More and more people would prefer to live in the cities and towns that surround Toledo to avoid all the hustle and bustle.
So the question arises: what suburbs of Toledo are the worst?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Toledo ‘burbs need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Toledo area if you will. Realistically, you can only expect some of the suburbs to live up to Toledo proper, although Ottawa Hills certainly tries.
We examined the 23 biggest suburbs of Toledo 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 Toledo in terms of quality of life.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Now don’t freak out.
What’s the worst suburb of Toledo? Walbridge ranks as the worst suburb of Toledo for 2024 based on the most recent Census and FBI data.
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 Toledo too.
The 10 Worst Toledo Suburbs To Live For 2024
1. Walbridge
/10
Population: 3,023
Median Income: $51,563 (4th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 7.8% (2nd highest)
Median Home Value: $174,976 (4th lowest)
More on Walbridge:
We’ll get the ball rolling with Walbridge, the absolute worst place to live around Toledo according to the data.
And in the world of worst rankings, Walbridge beat the competition pretty handily thanks to scoring in the bottom 15% in three major categories. Income is the 4th worst in the Toledo area, and to make matters worse, the city ranks 4th 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 Walbridge.
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.
/10
Population: 20,607
Median Income: $40,797 (lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 4.8% (9th highest)
Median Home Value: $168,112 (3rd lowest)
More on Adrian: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Welcome to Adrian. Home to KMart, Big Lots, and a lot of gas stations.
This city is 28.8 miles to Toledo. Income levels here are the lowest in the metro area, where families bring in about $40,797 a year, which only goes so far even on a shoestring budget.
But on the bright side, there are a lot of fast food joints in the area.
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Population: 20,400
Median Income: $57,779 (6th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 7.8% (3rd highest)
Median Home Value: $200,178 (9th lowest)
More on Monroe: Data | Cost Of Living
Back up the highway we go for the third worst Toledo suburb you can live in. You might have expected to see Monroe 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 dropout rate is poor compared to other Toledo suburbs.
But at least there are lovely parks to bring the kids during the day.
4. Delta
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Population: 2,813
Median Income: $67,100 (9th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 3.7% (15th highest)
Median Home Value: $200,308 (10th lowest)
More on Delta: Crime
If you live in Delta, most likely you struggle to make ends meet every month. It ranks as the 9th lowest Toledo suburb for median household incomes.
Not only that, but this is the 15th worst unemployed suburb you can live in if you choose to live near Toledo. Remember, we looked at 23 cities for this study.
Delta is about 22.7 miles to downtown.
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Population: 30,157
Median Income: $41,346 (2nd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.4% (6th highest)
Median Home Value: $238,887 (14th lowest)
More on Bowling Green: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Bowling Green has the distinction of being a Toledo suburb. Which means that’s about all it has going for it.
All snarkiness aside, Bowling Green has the 14th lowest home values in the metro Toledo area, where the median price is $238,887. The median income is $171,250.
Bowling Green has an unemployment rate of 6.35% which ranks 6th worst.
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Population: 19,896
Median Income: $73,883 (14th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 4.4% (12th highest)
Median Home Value: $199,183 (8th lowest)
More on Oregon: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Oregon has 19,896 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 7.363469012067907%.
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Population: 6,314
Median Income: $74,886 (16th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 4.8% (10th highest)
Median Home Value: $176,039 (5th lowest)
More on Rossford: Data | Cost Of Living
Ah, Rossford. You rank as the 7th worst place to live around Toledo.
It’s the place with the 10th most out of work residents in the Toledo metro area (4.77%).
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Population: 5,180
Median Income: $74,404 (15th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 0.7% (23rd highest)
Median Home Value: $159,332 (lowest)
More on Northwood: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Northwood is a city about 6.3 miles from Toledo, but Toledo 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. Northwood has the 13th most uninsured people, 15th worst incomes, and has the 23rd highest unemployment rate (0.72%) in the entire Toledo metro area.
