Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,488.
The best of South Amherst’s subject grades is an A− for incomes; the weakest is a D for walkability. On the outdoors, just 25 of Ohio’s 1,718 towns do worse. South Amherst has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where South Amherst beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far South Amherst is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 944 in 1920, a peak of 2,913 in 1970, 1,581 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1903 on.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in South Amherst, 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 South Amherst.
South Amherst’s FEMA risk score stands at 8 of 100, below both the Ohio town median (23 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100). Since 2004, South Amherst has seen 6 flood insurance claims paid out. FEMA puts just over three fifths of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 14% to tornadoes. One declared disaster, in 2004, has brought federal aid to South Amherst households.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Half commute less than 19 miles. South Amherst had 111 jobs in 2023, down 21 from 2013. 6.6% of residents live below the poverty line here. Its typical journey to work stands at 26 minutes, where Ohio’s towns sit at 24 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes.
| South Amherst | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 0.7% | 6.9% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.6% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
South Amherst: four in five adults had a checkup this year. Of 32 CDC measures, South Amherst beats the Ohio average on 4 and trails it on 2. In South Amherst, 14% of adults have diabetes, and 32% feel lonely.
| South Amherst | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 12% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 26% | 23% |
| What stands out | South Amherst | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.4% | 8.3% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.9% | 14.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.5% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Values rose 8.5% in the 12 months to September 2026. The midpoint rent in South Amherst is $1,294 a month. The share of households in South Amherst who live in a home they own: 80%.
| South Amherst | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,294 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 80% | 77% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2 within 15 miles of the center of South Amherst
About 5 of every 100 South Amherst residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Ohio.
Where South Amherst’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Village in Ohio, United States
South Amherst is a village in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,581 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 3.3 years of the area's median household income ($70,678 across the Cleveland, OH metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.