Is Portage Lakes a good place to live?
Portage Lakes’s weakest subject is walkability (C). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 66% of U.S. towns. Overall, Portage Lakes earns a C+: better than 40% of U.S. towns, and 716th of 987 in Ohio. Where it does best is hazard risk (A). At about $167K, a typical home costs 2.3 years of the Akron metro’s $72K median household income. The biggest park or preserve is Portage Lakes Wetland State Nature Preserve, at 62 acres. 9.4% of residents are under 18 locally, where Ohio’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 22%. Nearly a quarter of the land locally is conserved, above both Ohio’s towns (3.7%) and U.S. towns (4.3%).
Figures: FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · OpenStreetMap · USGS PAD-US.
How Portage Lakes grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Portage Lakes is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
What makes Portage Lakes stand out
Where Portage Lakes beats most towns.
0 miles of trails in Portage Lakes
22.6% of the town is conserved land, across 5 parks and preserves.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Portage Lakes.
Portage Lakes is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
Portage Lakes has a very low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
The risk rating from FEMA in Portage Lakes is 9 of 100. The national flood insurance program has paid 5 claims here since 1983. FEMA puts 63% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 14% to hail.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Fewer children than Ohio overall
Children under 18 are 9% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 28% of residents (18% statewide). For Portage Lakes, the midpoint age is 51.5 years. College graduates make up a third of adults 25 and older, against 32% across Ohio.
| Portage Lakes | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 9.4% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 51.5 years | 41.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 28% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 24% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.1 points. Across Ohio, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Portage Lakes | OH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 3.8% | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.6% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.2% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.7% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 18.5% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.5% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.6% | 10.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.1% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.6% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.3% | 32.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.3% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.2% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18% | 19.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.6% | 12.2% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
In Portage Lakes, 22.6% of the land is conserved
Walkers can cover 0.3 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The density of trails for Portage Lakes comes to 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Portage Lakes Wetland State Nature Preserve | — | 62 |
| 2. Confluence Metro Park | — | 37 |
| 3. Logan Field | — | 30 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Portage Lakes has snowy winters and pleasant summers
The range runs from 20° on a January night to 84° on a July afternoon, with about 47 inches of snow a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most of Portage Lakes’ workers commute out: the town has 0.8 jobs for each of them
The top destinations are Akron (26%), Green (5%) and Cleveland (4%). Most working residents leave Portage Lakes for work: only 3% work in town. Jobs based in Portage Lakes grew to 2,274 in 2023, 406 more than in 2013. Portage Lakes’ average commute is 21 minutes.
| Portage Lakes | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.5% | 6.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Portage Lakes is less healthy than 51% of U.S. towns
Against the 9,804 U.S. towns with household incomes like Portage Lakes’s, it is healthier than 69%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
In Portage Lakes, 27% of adults have been diagnosed with depression, and 14% have diabetes. Against the Ohio average, Portage Lakes comes out ahead on 6 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 2. Also worth knowing: 82% of Portage Lakes adults had a checkup this year.
| Portage Lakes | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 80% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 26% | 23% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 12% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 33% |
| What stands out | Portage Lakes | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.2% | 14.1% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.1% | 11.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.4% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Homes in Portage Lakes sell for about $232K
At 2.3 years of the Akron metro’s $72K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 85% of Ohio towns; that ratio is one input to its B− for cost of living.
For households in Portage Lakes, the share who live in a home they own is 61%. In Portage Lakes, 31% of sales closed above the list price. A home in Portage Lakes typically sold within 36 days of listing.
| Portage Lakes | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,162 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Portage Lakes
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and 57 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Portage Lakes. Close and well known come first.
Big draw36 mi MuseumRock and Roll Hall of Fame580K visitors a year
Big draw15 mi MuseumPro Football Hall of Fame192K visitors a year
6 mi National ParkCuyahoga Valley National Park3.0M visitors a year
35 mi Stadium & arenaHuntington Bank Field
35 mi Stadium & arenaProgressive Field
35 mi Stadium & arenaRocket ArenaPhoto credits
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: MusikAnimal, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pro Football Hall of Fame: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0 · Cuyahoga Valley National Park: Unknown, Public domain · Huntington Bank Field: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0 · Progressive Field: Jsawczuk, Public domain · Rocket Arena: Cards84664, CC BY-SA 4.0
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Moving to Portage Lakes: who provides what
Portage Lakes is unincorporated, so Summit County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Colleges nearby
6 within 15 miles of the center of Portage Lakes
About 7 of every 100 Portage Lakes residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Ohio.
About Portage Lakes
Census-designated place in Ohio, United States
Portage Lakes is a census-designated place in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,407 at the 2020 census. A suburb directly south of Akron, the community takes its name from the encompassing Portage Lakes. Portage Lakes is a part of Coventry Township. The community includes Portage Lakes State Park, which features boatramps and seasonal beach swimming. Portage Lakes is part of the Akron metropolitan area and is notable as the birthplace of Rockabilly musician Bill Allen (musician).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 965 ft
Portage Lakes’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Portage Lakes.
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portage Lakes | #716 | C+ | B− | — | B− | B− |
| Coventry Township | #666 | C+ | B− | — | B− | C+ |
| Akron | #963 | D | B | D | C | D |
| Green | #168 | A− | C | — | A | B+ |
Portage Lakes, Coventry Township and Green report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Portage Lakes with a neighbor →
Questions about Portage Lakes
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Portage Lakes, OH a good place to live?
Portage Lakes grades C+ overall, better than 40% of U.S. towns and #716 of 987 in Ohio. It grades B− for health and B− for schools.
Is Portage Lakes, OH expensive?
The typical home is worth about $167,000, 32% below the Ohio typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
Say something about Portage Lakes.
Ask a question, answer one, post a photo or an event. Free, and the parts only a neighbor would know are the parts worth reading.