, OH18.1%8.3%/yr-2.0%Compare
Middleburg Heights, OH16.4%4.4%/yr-2.9%Compare
Huron, OH15.3%5.7%/yr-4.6%Compare

Common questions

Is Portage Lakes a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 55 out of 100, better than 55% of the places we rate and 200th of 290 in Ohio. Homeowners pay a median of about 1.8% of home value a year in property tax, more than in 86% of the 2,266 places under 10,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 34 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Portage Lakes expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 21.7% 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 $167,000.

What salary do you need to live in Portage Lakes?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $46,480 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Portage Lakes?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Vermilion, OH, Richmond Heights, OH, South Brooksville, FL and Sierra Vista Southeast, AZ.

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 Portage Lakes with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Portage Lakes itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/portage-lakes-ohio

Citytistics. “Portage Lakes, Ohio.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/portage-lakes-ohio/

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