The 10 Worst Cincinnati Suburbs For 2023


We used data and Friday Night Science to identify the worst suburbs of Cincinnati for 2023. The worst Cincinnati suburbs are New Miami and Aurora.

The suburbs of Cincinnati call to all types of people looking to escape city live. Some people would prefer to live in the cities and towns that surround Cincinnati to avoid all the hustle and bustle.

So the question arises, do the suburbs maintain a semblance of the larger-than-life appeal of their more famous neighbor?

Today, we’ll use science and data to determine which Cincinnati ‘burbs need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Cincinnati area if you will. Realistically, you can’t expect all the suburbs to live up to Cincinnati proper, although Mariemont certainly tries.

Of course, not all suburbs of Cincinnati are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones..

We examined the 75 biggest suburbs of Cincinnati to find out the worst places to live. And while you won’t necessarily find them on the worst places to live in Ohio lists, these ten places are a little too far downwind of Cincinnati in terms of quality of life.

Here are the 10 worst suburbs around Cincinnati for 2023:

  1. New Miami
  2. Aurora
  3. Middletown
  4. Bethel
  5. Elmwood Place
  6. Lockland
  7. Covington
  8. Batavia
  9. Mount Healthy
  10. Williamsburg

What’s the worst suburb of Cincinnati? New Miami ranks as the worst suburb of Cincinnati for 2023 based on the most recent Census and FBI data.

Read on to see how we determined the places around Cincinnati that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don’t blame the messenger.

Or, if you’re thinking of moving to elsewhere in Ohio check out the best places in Ohio overall or the worst.

And remember, there are some good places to live around Cincinnati too.



For more Ohio reading, check out:

The 10 Worst Cincinnati Suburbs To Live For 2023

New Miami, OH

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 2,300
Rank Last Year: 2 (Up 1)
Median Income: $43,088 (12th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 16.2% (2nd highest)
Median Home Value: $73,500 (3rd lowest)
More on New Miami:  Data | Photos

We’ll get the ball rolling with New Miami, the absolute worst place to live around Cincinnati according to the data.

And in the world of worst rankings, New Miami beat the competition pretty handily thanks to scoring in the bottom 15% in three major categories. Income is the 12th worst in the Cincinnati area, and to make matters worse, the city ranks 3rd worst when it comes to home values.

But hey, at least it’s cheap to live there. But there’s a reason for that… it’s New Miami.

You won’t feel bad about not having a great income for the area, there aren’t a bunch of places to spend your money anyway.

Aurora, IN

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,757
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 1)
Median Income: $37,086 (3rd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.9% (15th highest)
Median Home Value: $112,500 (10th lowest)
More on Aurora:  Data | Photos

Welcome to Aurora. Home to KMart, Big Lots, and a lot of gas stations.

This city is 21.9 miles to Cincinnati. Income levels here are the 3rd lowest in the metro area, where families bring in about $37,086 a year, which doesn’t go a long ways even on a shoestring budget.

But on the bright side, there are a lot of fast food joints in the area.

Middletown, OH

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 50,114
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 2)
Median Income: $47,116 (16th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.9% (16th highest)
Median Home Value: $111,800 (9th lowest)
More on Middletown:  Data | Photos

Back up the highway we go for the third worst Cincinnati suburb you can live in. You might have expected to see Middletown on here. While the cost of living is low, your entertainment and work options are limited. And that’s an understatement.

In terms of numbers, it’s in the worst 15% for insurance, and the adult high school drop out rate is poor compared to other Cincinnati suburbs.

But at least there are nice parks to bring the kids during the day.

Bethel, OH

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 2,647
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Income: $38,708 (6th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 8.0% (10th highest)
Median Home Value: $114,500 (13th lowest)
More on Bethel:  Data | Photos

If you live in Bethel, most likely you struggle to make ends meet every month. It ranks as the 6th lowest Cincinnati suburb when it comes to residents making money.

Not only that, but this is the 10th worst unemployed suburb you can live in if you choose to live near Cincinnati. Remember, we looked at 75 cities for this study.

