Home prices in Columbus rose 6.2% in the first quarter of 2026, climbing to a median $341,700 from $321,800 a year earlier and more than 12 times the national gain of 0.5%. The jump came even as the city’s median price stayed below the national median of $404,300.
Nadia Evangelou said Columbus continues to show strong housing demand even where mortgage rates remain elevated and affordability is still challenging nationally. She said central Ohio’s steady job growth and lower prices than similar-sized markets have drawn more people to the region, while limited housing supply is still pushing prices higher.
“What really stands out is that Columbus continues to show strong housing demand, even in a market where mortgage rates remain elevated and affordability is still challenging nationally,” Evangelou said. She added that Columbus has “more inventory, but it also has inventory at price points that people can afford to buy.”
The figures put Columbus among the stronger markets in a national housing picture that was still broad but uneven. Home prices rose in 71% of metropolitan markets in the first quarter of the year, with some smaller or less expensive regions posting far bigger gains than the country overall. Elmira, New York saw prices rise 22%, Springfield, Illinois was up 18%, and Jacksonville, North Carolina gained 15.5%.
Ohio markets also posted solid increases. Akron had the state’s largest gain at 12%, followed by the Canton-Massillon market at 7.9%, Youngstown at 7%, Toledo at 6.9%, the Cleveland region at 6.4%, Cincinnati at 5.5% and Dayton at 5.3%. Columbus was ahead of all of them except Akron, and its 6.2% increase was above what Evangelou described as a healthy year-over-year rate of about 4%.
That pace matters because it can make the market harder for first-time buyers to enter, even if Columbus remains more affordable than many peer cities. Evangelou said the city’s growth may price out some buyers trying to get into the market for the first time, especially as supply stays tight.
The National Association of Realtors said the largest shortage is concentrated among middle-income buyers earning around $75,000 a year. Nationally, about 75% of listings are priced within reach of local incomes, while Columbus scores closer to 85% on that measure, reinforcing why the city is still drawing demand despite rising costs.
Evangelou said that combination of jobs, affordability and supply constraints helps explain why Columbus is still moving higher. She expects Columbus, Ohio and the Midwest to keep growing in population through the rest of 2026, a trend that could keep pressure on home prices even if mortgage rates stay high.
