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Place dossier plate
SheetOH-GARFIELD-HEIGHTS-OH · Garfield Heights, OH 29,369 pop · income 23rd pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Garfield Heights
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Garfield Heights on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Kent · lowest
42,524
Kent · lowest
42,524 median HH income
35.7% of the leader · rank #1
Lebanon Junct… · near
52,000
Lebanon Junct… · near
52,000 median HH income
43.7% of the leader · rank #2
Lake Benton · near
52,000
Lake Benton · near
52,000 median HH income
43.7% of the leader · rank #3
Garfield Heig… · this city
52,006
Garfield Heig… · this city
52,006 median HH income
43.7% of the leader · rank #4
Raton · near
52,007
Raton · near
52,007 median HH income
43.7% of the leader · rank #5
Barling · near
52,009
Barling · near
52,009 median HH income
43.7% of the leader · rank #6
Fleming Island · highest
119,046
Fleming Island · highest
119,046 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Garfield Heights on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 29,369.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Garfield Heights - the verdict
Garfield Heights ranks in the 23rd percentile for household income and the 25th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
23rd
percentile, household income
10th
percentile, home value
22nd
percentile, median rent
25th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Garfield Heights, OH
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 29,369 residents in Garfield Heights, a small city within Ohio. The typical household in Garfield Heights brings in $52,006 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 18.1%. Home values in Garfield Heights run a median of $100,000, and the median resident age is 39.0 years. About 15.6% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 57.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 0 residential units were authorized in 2024 (No Permits). Crime here tracks close to the national norm: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 2334.1 incidents per 100,000 residents, near the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Ohio run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Ohio at 92.8 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Below Average). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,092 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $228 across Ohio, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Commute times here average 21.2 minutes, with 81.4% driving alone and 6.6% working from home, per Census ACS commuting data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 55.0 out of 100 (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Garfield Heights's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from work and mobility to comparison shortlist to reported crime to schools and households to housing and income to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Garfield Heights, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares, annual population history, local building permits, matched public-school count.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
What does the journey to work look like in Garfield Heights?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 81.4%. The reported mean trip to work is 21.2 minutes.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Which cities make useful reference points for Garfield Heights?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within Ohio, the closest population matches are Shaker Heights (29,004 residents, $97,721 income); Bowling Green (30,051 residents, $46,719 income); Austintown (30,215 residents, $50,855 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Oak Park, MI (29,370 residents); Vero Beach South, FL (29,365 residents); Fleming Island, FL (29,351 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Garfield Heights?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 2334.1 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, near the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 2% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
What does the education layer cover for Garfield Heights?
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 8 public schools within the city match. 15.6% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Garfield Heights?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.
The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 1.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 18.1%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
1.9×
Home value
$100,000
Household income
$52,006
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Is Garfield Heights growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -953 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -3.2% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 0 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
2020 estimate
29,743
2025 estimate
28,790
Period change
-3.2%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living B+
92.8 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Household income F
$52,006
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share F
15.6%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime F
464 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate F
18.1%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Garfield Heights profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 75/100 (B+) · 92.8 index
Household income: 23/100 (F) · $52,006
Bachelor's+ share: 22/100 (F) · 15.6%
Violent crime: 18/100 (F) · 464 /100k
Poverty rate: 17/100 (F) · 18.1%
Where Garfield Heights sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Garfield Heights's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Garfield Heights highlighted among 8 peers.Read the chart values
Garfield Heights, OH (this city): home $100,000, crime 2,334/100k
Oak Park, MI : home $198,500, crime 2,488/100k
Texarkana, AR : home $162,700, crime 4,398/100k
Englewood, NJ : home $497,500, crime 1,309/100k
Bixby, OK : home $298,200, crime 857/100k
Bowling Green, OH : home $217,300, crime 1,027/100k
Austintown, OH : home $133,000, crime 1,485/100k
Kent, OH : home $210,700, crime 1,399/100k
How does Garfield Heights compare to other US cities?
Garfield Heights measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income23% higher than other cities
Home value10% pricier than other cities
Median rent22% pricier than other cities
Safety25% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Ohio alone, Garfield Heights ranks #228 of 281 Ohio cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Garfield Heights against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Ohio only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Ohio-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Garfield Heights near the bottom of Ohio's cities
Among the 1,196 Ohio cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Garfield Heights ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Garfield Heights only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#866 of 1,145
24th percentile in Ohio
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,196
0th percentile in Ohio
Median Home Value
#964 of 1,164
17th percentile in Ohio
Poverty Rate
#182 of 1,196
85th percentile in Ohio
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#694 of 1,196
42nd percentile in Ohio
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Ohio only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
23rd percentile nationally for median household income · 25th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Garfield Heights's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Garfield Heights's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Garfield Heights's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$100,000Among the most affordablemore affordable than 90% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#1,380 of 15,516
More affordable than 91% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#49 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 1.9×, Garfield Heights sits in the affordable band:
national rank #1,380 of 15,516 and #49 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$52,006Garfield Heights, OH median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Garfield Heights, OH median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Garfield Heights, OH.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)15.6%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)18.1%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)57.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
29,369
Median Income
$52,006
Median Home Value
$100,000
Median Age
39.0
Poverty Rate
18.1%
Labor force participation
57.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
15.6%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
2334.1
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
464.1
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1870.1
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
8
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Garfield Heights's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
29,743 residents
2021
29,429 residents
2022
29,122 residents
2023
28,986 residents
2024
28,902 residents
2025
28,790 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
Total Permits (2024)
0
housing units authorized
Single-Family
0
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
0
0
0
-
2020
1
1
0
$0.1M
2021
0
0
0
-
2022
2
2
0
$0.2M
2023
0
0
0
-
2024
0
0
0
-
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
21.2 minutes
Drive Alone
81.4%
Carpool
7.5%
Public Transit
1.3%
Walk
2.4%
Work from Home
6.6%
Other
0.8%
Based on 13,018 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Ohio statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $228
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Ohio at $228 (electricity about $105 , water and sewer about $45 ).
These are Ohio statewide averages, not a meter reading for Garfield Heights. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Ohio's BEA cost-of-living index is 92.8 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Garfield Heights is $1,092/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Ohio statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 55.0 / 100 (Moderate).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Ohio statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Garfield Heights sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Garfield Heights compares to similar-size Ohio cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.