Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety44#8,797/15,637
Economy36#10,009/15,631
Housing90#1,526/14,977
Health29#11,092/15,609
Healthcare60#6,195/15,650
Environment65#5,365/15,453
Education40#9,314/15,649
Infrastructure48#8,154/15,650
Community50#7,861/15,651
Leisure & amenities34#10,385/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Sheffield Lake, Ohio ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Lorain County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Rent-burdened households · low30.0%
95/100Ohio 45.9%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Rent as share of income · low22.2%
93/100Ohio 28.3%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Natural hazard risk · low4.2
93/100Ohio 14.52025Federal Emergency Management AgencyLorain County value
Mental health care shortage · low0.0
91/100Ohio 12.2United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationLorain County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · low7 mi
88/100Ohio 37 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauLorain County value
Hot days · low6 days
83/100Ohio 11 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationLorain County value

Weaknesses

Child poverty rate · high37.0%
7/100Ohio 16.4%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Depression · high27.7%
14/100Ohio 26.2%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
High ozone days · high5 days
15/100Ohio 3 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyLorain County value
Child care cost burden · high37.5%
15/100Ohio 31.7%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLorain County value
Firearm deaths · high18.9 /100k
19/100Ohio 13.9 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataLorain County value
Preventable hospital stays · high3,494 /100k
21/100Ohio 3,269 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLorain County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Child poverty rateWorsening
1.1% (2015-2019) → 36.9% (2020-2024)
+36 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Poverty rateWorsening
5.8% (2015-2019) → 14.8% (2020-2024)
+9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.8× (2015-2019) → 2.4× (2020-2024)
+34%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
New homes permittedWorsening
0.7 /1k (2021) → 0.4 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−33%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
84.8% (2015-2019) → 89.6% (2020-2024)
+4.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
26.8% (2015-2019) → 30.0% (2020-2024)
+3.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Sheffield Lake, Ohio improved on 0 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined2

Poverty+9 points5.8% → 14.8%
Price / income+0.6×1.8× → 2.4×

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Sheffield Lake, Ohio between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	28.8 min2015-2019	27.2 min2020-2024	−1.6 min	Within the margin of error	67%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.8%2015-2019	18.2%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	24%
Broadband subscriptions	84.8%2015-2019	89.6%2020-2024	+4.8 points	Within the margin of error	30%
Effective property tax rate	1.80%2015-2019	1.38%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	86%
High school diploma or higher	91.8%2015-2019	93.5%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Home price to income ratio	1.8×2015-2019	2.4×2020-2024	+0.6×	Declined	41%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3512015-2019	0.3792020-2024	+0.028	Within the margin of error	28%
Median household income	$62,2922015-2019	$69,6322020-2024	+12%	Within the margin of error	19%
Poverty rate	5.8%2015-2019	14.8%2020-2024	+9 points	Declined	5%
Rent as share of income	24.5%2015-2019	22.2%2020-2024	−2.3 points	Within the margin of error	71%
Rent-burdened households	26.8%2015-2019	30.0%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	44%
Unemployment rate	6.1%2015-2019	3.6%2020-2024	−2.5 points	Within the margin of error	86%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.0%2015-2019	6.5%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	22%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Sheffield Lake, Ohio five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Sheffield Lake, Ohio in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Sheffield Lake, Ohio itself moved −4.7 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

8,966 residents (±22)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 40–49 women (+4.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

8,966 residents (±22)

Sheffield Lake, Ohio
Ohio share

White84%7,542
Black1.7%†150
Hispanic or Latino10%†907
Asian0.4%†35
American Indian and Alaska Native0.1%†11
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races3.6%†321

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

6,722 residents (±297)

Sheffield Lake, Ohio
Ohio share

No high school diploma6.5%†435
High school or GED39%2,598
Some college26%1,725
Associate degree11%†740
Bachelor's degree13%888
Graduate degree5.0%†336

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

4,417 households (±293)

