This section focuses on the type and quality of housing in Ohio, as well as new home construction, housing vacancy, and moving. Slow growth in residential construction and historically-low housing vacancy rates create obstacles for prospective homebuyers and renters on fixed incomes.
Section Highlights
- Ohio's housing stock continues to grow, but at a rate well below the national average. Since 2019 the state's housing stock has grown by 2.0%, less than half the national growth rate (+5.2%). Over this period, Central Ohio has experienced the most housing growth (+5.7%), while Southeast Ohio has had the slowest growth rate (+0.1%).
- Over two-thirds (69%) of Ohio's housing units are single-family detached homes. Fifteen percent of housing units in the state are in multifamily structures of five or more units, while another 13% are in medium-density housing, which includes townhomes and duplexes.
- Vacancy rates have generally been falling since 2009, creating a more competitive housing market. In the first quarter of 2024, Ohio's homeowner vacancy rate dropped to 0.3% — the lowest level on record — and the following quarter the rental vacancy rate fell to a near-record low of 4.4%. By the end of the year, however, Ohio's homeowner and rental vacancy rates had improved to 1.1% and 7.2% respectively, indicating a tight but potentially less competitive housing market in the near future.
Jump to: Change in Housing Units | Structure Type | Bedrooms | Housing Vacancy | Moving | Housing Quality | Downloadable Tables | Notes
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Change in Housing Units
Change in Housing Stock for the U.S. & Ohio
Source: Population and Housing Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau
Housing Construction
Source: Building Permits Survey, U.S. Census Bureau
Change in Housing Stock by Region, 2019 to 2024
Source: Population and Housing Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau
Change in Production by Region, 2019 to 2024
Source: Building Permits Survey, U.S. Census Bureau
Structure Type
Housing Units by Structure Type
Source: American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates, ACS One-Year Estimates, Table B25024
Housing Construction by Structure Type
Source: Building Permits Survey, U.S. Census Bureau
Single-Family Detached Homes as Share of Units
Source: American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates, ACS One-Year Estimates, Table B25024
Medium-Density Housing Units as Share of Units
Source: American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates, ACS One-Year Estimates, Table B25024
Multifamily Housing Units as Share of Units
Source: American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates, ACS One-Year Estimates, Table B25024
Mobile or Manufactured Homes as Share of Units
Source: American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates, ACS One-Year Estimates, Table B25024
Bedrooms
Housing Units by Bedrooms, Occupancy, and Tenure
Source: American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates, ACS One-Year Estimates, Table B25024
Rental Housing Units by Bedrooms and Region
Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)
Housing Vacancy
Quarterly Vacancy Rate, U.S. & Ohio, by Tenure
Source: Current Population Survey/Housing Vacancy Survey (CPS/HVS), U.S. Census
Vacant Housing Units by Vacancy Status and Tenure
Source: American Community Survey (ACS) One-Year Estimates, Table B25004
Homeowner Vacancy Rate
Source: American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates, Tables B25003 & B25004
Rental Vacancy Rate
Source: American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates, Tables B25003 & B25004
Moving
Moves in Past 2 Years by Current & Previous Tenure
Source: American Housing Survey, U.S. Census Bureau
Year Moved into Unit by Tenure
Source: American Community Survey (ACS) One-Year Estimates, Tables B25038 & B25039
Moves in Past Year by Tenure & Previous Geography
Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)
Median Year Moved into Unit
Source: American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates, ACS One-Year Estimates, Table B25039
Housing Quality
Substandard Housing by Income and Tenure
Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)
Housing Inadequacy by Severity and Tenure
Source: American Housing Survey, U.S. Census Bureau
Substandard Housing by Region and Tenure
Source: IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota (based on the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample)
Downloadable Tables
- Housing Stock Tables – Coming Soon
Notes
Data on new housing units authorized for construction are limited to privately-owned homes.
Medium-density housing units include single-family attached units and those in structures with 2 to 4 units. Multifamily housing units are defined as those in structures with 5 or more units.
In the analysis of rental housing units by bedrooms and region, rental housing units include all renter-occupied housing units as well as all vacant housing units for rent or rented but not occupied.
Vacation homes are identified by the Census Bureau as housing units for "seasonal, recreational, or occasional use."
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines substandard housing as a unit that lacks complete kitchen or plumbing facilities.
HUD classifies housing adequacy into 3 degrees of severity: severely inadequate, moderately inadequate, and adequate. Units are classified as severely inadequate if at least one of the following conditions is met: lacking hot or cold piped water; lacking a full bathroom or sharing a bathroom with non-household members; having been uncomfortably cold during the winter for an extended period of time due to broken down heating equipment; having no electricity; having all of the following electrical problems (exposed wiring, a room with no working wall outlet, and multiple blown fuses or tripped circuit breakers); or having at least 5 of the following 6 maintenance problems (having water leaks from the outside, such as from the roof, basement, windows, or doors; leaks from inside the structure, such as pipes or plumbing fixtures; holes in the floors; large holes or open cracks in the walls or ceilings; large areas of peeling paint or broken plaster; or signs of rats). Units are classified as moderately inadequate if at least one of the following conditions is met: having only 3 or 4 of the 6 maintenance problems listed above; or having one of the following conditions (all flush toilets broken down at the same time for an extended period; having unvented gas, oil, or kerosene heaters as the main heating equipment; lacking a kitchen sink, working refrigerator, cooking equipment, or sharing the kitchen with non-household members).
For time series based on American Community Survey (ACS) or the ACS Public Use Microdata Sample, a gap is shown for the year 2020. Due to the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic in the data collection process, the level of nonresponse bias did not meet the Census Bureau's quality standards for a reliable release of standard one-year estimates for 2020. While experimental one-year estimates were released for that year using weighting methods to address the nonresponse bias, the Census Bureau has advised against comparing these to one-year estimates from other years.
Ohio Regions are defined at the county level by TourismOhio, part of the Ohio Department of Development. Regional estimates of IPUMS USA data are calculated using a geographic correspondence file from the Missouri Census Data Center at the University of Missouri to "crosswalk" the data from Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) to counties.
Data Sources
- Ohio Department of Development, TourismOhio, Ohio Regions
- U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, American Community Survey
- U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, American Housing Survey
- U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Building Permits Survey
- U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey/Housing Vacancy Survey
- U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population and Housing Estimates
- University of Minnesota, IPUMS USA
- University of Missouri, Missouri Census Data Center, Geocorr Applications