Living in Olmsted Falls, Ohio: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 6.1% below the U.S. average in the Cleveland metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 2.5 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Olmsted Falls itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town5 public schools: 3 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close bySouthwest General Health Center in Middleburg Heights, about 4 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityCleveland is about 14 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Olmsted Falls meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

Olmsted Falls runs into the built-up area around Cleveland (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $239,300U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 22%Cuyahoga County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,241 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $96,837U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 83%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $5,154 a yearOhio: $2,822
Homes built before 1940: 9%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 5%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 93.9U.S. average = 100 (the Cleveland metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 22% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Cleveland metro area, not Olmsted Falls alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 8,6692020: 8,650
Median age: 45.6 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 23%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 18%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 40%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 9%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (24%); professional and business services (15%); retail (14%)
Unemployment rate: 3%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 26 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 18%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 6%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Southwest General Health Center, Middleburg Heights, OH, about 4 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

5 public schools in Olmsted Falls, run by Olmsted Falls City.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Ohio's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 81%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 93%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 22°F
July average high: 84°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 12 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 111 a year
Rain and melted snow: 41 inches a year
Snow: 64 inches a year
Elevation: 777 feet

Weather station: Cleveland (4 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Southwest General Health CenterEmergency room4

Parma, OHCity of 79,0009

Cleveland, OHMetro of 2.2 million14

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Southwest General Health Center, Parma, Cleveland.

Cuyahoga County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Olmsted Falls Historic District.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Cuyahoga Valley National Park14 miles
James A. Garfield National Historic Site35 miles
First Ladies National Historic Site48 miles
Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial51 miles

Read about Olmsted Falls's history on Wikipedia.

Know Olmsted Falls?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Berea, OH17,900 people, 2 miles
Middleburg Heights, OH15,600 people, 5 miles
Brook Park, OH18,200 people, 5 miles
Fairview Park, OH16,700 people, 6 miles
Bay Village, OH15,800 people, 9 miles
Grafton, OH5,800 people, 9 miles

Smaller places

Eaton Estates, OH (unincorporated)1,184 people, 7 miles
Linndale, OH108 people, 9 miles
Valley City, OH (unincorporated)785 people, 9 miles
Cuyahoga Heights, OH552 people, 14 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.