The Safest Neighborhoods In Cincinnati: 2022's Ultimate List

Cyril Balahadia
by Cyril Balahadia

Generally, Cincinnati is a safe city. However, just like any large city, some areas are best to be avoided. After all, it’s consistently included in the list of most segregated cities in the US. But then again, let’s focus on the good…

Hyde Park, Oakley, Clifton, Mount Lookout, Mount Adams, and Columbia-Tusculum are the safest neighborhoods in Cincinnati. Linwood, Central Business District, and East End also have lower violent and property crime rates than the rest of Cincinnati. The safest neighborhoods in Cincinnati are primarily in the northern and western parts of the city.

Do You Need to Hire Movers?

Get free, zero-commitment quotes from pro contractors near you.

Top 10 Safest Neighborhoods in Cincinnati

Rank

Neighborhood

1

Hyde Park

2

Oakley

3

Clifton

4

Mount Lookout

5

Mount Adams

6

Columbia-Tusculum

7

California

8

Linwood

9

Central Business District

10

East End

Now, check out the rest of the article to see the other safe neighborhood in The Queen City. Whether you’re planning to move to Cincinnati or just need to stay temporarily, the safety and crime of the neighborhoods may affect your decision.

1. Hyde Park

  • Home Price: $406,734 median purchase home price; $1,278 median monthly rent
  • Population: 13,583
  • Perfect For: Families, retirees, young professionals

The first on our list, Hyde Park, is a community that bustles with restaurants, shops, and nightlife. Despite its vibrant activity, Hyde Park keeps its suburban atmosphere and is steady keeps its rank as one of the safest neighborhoods in Cincinnati.

This, together with its high-quality schools, make it a great place to raise a family. In fact, Hyde Park is noted for being a haven for upper-middle-class families.

If you have a dog, you’ll surely love living in this area as there are many places for you and your furry baby to walk. If you’re more interested in entertainment, there are many shops, restaurants, and bars you can hang out at.

Aside from nice amenities, you’ll also fall in love with the friendly community. People here seem to care for one another without invading one’s privacy.

2. Oakley

  • Home Price: $298,113 median purchase home price; $798 median monthly rent
  • Population: 11,082
  • Perfect For: Families, young professionals

An up-and-coming area within 20 minutes of Downtown Cincinnati, Oakley is a walkable area that almost functions as its own “miniature city”. This neighborhood offers the best of both urban and suburban worlds.

Oakley is known for its tight-knit community, reasonably priced housing options, cool local boutiques, and nice restaurants. This neighborhood is popular among young professionals and small families.

3. Clifton

  • Home Price: $350,100 median purchase home price; $675 median monthly rent
  • Population: 13,838
  • Perfect For: Families, young professionals, retirees, students

Another safe neighborhood you should check out in Cincinnati is Clifton. This is a diverse neighborhood whose residents are mostly composed of students at the University of Cincinnati and professionals working in the field of medicine.

Clifton is a great place to live if you want to be close to Downtown Cincinnati. Of course, it’s also ideal for those who are looking for a neighborhood with a strong, friendly community that accepts new residents.

The neighborhood of Clifton has an exciting, vibrant business district. This area also offers a great variety of housing options, which range from affordable to more high-end. Like Oakley, this is another neighborhood that will give you a small-town feel in an urban setting.

4. Mount Lookout

  • Home Price: $500,740 median purchase home price; $800 median monthly rent
  • Population: 5,449
  • Perfect For: Families, retirees

Located in the east part of Cincinnati, with an overlooking of the beautiful Ohio River Valley, Mount Outlook is also one of the safest places in the city. This neighborhood is named after the Mount Lookout Observatory, which was moved to the neighborhood in 1873.

This neighborhood is popular among young professionals and affluent families. Most of the residents here own their homes.

During the day, you will love the sight of the scenic drives, people walking their dogs, joggers, and bikes, and students and professionals spending their breaks at the quaint coffee shops. And when the night comes, you’ll see the neighborhood comes to life with live music from bars and restaurants.