Sheffield Lake, Ohio
Ohio share

Under $25k11%†481
$25k–50k25%†1,104
$50k–75k21%†928
$75k–100k19%†837
$100k–150k18%800
$150k–200k3.4%†148
$200k or more2.7%†119

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

4,417 households (±293)

Sheffield Lake, Ohio
Ohio share

Own68%3,009
Rent32%1,408

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−10.2 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

1,301 households (±321)

Sheffield Lake, Ohio
Ohio share

Under $7504.2%†54
$750–1,00038%†488
$1,000–1,50050%†644

Home values

3,009 homes (±353)

Sheffield Lake, Ohio
Ohio share

Under $150k39%†1,180
$150k–250k50%1,512
$250k–400k8.0%†242

Age of homes

4,699 homes (±310)

Sheffield Lake, Ohio
Ohio share

2010 or later0.3%†14
2000–20092.2%†102
1980–199917%†776

Size of homes

4,699 homes (±310)

Sheffield Lake, Ohio
Ohio share

Studio1.1%†53
1 bedroom15%†688
2 bedrooms18%†855

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

4,745 workers (±460)

Sheffield Lake, Ohio
Ohio share

Drive alone85%4,041
Carpool6.6%†312
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.8%†36
Bike0.0%0
Work from home6.8%†325
Other0.7%†31

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−8.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

4,420 workers (±429)

Sheffield Lake, Ohio
Ohio share

Under 15 min23%1,008
15–29 min36%1,594
30–44 min25%1,118

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Cleveland, OH

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Lorain County, the county holding most of Sheffield Lake's residents.

Lorain County has 5,664 employer establishments, 178 for every 10,000 residents (0.72× the US rate of 248; 0.82× Ohio's), with 89,159 paid employees at an average annual pay of $50,384. The Census Bureau also counts 22,853 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 5,664; 22,853 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 178; US 248 · Ohio 216
Paid employees: 89,159
Average annual pay: $50,384; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Lorain County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	451	14.1	0.77×Fewer than typical	8,920	$18,979	84
Specialty trade contractors	414	13	0.84×About typical	2,785	$66,297	1,899
Ambulatory health care services	412	12.9	0.62×Fewer than typical	6,159	$75,025	1,162
Limited-service restaurants	236	7.4	0.92×About typical	4,983	$17,103	46
Services to buildings and dwellings	220	6.9	1.02×About typical	1,746	$46,105	1,286
Lessors of real estate	185	5.8	0.47×Fewer than typical	594	$40,567	2,092
Religious organizations	172	5.4	0.97×About typical	1,087	$22,825	—
Full-service restaurants	160	5	0.65×Fewer than typical	3,317	$22,396	26
Construction of buildings	157	4.9	0.65×Fewer than typical	842	$55,761	628
Landscaping services	149	4.7	1.33×More than typical	1,216	$53,429	439
Automotive repair and maintenance	143	4.5	0.89×About typical	643	$47,967	279
Personal care services	134	4.2	0.88×About typical	737	$28,121	980

Rank places for an industry Open Lorain County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 318,804 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $17.7K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Sheffield Lake, Ohio: $1.98 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $17.7K; +165% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1.98; US $1,994
Sole-source: 30%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Federal Aviation Administration$12.4K70%
Federal Bureau of Investigation$5,33530%

Top recipients

BENKO PRODUCTS INC$17.7K100%

Spending by fiscal year

20.5KFY2017
15.9KFY2018
10.3KFY2019
10.3KFY2022
6.7KFY2025
17.7KFY2026

What was bought

Other equipment & supplies$17.7K100%

Top industries (NAICS)

Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$12.4K70%
Boiler, tank, and shipping container manufacturing · 3324$5,33530%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Sheffield Lake, Ohio, so they do not add up across cities.

Sheffield Lake, Ohio's figures are part of those of Lorain County, OH ($23.1M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.1% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Sheffield Lake is mostly in Lorain County.

See federal money in Lorain County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Sheffield Lake, Ohio is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Robert E. LattaR-OH-5 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 0.0%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Lorain County61100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Cleveland, OH64

Other cities and towns in Lorain County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/3972088