---
title: 7. Mason, OH
description: 'Mason, OH is #7 on Money''s list of the Best Places to Live'
authors:
  - name: timestaff
    url: https://money.com/author/timestaff/
    articles: 459
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    former_staff: true
published: '2014-05-30T15:07:19.000Z'
modified: '2014-05-30T15:07:19.000Z'
section: Everyday Money
tags:
  - buying a home
  - home prices
  - Housing Market
  - Mason
  - Ohio
  - real estate
  - selling a home
canonical: https://money.com/collection-post/mason-oh-7-best-places-to-live/
type: Article
source: structured-blocks
---

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![201309_BPL_MASON](https://img.money.com/2014/05/201309_bpl_mason.jpg)
*Mason, OH*

**Top 50 rank**: 7

**Population**: 31,761

At the helm is Mayor David Nichols. Formerly CEO of a publicly traded manufacturing company, he has helped bring several new employers to town -- where they join an already impressive list of firms like Procter & Gamble and Mitsubishi.

These jobs, plus proximity to Cincinnati and Dayton, attract a diverse workforce, and the schools are among Ohio's best.

The shopping, on the other hand is less varied. While Mason does have a few non-chain restaurants and shops in town, big-box stores are the norm. *\--I.S.M.*

<table style="height:53px"><tbody><tr><td><h3 class="collection-subhead">Mason, OH</h3></td><td></td><td><h3>Town stats</h3></td></tr></tbody></table>

<table style="height:177px"><tbody><tr><td>Median family income (per year)</td><td></td><td>$95,364</td></tr><tr><td>Job growth % (2010-2012)</td><td></td><td>4.90%</td></tr><tr><td>Median home price (2012)</td><td></td><td>$176,500</td></tr><tr><td>Reading test scores (% above/below average)</td><td></td><td>21.1%</td></tr><tr><td>Math test scores (% above/below average)</td><td></td><td>31.4%</td></tr><tr><td>Personal crime incidents (per 1,000)</td><td></td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>Property crime incidents (per 1,000)</td><td></td><td>14</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table style="height:234px"><tbody><tr><td><h3 class="collection-subhead">Financials</h3></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Median family income (per year)</td><td></td><td>$95,364</td></tr><tr><td>Family purchasing power (annual, cost-of-living adjusted)</td><td></td><td>$105,177</td></tr><tr><td>Sales tax</td><td></td><td>6.50%</td></tr><tr><td>State income tax rate (highest bracket)</td><td></td><td>5.93%<sup>I</sup></td></tr><tr><td>State income tax rate (lowest bracket)</td><td></td><td>0.59%<sup>I</sup></td></tr><tr><td>Auto insurance premiums (Average price quotes, for the state)</td><td></td><td>$1,381</td></tr><tr><td>Job growth % (2010-2012)</td><td></td><td>4.90%</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table style="height:103px"><tbody><tr><td><h3 class="collection-subhead">Housing</h3></td></tr><tr><td>Median home price (2012)</td><td></td><td>$176,500</td></tr><tr><td>Average property taxes<span class="smallerTxt">(2012)</span></td><td></td><td>$3,369</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table style="height:153px"><tbody><tr><td><h3 class="collection-subhead">Education</h3></td></tr><tr><td>Colleges, universities and professional schools (within 30 miles)</td><td></td><td>25</td></tr><tr><td>Reading test scores (% above/below state average)</td><td></td><td>21.1%</td></tr><tr><td>Test scores math (% above/below average)</td><td></td><td>31.4%</td></tr><tr><td>% students attending public/private schools (located within town limits)</td><td></td><td>92.2/7.8</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table style="height:203px"><tbody><tr><td><h3 class="collection-subhead">Quality of life</h3></td></tr><tr><td>Air quality index* (% of days AQI ranked as good)</td><td></td><td>73.8%</td></tr><tr><td>Personal crime incidents (per 1,000)</td><td></td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>Property crime incidents (per 1,000)</td><td></td><td>14</td></tr><tr><td>Median commute time (in minutes)</td><td></td><td>21.4</td></tr><tr><td>% population with commute 45 mins. or longer</td><td></td><td>12.2%</td></tr><tr><td>% population walk or bike to work</td><td></td><td>1.0%</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table style="height:253px"><tbody><tr><td><h3 class="collection-subhead">Leisure and culture</h3></td></tr><tr><td>Movie theaters (within 15 miles)</td><td></td><td>15</td></tr><tr><td>Restaurants (within 15 miles)</td><td></td><td>1,686</td></tr><tr><td>Bars (within 15 miles)</td><td></td><td>220</td></tr><tr><td>Public golf courses (within 30 miles)</td><td></td><td>150</td></tr><tr><td>Libraries (within 15 miles)</td><td></td><td>39</td></tr><tr><td>Museums (accredited by AAM; within 30 miles)</td><td></td><td>7</td></tr><tr><td>Ski resorts (within 100 miles)</td><td></td><td>N.A.</td></tr><tr><td>Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts)</td><td></td><td>0.4</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table style="height:153px"><tbody><tr><td><h3 class="collection-subhead">Weather</h3></td></tr><tr><td>Annual rainfall (inches)</td><td></td><td>42.6</td></tr><tr><td>% clear days in the area</td><td></td><td>49%</td></tr><tr><td>High temp in July ° F</td><td></td><td>87.3°</td></tr><tr><td>Low temp in Jan ° F</td><td></td><td>18.9°</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table style="height:178px"><tbody><tr><td><h3 class="collection-subhead">Meet the neighbors</h3></td></tr><tr><td>Median age</td><td></td><td>37.0</td></tr><tr><td>Completed at least some college (% of residents)</td><td></td><td>71.0%</td></tr><tr><td>Married %</td><td></td><td>62.9%</td></tr><tr><td>Divorced %</td><td></td><td>6.8%</td></tr><tr><td>Racial diversity index (100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)</td><td></td><td>63.1</td></tr></tbody></table>

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