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7 of 50
7. Mason, OH
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Mason, OH
7
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.

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Mason, OH
Town stats
Median family income (per year)
$95,364
Job growth % (2010-2012)
4.90%
Median home price (2012)
$176,500
Reading test scores (% above/below average)
21.1%
Math test scores (% above/below average)
31.4%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000)
0
Property crime incidents (per 1,000)
14
Financials
Town stats
Median family income (per year)
$95,364
Family purchasing power (annual, cost-of-living adjusted)
$105,177
Sales tax
6.50%
State income tax rate (highest bracket)
5.93%I
State income tax rate (lowest bracket)
0.59%I
Auto insurance premiums (Average price quotes, for the state)
$1,381
Job growth % (2010-2012)
4.90%
Housing
Median home price (2012)
$176,500
Average property taxes
(2012)
$3,369
Education
Reading test scores (% above/below state average)
21.1%
Test scores math (% above/below average)
31.4%
% students attending public/private schools (located within town limits)
92.2/7.8
Quality of life
Air quality index* (% of days AQI ranked as good)
73.8%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000)
0
Property crime incidents (per 1,000)
14
Median commute time (in minutes)
21.4
% population with commute 45 mins. or longer
12.2%
% population walk or bike to work
1.0%
Leisure and culture
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts)
0.4
Weather
Annual rainfall (inches)
42.6
% clear days in the area
49%
High temp in July ° F
87.3°
Low temp in Jan ° F
18.9°
Meet the neighbors
Median age
37.0
Completed at least some college (% of residents)
71.0%
Married %
62.9%
Divorced %
6.8%
Racial diversity index (100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)
63.1
View moreless See Mason homes for sale
From the September 2013 issue

Source: Onboard Informatics. Details


(I) Income tax notes:
17 states have statutory provision for automatically adjusting to the rate of inflation the dollar values of the income tax brackets, standard deductions, and/or personal exemptions. Massachusetts, Michigan, and Nebraska index the personal exemption only. Oregon does not index the income brackets for $125,000 and over.
Ohio provides an additional tax credit of $20 per exemption.
Is Mason a great town, or what?
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Real estate and homes for sale on Trulia
Fan Favorite Towns

Money picked the top 100. Now it's your turn: Which town will be our fan favorite? 'Like' your town and it might just make it to No. 1.

Town # of Likes
1. Sharon, MA 11,968
2. Apex, NC 10,738
3. Westford, MA 6,023
4. Peachtree City, GA 5,632
5. Hillsborough, NJ 5,329
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How we pick the Best Places
Using statistics from data services company Onboard Informatics and other sources, we crunched the numbers in order to zero in on America's best small towns for families. (Last year, we looked at small cities, with populations between 50,000 and 300,000.) More

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