Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The weak point is health (D−): on CDC estimates, its residents' health ranks in the bottom 2% nationally. Walkability is its strong suit (A+): it is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns. All told, that adds up to a D overall and a rank of 964th of 987 in Ohio. Set against the rest, it does better than nearly a tenth of U.S. towns. Safety is weaker too — it reports more crime per resident than 99% of U.S. towns, including 228 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. It lags on incomes as well (D): the median household income is $22K, and 41% of residents live below the poverty line. Its National Register listings include Nela Park and First Church of Christ in Euclid. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 6 places on the National Register.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · FBI crime data, 2025 · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places.
Where East Cleveland beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Nela Park| Widest gap | East Cleveland | OH |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 27.5% | 8.3% |
Census counts: 2,876 in 1880, a peak of 40,047 in 1950, 13,792 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1906 and 5 maps from 1901 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far East Cleveland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around East Cleveland. Close and well known come first.
Big draw6 mi MuseumRock and Roll Hall of Fame580K visitors a year
Big draw6 mi Stadium & arenaProgressive Field
7 mi Stadium & arenaHuntington Bank Field
6 mi Stadium & arenaRocket Arena
9 mi National ParkCuyahoga Valley National Park3.0M visitors a year
2 mi MuseumCleveland Museum of Art410K visitors a yearRock and Roll Hall of Fame: MusikAnimal, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Progressive Field: Jsawczuk, Public domain · Huntington Bank Field: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0 · Rocket Arena: Cards84664, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cuyahoga Valley National Park: Unknown, Public domain · Cleveland Museum of Art: zenbikescience, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in East Cleveland, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in East Cleveland.
East Cleveland has a longer frost-free season than almost anywhere else in Ohio and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at 6 times the Ohio rate.
At 0.9 years of the Cleveland metro’s $71K median household income, the typical home (about $67K) costs less against local pay than in any other Ohio town; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living. Values fell 4.2% in the past year while the Ohio typical home rose 3.2%.
For East Cleveland, the typical rent is $776 a month. East Cleveland: 64% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, where Ohio’s towns sit at 42% and U.S. towns at 48%. Also worth knowing: homes in the town are typically worth about $67,000, 73% below the Ohio typical home. A home in East Cleveland typically sold within 78 days of listing.
| East Cleveland | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 37% | 77% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 64% | 42% | 48% |
| Median rent | $776 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The East Cleveland City School District runs its public schools. The largest public high school is Shaw High School, with 420 students. Two of the 6 schools are below, and why each made the list.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apex AcademyLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 495 | C |
| Shaw High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 420 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OH on state tests and graduation
Against the 122 U.S. towns with household incomes like East Cleveland’s, it is less healthy than 64%, so its D− isn’t only a matter of income.
A fifth of East Cleveland adults report frequent physical distress. East Cleveland: 43% of adults feel lonely, above both Ohio’s towns (34%) and U.S. towns (33%). Two figures for adults in the town: 25% smoke cigarettes, 50% have obesity. Only one of the 993 Ohio towns we compare has a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than East Cleveland.
| East Cleveland | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 20% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 16% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 38% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | East Cleveland | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.1% | 16.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.3% | 8.7% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 27.5% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime runs at 17.1 per 1,000 residents, 6 times the Ohio rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−.
No town among the 313 in Ohio we compare has a higher rate of reported violence than East Cleveland. The level of property crime locally is 29.3 per 1,000 residents.
| East Cleveland | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 29.3 per 1,000 residents | 9.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Count the trails in 5 parks and preserves and they come to 1.7 miles. The biggest place to walk is Forest Hill Park, 182 acres with 1.3 miles of trail. East Cleveland’s trail network density is 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Forest Hill Park | 1.3 mi | 182 |
| 2. Pattison Park | 0.3 mi | 14 |
| 3. Barbara Boyd Park | 0.1 mi | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in four fifths of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in East Cleveland after 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2012. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 63% come from inland flooding and 18% from cold waves. Since 1983, one flood insurance claim has been paid here.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here fell from 2,925 in 2013 to 1,896.
Half the trips to work are shorter than 7 miles. Of the 992 Ohio towns we compare, none has a lower typical household income than East Cleveland. Most people who work leave East Cleveland to do it: just 4% work in town. Only 2 of the 993 Ohio towns we compare have a higher share of residents below the poverty line than East Cleveland.
| East Cleveland | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 41% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $22,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.9% | 6.9% | 8% |
| Work from home | 9.1% | 9.7% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Cleveland weather station, 17 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 198 days, the highest of 2,573 Ohio places with climate records.
In July, afternoons reach 82°; in January, nights fall to 21°, and about 64 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
12 within 15 miles of the center of East Cleveland
About 5 of every 100 East Cleveland residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Ohio.
17,843 counted in 2010 and 13,792 in 2020; an estimated 13,229 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 3.8% since 2020, after 22.7% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
6 places in East Cleveland on the National Register of Historic Places.
17 notable people were born in East Cleveland.
City in Ohio, United States
East Cleveland is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,792 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 13,402 in 2024. It is a suburb lying east and south of Cleveland and west of Cleveland Heights.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with East Cleveland.
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Cleveland | #964 | D | A− | D− | C− | D− |
| Cleveland | #978 | D | B+ | D− | C− | D |
| Cleveland Heights | #689 | C+ | C− | C+ | C+ | A− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
East Cleveland grades D overall, better than 9% of U.S. towns and #964 of 987 in Ohio. It grades D− for health, D− for safety and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
17 notable people were born here, including Christine Chubbuck and Yvette Nicole Brown.
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