Amherst Ohio City Guide

Around 12,100 people call Amherst home. The annual growth rate is reportedly about 0.08%. Between 2010 and 2020, the yearly growth rate averaged around 0.55%.

The city’s population density is 1,696.42 per square mile, which seems large compared to Ohio’s population density of 257.90 per square mile and the country’s population density of 82.73 per square mile.

49.51% of Amherst residents are male, and 50.49% are female. The median resident age is 47. About 30% of residents are 18 years old or younger. 20% of residents are between 20 and 44 years of age, and about 50% of residents are 45 or older.

About 93.4% of Amherst residents are White, and 1.7% of residents are of Asian descent. Roughly 1% of residents are Black or African American. From there, 2.6% of residents are biracial or multiracial.

About 95% of residents are English speakers. 2.4% of the population speaks Spanish, while 1.3% of residents speak Chinese, Mandarin, or Cantonese.

3.8% of Amherst residents were born outside of the U.S. The majority of Amherst residents have German, Italian, Irish, or English roots. 6.3% of residents have Polish ancestry, while 5.7% have Hungarian ancestors. Another 3.9% of Amherst’s population has Slovak roots.

Amherst contains 3 public elementary schools, 2 public middle schools, and 1 public high school within its borders. An estimated 92.7% of the population has a high school diploma.

Of the city’s residents who are 25 years of age and over, 25.9% have some level of a college education. From there, 11.8% have an associate’s degree. Another 17.8% of residents have a bachelor’s degree, while an estimated 8% have a graduate or professional degree.

For additional context, Amherst’s percentages of adults with bachelor’s degrees and higher level degrees trail behind Ohio’s reported averages.

Amherst real estate is generally priced above other Ohio areas.

At 45.3%, the majority of properties in Amherst are valued between $119K-$239K. 20.9% of real estate is valued between $239K-$358K, and 5.7% of properties are worth between $358K-$478K. Only 2.4% of properties are worth between $478K-$895K. Meanwhile, 15.5% of real estate ranges between $60K-$119K, and 10.2% of real estate is valued under $60K. All in all, the median property value is $213K.

As for appreciation rates, Amherst fell below the national average between October 2009 and October 2019. During this time, the annual home appreciation rate was only 0.76%, which is under 70% of residential areas across the United States.

However, from October 2018 to October 2019, Amherst’s annual appreciation rate was 4.52%, which is above the national average. Amherst anticipates an appreciation rate of 10.38%, which indicates an impressive upswing.

Out of over 4,800 housing options, the majority at 82.1% are owner-occupied, while 8% of properties are rented. Meanwhile, 5.9% of housing options are vacant.

Although 88.8% of housing options are single family homes, there are several other types of residences in Amherst. 6% of residences are condominiums, and 2.3% are apartment complexes. Additionally, 1.2% of housing options are smaller apartment buildings.

Only 3.4% of housing options are 1 bedroom properties, while 53.4% are 3 bedroom residences. 25.1% of properties have 4 bedrooms, and 15.1% have 2 bedrooms. Roughly 3% of properties have 5 or more bedrooms.

At 40%, the bulk of properties were built between 1940-1969, which coincides with Amherst’s population boom following WWII. 31.7% of properties were constructed between 1970-1999, and 12.8% of residences were built in 2000 or later. Meanwhile, 15.5% of Amherst properties were built in or before 1939.

Amherst’s median household income is about $69K, which compares favorably to Ohio’s median of $54K and the U.S. median of $60K. The city’s per capita income tracks around $33K.

An estimated 7.9% of Amherst’s population lives in poverty. The local unemployment rate is 6.9%, which trends over both statewide and national rates. 3% of Amherst workers earn less than $15K per year. About 10% of residents earn between $15K-$25K annually.

Almost 33% of workers make between $25K-$50K annually. Almost 18% of the population earns between $50K-$65K, and another 11% of residents earn between $65K-$75K per year. About 25% of residents earn over $75K annually.