Bethel is about 25.7 miles to downtown.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 2,215
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 2)
Median Income: $37,552 (4th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 5.5% (26th highest)
Median Home Value: $57,500 (lowest)
More on Elmwood Place:  Data

Elmwood Place has the distinction of being a Cincinnati suburb. Which means that’s about all it has going for it.

All snarkiness aside, Elmwood Place has the lowest home values in the metro Cincinnati area, where the median price is $57,500. To put that into perspective, in Mariemont, the median income is $183,750, which is the best in the area.

Elmwood Place has an unemployment rate of 5.53% which ranks 26th worst.

Lockland, OH

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,495
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 3)
Median Income: $37,717 (5th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 5.9% (24th highest)
Median Home Value: $100,200 (6th lowest)
More on Lockland:  Data | Photos

Lockland has 3,495 residents that probably know it’s a pretty crummy place to live when you look at the data. (Or, if you’ve ever been there, you don’t need to look at the data.)

Incomes are towards the bottom and the poverty rate sits at 32.217453505007164%.

Covington, KY

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 40,930
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 1)
Median Income: $47,917 (17th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.9% (17th highest)
Median Home Value: $130,500 (2lowest)
More on Covington:  Data | Photos

Ah, Covington. You rank as the 7th worst place to live around Cincinnati.

It’s the place with the 17th most out of work residents in the Cincinnati metro area (6.85%).

Batavia, OH

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,614
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 1)
Median Income: $53,821 (24th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 14.9% (4th highest)
Median Home Value: $152,100 (37th lowest)
More on Batavia:  Data | Photos

Batavia is a city about 17.8 miles from Cincinnati, but Cincinnati probably wishes it was further away. It ranks as the 8th worst burb for 2018.

You’d be hard pressed to find a worse place to live. Batavia has the 6most uninsured people, 24th worst incomes, and has the 4th highest unemployment rate (14.86%) in the entire Cincinnati metro area.

Homes only cost $152,100 for a reason. That’s cheap for Cincinnati standards.

Mount Healthy, OH

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 6,976
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 5)
Median Income: $41,389 (8th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 8.6% (8th highest)
Median Home Value: $96,000 (5th lowest)
More on Mount Healthy:  Data | Photos

If you absolutely have to live near Cincinnati, then Mount Healthy might be a place for you to consider as it’s only the 9th worst Cincinnati suburb.

About 8.6% of residents are out of work.

Williamsburg, OH

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,554
Rank Last Year: 9 (Down 1)
Median Income: $53,550 (23rd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 4.0% (39th highest)
Median Home Value: $134,300 (24th lowest)
More on Williamsburg:  Data | Photos

Rounding out the ten worst Cincinnati suburbs to call home is Williamsburg.

Located 25.3 miles outside the city, Williamsburgs is a real pit when you look at the data. Its residents have the 39th highest unemployment rate (3.97%), and poverty is far above the area average.

Methodology: Determining The Worst Suburbs Around Cincinnati for 2023

To figure out how bad a Cincinnati suburb is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what suburbs have the least amount of those things.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the most recent American Community Survey data from 2017-2021, this is the criteria we used:

  • High unemployment rate
  • Low median household incomes
  • Low population density (no things to do)
  • Low home values
  • A lot of high school drop outs
  • High poverty
  • High rate of uninsured families

FYI: We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Cincinnati.

Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 1,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 75 suburbs to evaluate around Cincinnati.

We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 75 in each category, where 1 was the “worst”.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality of life index.

And finally, we crowned the city with the worst quality of life index the “Worst Suburb near Cincinnati.” We’re lookin’ at you, New Miami.

Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the worst of the worst. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from worst to best.

Editor’s Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out we updated this article for 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the worst suburbs around Cincinnati.

Summary: The areas around Cincinnati where the dream is more of a nightmare for 2023

Well there you have it — the worst of the ‘burbs surrounding Cincinnati with New Miami casting itself ahead of the pack.

As we mentioned earlier, the suburbs around Cincinnati aren’t all bad. Mariemont takes the cake as the best place to live around Cincinnati.