5. Mount Adams

  • Home Price: $421,138 median purchase home price; $1,075 median monthly rent
  • Population: 14,105
  • Perfect For: Start-up families, young professionals

Another scenic neighborhood you may want to consider living in is Mount Adams. This area in Cincinnati is a geographic landmark and residential neighborhood, located directly east of Downtown, south of Walnut Hills, southwest of East Walnut Hills, and west of the East End.

While this hilltop area is considered an urban community, this elevated area in the city to provide you with a unique city feel. It’s often compared to European neighborhoods with its walkable streets, red brick buildings, elegant and airy parks, and diverse collection of shops. Adding to its pleasurable atmosphere is that it is far from being congested. Most of its residents are millennials and young professionals.

6. Columbia-Tusculum

  • Home Price: $343,819 median purchase home price; $1,595 median monthly rent
  • Population: 1,304
  • Perfect For: Young couples, professionals

The oldest – and also one of the safest – neighborhood in Cincinnati, Columbia-Tusculum is a scenic community of lively Victorian-era homes and charming parks that overlook the Ohio River. This is a small up-and-coming neighborhood popular among newcomers to the city.

Living here, you’ll enjoy the fact that it is only a 15-minute drive to Downtown. And with this proximity, you can still enjoy the small-town vibe offered by the neighborhood. There are a lot of entertainment and shopping spots that truly make this neighborhood a highly in-demand neighborhood among younger homebuyers.

The housing development is continuously growing. A lot of older houses are being flipped into higher-end properties, which make great starter homes for professionals, couples, or being rented out. With Columbia-Tusculum being on the rise with home development, new businesses are also flocking giving residents not only great entertainment but also job opportunities.

7. California

  • Home Price: $265,000 median purchase home price; $850 median monthly rent
  • Population: 672
  • Perfect For: Families, retirees

Enfolding the bank of the Ohio River on the east side of Cincinnati, lies the neighborhood of California. From this area, you will get a backdrop of the hills of Kentucky and the sight of the Ohio River. Aside from its beauty, this area is made of extraordinarily rich and colorful history and a friendly community.

The green spaces are one of the highlights of this neighborhood. If you love the outdoors, it offers easy access to parks. This neighborhood is extremely safe and peaceful, which makes it one of the most sought-after neighborhoods in the city.

8. Linwood

  • Home Price: $224,583 median purchase home price; $892 median monthly rent
  • Population: 300
  • Perfect For: Young couples, young professionals

Another nice neighborhood in Cincinnati is Linwood. This neighborhood runs from the “backside” of Ault Park on Heekin down to the Little Miami River.

With a small population of 872 and a crime rate that is 17% lower than the national average, Linwood is a great place to be. The neighborhood offers a sparse suburban atmosphere, and most residents choose to rent their homes.

This neighborhood has a lot of bars, coffee shops, restaurants, and parks. A lot of families and young professionals live in Linwood.

9. Central Business District

  • Home Price: $335,203 median purchase home price; $1,219 median monthly rent
  • Population: 9,569
  • Perfect For: Young couples, young professionals

The bustling neighborhood of Central Business District is also an entertainment hub, with outdoor events and theater, like markets and concerts in Fountain Square. There are also bars and restaurants mix with cocktail spots and sports bars.

If you enjoy a vibrant vibe and spending time in green spaces, you’ll love making Central Business District your home. You’ll never run out of things to do around here.

Even if the streets can be quite busy with foot traffic, it still one of the safest places in the city. You’ll also have good access to green spaces like Smale Riverfront Park and Garfield Park.

10. East End

  • Home Price: $338,280 median purchase home price; $1,561 median monthly rent
  • Population: 1,858
  • Perfect For: Families, retirees

The last, but not the least, is East End. This neighborhood is located just east of downtown Cincinnati, which runs a total of 6 miles east along the Ohio River. East End is a river neighborhood with a lot of old homes and beautiful sights.

