Oberlin is a somewhat small city located in the state of Ohio. With a population of 7,721 people and two associated neighborhoods, Oberlin is the 196th largest community in Ohio.
Of important note, Oberlin is also a city of artists. Oberlin has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Oberlin’s character.
Also of interest is that Oberlin has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.
One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 11.11% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
Oberlin is a small town with a large college student population. Because of this, there is a real youthful, hip vibe to the place, and much of the life in the town is centered on the college. This has helped Oberlin to buck the trend of other small towns that have suffered declining populations over the past 20 to 30 years. Spending by students, and faculty and staff jobs, are a big part of the local economy.
For a small city, there is also a high proportion of single, often educated, people living in Oberlin. This is not typical for smaller communities in America, and adds a feeling of vibrancy to Oberlin.
Residents of the city have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 18.33 minutes getting to work every day.
If knowledge is power, Oberlin is a pretty powerful place. 53.94% of the adults in Oberlin have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.
The per capita income in Oberlin in 2022 was $28,443, which is lower middle income relative to Ohio and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $113,772 for a family of four. However, Oberlin contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Oberlin is a very ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Oberlin home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Oberlin residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Oberlin include German, English, Irish, Italian, and Polish.
The most common language spoken in Oberlin is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.