  • Mariemont
  • Terrace Park
  • Wyoming

For more Ohio reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Cincinnati Suburbs

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Values
1 New Miami 2,300 $43,088 $73,500
2 Aurora 3,757 $37,086 $112,500
3 Middletown 50,114 $47,116 $111,800
4 Bethel 2,647 $38,708 $114,500
5 Elmwood Place 2,215 $37,552 $57,500
6 Lockland 3,495 $37,717 $100,200
7 Covington 40,930 $47,917 $130,500
8 Batavia 2,614 $53,821 $152,100
9 Mount Healthy 6,976 $41,389 $96,000
10 Williamsburg 2,554 $53,550 $134,300
11 Lincoln Heights 3,153 $12,183 $72,600
12 Hamilton 63,127 $50,034 $113,500
13 North College Hill 9,605 $51,120 $90,600
14 Crittenden 3,976 $51,488 $146,100
15 New Richmond 2,726 $68,424 $182,500
16 Silverton 4,890 $46,029 $140,500
17 Cheviot 8,683 $45,428 $109,600
18 Lawrenceburg 5,083 $28,902 $132,400
19 Springdale 11,024 $64,606 $144,300
20 Newport 14,378 $44,095 $168,800
21 Rising Sun 2,271 $41,603 $116,200
22 Norwood 18,983 $48,703 $162,600
23 Cleves 3,380 $82,716 $136,200
24 Woodlawn 3,844 $54,345 $118,800
25 Southgate 3,660 $49,729 $150,900
26 Golf Manor 3,782 $39,360 $100,300
27 Forest Park 19,940 $58,257 $125,400
28 Elsmere 9,080 $57,459 $124,600
29 Highland Heights 6,896 $42,929 $126,600
30 Dayton 5,641 $55,130 $112,800
31 Wilder 3,147 $60,607 $121,500
32 Greendale 4,009 $66,536 $147,300
33 Reading 10,525 $56,929 $141,900
34 Fairfield 44,550 $63,418 $170,900
35 Ludlow 4,386 $56,116 $137,700
36 Milford 6,549 $67,188 $173,500
37 Oxford 22,783 $41,749 $204,500
38 Lebanon 20,770 $70,329 $212,000
39 Florence 31,699 $64,718 $158,800
40 Sharonville 14,022 $68,455 $161,600
41 Walton 5,333 $79,464 $174,200
42 Greenhills 3,711 $69,208 $131,900
43 Taylor Mill 6,834 $73,422 $179,200
44 Erlanger 19,506 $68,769 $148,500
45 Crescent Springs 4,277 $72,375 $250,700
46 Independence 28,256 $82,846 $190,200
47 Trenton 12,973 $78,774 $147,200
48 South Lebanon 6,157 $108,041 $177,500
49 St. Bernard 4,052 $68,373 $122,400
50 Park Hills 3,155 $76,094 $208,300
51 Alexandria 10,125 $88,777 $214,600
52 Glendale 1,930 $97,917 $321,300
53 Deer Park 5,439 $68,545 $147,700
54 Monroe 15,560 $93,404 $201,800
55 Crestview Hills 3,383 $90,625 $226,700
56 Loveland 13,125 $75,610 $228,900
57 Bellevue 5,578 $69,135 $148,900
58 Fort Wright 5,845 $87,197 $222,500
59 Cold Spring 6,208 $73,732 $194,100
60 Evendale 2,664 $153,056 $340,000
61 Fort Thomas 17,241 $85,938 $236,900
62 Harrison 12,801 $88,943 $173,900
63 Blue Ash 13,229 $103,658 $319,000
64 Amberley 3,798 $145,893 $377,900
65 Lakeside Park 2,820 $97,306 $219,900
66 Villa Hills 7,331 $99,886 $236,800
67 Mason 34,337 $110,833 $320,800
68 Fort Mitchell 8,618 $72,669 $277,600
69 Edgewood 8,427 $109,909 $238,700
70 Union 7,227 $128,050 $292,000
71 Montgomery 10,796 $131,856 $407,000
72 Madeira 9,397 $142,917 $375,400
73 Wyoming 8,691 $133,500 $343,400
74 Terrace Park 2,012 $183,750 $530,300
75 Mariemont 3,497 $120,281 $407,800

About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.