One of the highlights of the East End is its vast selection of green spaces. Most of the locations within this neighborhood have great good access to public green spaces like LeBlond Park and Adams Playground. There are also about 30 of them you can check out.

Crime Reports in Cincinnati

Violent

Property

Total

Number of Crimes

2,549

13,936

16,485

Crime Rate


(per 1,000 residents)

8.42

46.05

54.48

With a crime rate of 54 per 1000 residents, Cincinnati is one of the most crime-ridden cities in the US. Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in the Queen City is one in 18. Within the whole state of Ohio, over 97% of the communities have a lower crime rate than Cincinnati.

As said earlier, how safe the city is, depends on where you are. In 2019, crime in Cincinnati dropped by 6%, representing everything from forgery to rape. However, other types of violent crime rose, such as homicides. The city’s highest record of deaths by crime is 74.

During the first months of 2020, about 10,000 crimes were already reported in Cincinnati – a rate that’s greatly lower than the average for the last half a decade. In fact, the city’s rate of serious crimes is now significantly lower than compared to what it was in 2001. In 2019, the most common crimes reported in the city were those listed below:

Nonviolent Crimes

The most common nonviolent crimes that occurred in Cincinnati in 2019 were:

  • Theft (3,866 reported incidents); and
  • Burglary (1.055 reported incidents).

Violent Crimes

Several violent crimes occurred in Cincinnati in 2019, but they were far rarer than nonviolent crimes:

  • Robbery (373 reported incidents).
  • Rape (71 reported incidents); and
  • Homicide (29 reported incidents).

This does not mean that no other crimes are going on in the city of Cincinnati. Some just happen more often than the others.

Worst Neighborhoods in Cincinnati

There are definitely some parts of town that are better avoided at all costs. Remember that Cincinnati had a higher per capita murder rate than Chicago, although Chicago usually gets the press.

Following are some of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Cincinnati, based on crime statistics:

RankNeighborhoodCrime per/ 100k PeopleTotal Crime vs. Cincinnati

1

North Fairmount

1,344

60% higher

2

South Fairmount

1,338

59% higher

3

South Cumminsville

1,333

59% higher

4

East Westwood

1,319

57% higher

5

Lower Price Hill

1,260

50% higher

6

West End

1,257

50% higher

7

East Price Hill

1,244

48% higher

8

Sedamville

1,223

46% higher

9

Camp Washington

1,220

45% higher

10

Cuf

1,200

43% higher

Statistically, North Fairmount ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood in Cincinnati. The total crime in the previous year is estimated to be 8,608 per 100,000 people – that is 234% higher than the national average.

Do You Need to Hire Movers?

Get free, zero-commitment quotes from pro contractors near you.


Related Questions

Is Cincinnati a good place to live?

Cincinnati is the best place to live in Ohio due to the low cost of living and great employment opportunities. The city is known for its culture and variety of fun things to do. Cincinnati has several parks, museums, bars, restaurants, and the famous Great American Ball Park.

Is Cincinnati safe?

Cincinnati has a high crime rate and is only safer than 4% of the United States. Residents risk a 1 in 119 chance of suffering a violent crime and a 1 in 23 chance of suffering a property crime. There are 197 crimes per square mile in Cincinnati.

What is the most dangerous part of Cincinnati?

English Woods, South Fairmount, Sedamsville, and South Cumminsville are the most dangerous neighborhoods in Cincinnati. Areas like East Westwood, Over-the-Rhine, and Lower Price Hill have high violent and property crime rates.

Final Thoughts

While Cincinnati is mostly safe, there are still some areas that should pose a concern to your safety. As long as you know where to go or stick around, you have a lower chance of being at risk.

All in all, Cincinnati is welcoming to visitors and newcomers, but certain side streets are dangerous, especially at night. So, use this guide to help you have a better experience!

Cyril Balahadia
Cyril Balahadia

Coming from a family of woodcarvers, Cyril has always been fascinated with wooden interiors and home decorating. While she followed the path of writing as her career, her interests in home improvements still remain.

More by Cyril Balahadia

Next