Homes only cost $159,332 for a reason. That’s cheap for Toledo standards.
9. Swanton
/10
Population: 4,133
Median Income: $67,367 (11th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 2.0% (2highest)
Median Home Value: $233,412 (13th lowest)
More on Swanton: Crime
If you absolutely have to live near Toledo, then Swanton might be a place for you to consider as it’s only the 9th worst Toledo suburb.
About 1.99% of residents are out of work.
10. Carleton
/10
Population: 2,655
Median Income: $54,028 (5th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 8.7% (highest)
Median Home Value: $290,962 (19th lowest)
More on Carleton:
Rounding out the ten worst Toledo suburbs to call home is Carleton.
Located 28.9 miles outside the city, Carletons is a real pit when you look at the data. Its residents have the highest unemployment rate (8.7%), and poverty is far above the area average.
Methodology: Determining The Worst Suburbs Around Toledo for 2024
To figure out how bad a Toledo suburb is to live in, we used Saturday Night Science to identify the kinds of things people like and then decide what suburbs have the least amount of those things.
Using the most recent American Community Survey data from 2018-2022, 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 dropouts
- High poverty
- High rate of uninsured families
We defined a suburb as any town within 30 miles of Toledo.
We also limited the analysis to places with over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 23 suburbs to evaluate around Toledo.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 23 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 Toledo.” We’re looking at you, Walbridge.
We updated this article for 2024, which reflects our tenth time ranking the worst suburbs around Toledo.
Summary: The areas around Toledo where the dream is more of a nightmare for 2024
Well there you have it — the worst of the ‘burbs surrounding Toledo with Walbridge casting itself ahead of the pack.
The worst suburbs of Toledo are .
As we mentioned earlier, the suburbs around Toledo aren’t all bad. Ottawa Hills takes the cake as the best place to live around Toledo.
- Ottawa Hills
- Perrysburg
- Waterville
For more Ohio reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Ohio
- Cheapest Places To Live In Ohio
- Most Dangerous Cities In Ohio
- Best Places To Retire In Ohio
- Richest Cities In Ohio
- Safest Places In Ohio
- Worst Places To Live In Ohio
Detailed List Of The Worst Toledo Suburbs
Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Median Home Values |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Walbridge | 3,023 | $51,563 | $174,976 |
2 | Adrian | 20,607 | $40,797 | $168,112 |
3 | Monroe | 20,400 | $57,779 | $200,178 |
4 | Delta | 2,813 | $67,100 | $200,308 |
5 | Bowling Green | 30,157 | $41,346 | $238,887 |
6 | Oregon | 19,896 | $73,883 | $199,183 |
7 | Rossford | 6,314 | $74,886 | $176,039 |
8 | Northwood | 5,180 | $74,404 | $159,332 |
9 | Swanton | 4,133 | $67,367 | $233,412 |
10 | Carleton | 2,655 | $54,028 | $290,962 |
11 | Blissfield | 3,214 | $62,585 | $203,368 |
12 | Gibsonburg | 2,572 | $67,279 | $182,039 |
13 | Dundee | 5,408 | $73,641 | $261,298 |
14 | Genoa | 2,039 | $64,750 | $193,791 |
15 | Wauseon | 7,301 | $71,000 | $204,201 |
16 | Milan | 6,153 | $89,600 | $251,182 |
17 | Oak Harbor | 2,521 | $50,362 | $164,750 |
18 | Whitehouse | 4,771 | $76,923 | $334,557 |
19 | Maumee | 13,824 | $79,203 | $252,977 |
20 | Sylvania | 19,042 | $86,048 | $290,474 |
21 | Waterville | 5,980 | $101,473 | $300,509 |
22 | Perrysburg | 24,855 | $98,419 | $310,361 |
23 | Ottawa Hills | 4,782 | $171,250 | $366,322 |