Oberlin is a somewhat small city located in the state of Ohio. With a population of 8,587 people and two associated neighborhoods, Oberlin is the 196th largest community in Ohio.Oberlin is neither predominantly blue-collar nor white-collar, instead having a mixed workforce of both blue-collar and white-collar jobs. Overall, Oberlin is a city of professionals, service providers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Oberlin who work in teaching (15.51%), food service (9.84%), and office and administrative support (8.73%). A relatively large number of people in Oberlin telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 12.21% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. 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. 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 18.58 minutes getting to work every day.If knowledge is power, Oberlin is a pretty powerful place. 53.82% 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 $32,995, which is middle income relative to Ohio and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $131,980 for a family of four. However, Oberlin contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Oberlin is an extremely 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.
