How Does Solon Compare to Money's Best City to Live In?

SOLON, OH - Money's Top 50 Cities to Live In list was released last week and Columbia, Maryland took the top spot. Only one Ohio city made the list, West Chester. So how does Solon compare?

Let's take a look at how the city ranks against the national averages, first.

• Percentage of residents with a bachelor's degree: Nationally, about 29 percent of a city's residents have a bachelor's degree. Nearly 56 percent of Solon's residents have a bachelor's degree. Point to Solon.
• Average Commute Time: The national average is 25 minutes. Solon residents commute for 23 minutes. A slight victory, but a victory nonetheless. Point to Solon.
• Median Family Income: The national average is $64,393. Solon's average is $111,497. Definitely a point to Solon.
• Projected 5-Year Job Growth: Solon's projections give it an 8 percent growth. The national average is 5 percent. Another point to Solon.
• Unemployment Rate: Solon's unemployment rate is 5.6 percent. The national average is 4.9 percent. Ouch. The first point to the National Average.
• Median Home Price: Solon average is $238,000; the nation's average is $229,235. Back on track. Point to Solon.
• Average Property Tax: Solon's property tax average is $6,589. The national average is $2,921. I'm not sure how to score this one, honestly.

The final tally is Solon is 6 points, national average 1 point. Compared to the national average, Solon is a pretty great place to call home and these metrics didn't even include a ranking of the school system in an area, which would have likely garnered another point to Solon.

To see Money's full list of 50 Cities to Live In, click here.

Enough undercard battles, let's move on to the main event. How does Solon, with a population of 24,377, stack up against Columbia, Md. and its 102,221 residents?

• Percentage of residents with a bachelor's degree: Nearly 63 percent of Columbia's residents have a bachelor's degree, trumping Solon's 57 percent. Sadly, point to Columbia.
• Average commute time: Columbia residents drive 29 minutes to work, on average; that's 6 minutes more than the average Solon resident. Solon is on the board. Point to Solon.
• Median family income: Columbia's families are pulling in $114,576 on average. That squeaks by Solon's average of $111,497. Point to Columbia.
• Projected job growth: Both cities are looking at 8 percent job growth over the next five years. Point to no one, that's a clean draw.
• Unemployment rate: Only 3.5 percent of Columbia residents are unemployed, versus 5.6 percent of Solon residents. Point to Columbia.
• Median home price: Columbians homes are worth $310,000 on average. Solon homes are worth $238,000. Point to Columbia, even though there's no cost of living metric in this study.
• Average property tax: In Columbia, the average property tax is $4,442. The easily beats Solon's $6,589. Point to Columbia.

The final tally isn't pretty. Columbia took five categories, Solon took one, and there was one draw.

Before you start packing those suitcases and investigating job openings in Maryland, let's remember that Solon easily beat the national average in nearly all categories. Plus, these metrics didn't look at cost of living or education system excellence. Solon's school district recently ranked as one of the best in Ohio and our state consistently scores as one of the cheapest to live in. Your $111,497 household income goes farther in Solon than in other states and cities.

Image via Google Earth