Thirty-Nine Rose, One Fell, and the Most VA-Relevant Market Is Missing From the Data
Program and regulatory figures verified October 10, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
We pulled the metro file ourselves rather than quoting a summary, which is how we found both the inversion and the missing row.
★ The metros
| Metro | Typical value | Year on year |
|---|---|---|
| ★ Columbus | $330,327 | +1.4%: dearest, and among the slowest |
| Cincinnati | $308,426 | +2.4% |
| Urbana | $258,609 | +7.0% |
| Cleveland | $253,677 | +3.9% |
| Sidney | $248,774 | +7.6% |
| Akron | $242,458 | +4.2% |
| ★ Greenville | $220,797 | +8.9%: fastest in the state |
| Canton | $219,938 | +4.5% |
| Toledo | $205,236 | +3.3% |
| ★ Springfield | $202,115 | +3.7% |
| Mansfield | $201,778 | +6.4% |
| Ashtabula | $185,002 | +6.9% |
| ★ Youngstown | $177,109 | +5.4% |
| ★ Jackson | $147,182 | -1.5%: the only Ohio metro to fall |
| ★ Portsmouth | $145,669 | +6.5%: cheapest in the state |
Zillow Home Value Index, 33rd to 67th percentile, smoothed and seasonally adjusted, month ending 31 August 2026, pulled 2026-10-10. These are volatile figures; use them as a shape, not as an appraisal.
★ Why we say 40 and not 44
44 rows in the file carry a state name of Ohio, but four of those are West Virginia-named border metros, Huntington, Wheeling, Weirton and Point Pleasant, filed under Ohio because their statistical areas cross the river.
★ So the Ohio-named count is 40, and every claim on this page uses 40. A site quoting "44 Ohio metros" has not opened the file.
★★ The inversion, which is the actual planning point
Columbus is the most expensive metro in Ohio and one of the slowest-moving, up 1.4%. The fastest movers are mid-priced or cheap: Greenville +8.9%, Sidney +7.6%, Urbana +7.0%, Ashtabula +6.9%, Portsmouth +6.5%.
★★ For a VA buyer with no deposit to protect, that matters in a specific way: the cheap end of Ohio is where competition is tightening fastest, so the "I will look somewhere cheaper" plan is a plan against a moving target. Columbus is dear but calm.
★★ The one that fell
Jackson, -1.5% to $147,182. One metro in forty going the other way is not a trend and we are not going to dress it up as one. It is worth knowing if you are buying there.
★★★ And the gap: there is no Dayton figure here
The single most VA-relevant housing market in Ohio surrounds Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, in the Dayton area. There is no Dayton, Ohio row in this metro series at all. The only "Dayton" row in the file is Dayton, Tennessee.
★★★ So we publish no Dayton figure. We also do not quietly substitute Springfield ($202,115), which is its own metro with its own base. If you see a Dayton number on a VA-loan site, ask where it came from. What we can say about the Dayton market without inventing a figure.
★ The installations, named without figures
Wright-Patterson AFB (Dayton area), Youngstown Air Reserve Station (Youngstown, $177,109, +5.4%), Rickenbacker ANGB (Columbus), Springfield-Beckley ANGB (Springfield, $202,115), Camp Perry and Defense Supply Center Columbus.
★★ We attach no personnel count and no economic-impact figure to any of them. Secondary coverage of Wright-Patterson alone gave impacts of $4.2 billion, $16.68 billion and $17 billion in one search. Those cannot all be right, every military host is closed to crawlers, and we read none at a primary source. So the bases are named and the numbers are absent. Our sourcing rules.
★ What none of this threatens
All 88 counties sit at $832,750. Columbus at $330,327 is about 40% of that. Ohio VA buyers do not run into the loan limit. Why.
Mike Certo, NMLS #260555. (480) 296-6513 · mcerto@cfmtg.com.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most expensive housing market in Ohio?
Columbus, with a typical home value of $330,327 as of August 2026, which is also one of the slowest-growing Ohio metros at 1.4 percent year on year. Cincinnati follows at $308,426 and Cleveland at $253,677.Which Ohio housing market is growing fastest?
Greenville, up 8.9 percent to $220,797 as of August 2026, followed by Sidney at 7.6 percent and Urbana at 7.0 percent. The ranking inverts: the fastest-moving Ohio metros are mid-priced or cheap, while the dearest metro is nearly the slowest.Did any Ohio housing market fall in 2026?
One. Jackson fell 1.5 percent to $147,182 as of August 2026. The other thirty-nine Ohio-named metros rose.What is the typical home value in Dayton, Ohio?
We publish no Dayton figure. There is no Dayton, Ohio row in the Zillow metro series we pulled, and the only Dayton row in the file is Dayton, Tennessee. Because Wright-Patterson Air Force Base makes the Dayton area the most VA-relevant market in the state, we name that gap rather than substituting a neighbouring metro.How many metro areas does Ohio have?
Forty Ohio-named metros appear in the Zillow series. Forty-four rows carry a state name of Ohio, but four of those are West Virginia-named border metros, Huntington, Wheeling, Weirton and Point Pleasant, whose statistical areas cross the state line.Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about VA home loan financing, not a loan commitment and not legal, tax or financial advice. Cornerstone First Mortgage is a private lender and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or acting on behalf of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or any government agency. VA entitlement, funding-fee exemption and disability ratings are determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The Ohio homestead exemption for disabled veterans is governed by Ohio Revised Code sections 323.151 and 323.152 and is administered by county auditors, not by Cornerstone; the statutory amounts are adjusted annually by the Ohio Tax Commissioner and the tax effect depends on local assessment and effective tax rates. Figures here carry the date we verified them against primary sources. All loans are subject to borrower, property and program qualification.