Cincinnati, OH — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Ohio·Cincinnati

Hamilton County · Cincinnati · population 314,915

First-time buyersBig-city amenities
Cincinnati, OH
Image: Wikipedia · Cincinnati
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
68
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Cincinnati stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $252,784
1-year +1.6%
5-yr CAGR +4.9%
vs 5-yr peak -0.0%
Population +0.4%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-03$253k$119k$167k$215k$263k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
52/100
Somewhat walkable
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
40/100
Some transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
85/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,473/mo$1,031$1,297$1,562202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent127134100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 14.3
Buy

At a 14.3 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Cincinnati on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 14.3 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
58 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
64 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
54 · w16%
Rent YoY
72 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
75 · w10%
Long thesis

Cincinnati is a Rust Belt market with +0.4% population growth — a rare combination. You're buying real housing for less than the cost of a coastal studio in a city the data says is finally turning.

Short thesis

Cincinnati's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Cincinnati

Cincinnati is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, with an estimated population of 314,915. The median home value in Cincinnati is $252,784 as of 2026-04, up 1.6% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +4.9% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Cincinnati average $1,473 per month, up 4.0% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 68 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Held the highs: currently -0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
○The data is the data: Cincinnati has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 2-criteria momentum score on this page.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Cincinnati (Wikipedia)

Cincinnati is the most populous city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line with Kentucky. The third-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 309,317 at the 2020 census, Cincinnati serves as the economic and cultural hub of the tri-state Cincinnati metropolitan area, Ohio's most populous metropolitan area and the nation's 30th-largest at over 2.3 million residents.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorAftab Pureval
Area79.64 sq mi
Elevation742 ft
Density3969.98/sq mi
Named forSociety of the Cincinnati and Cincinnatus

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Hamilton County right now.

NWS active alerts (OH)Ohio Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Hamilton County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Cincinnati

55 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Mt. Lookout$725,735+5.0%
2Hyde Park$588,230+4.3%
3Mariemont$587,631+5.8%
4East End$517,125+2.2%
5Mt. Adams$512,710-2.0%
6Clifton$478,706+5.1%
7Columbia-Tusculum$465,639+0.1%
8Oakley$406,315+1.0%
9Pendleton$405,781-1.6%
10Central Business District$388,052-2.1%
11Forestville$364,604+5.3%
12Fruit Hill$336,635+3.1%
13Over-The-Rhine$332,764-0.9%
14Pleasant Ridge$330,055+0.3%
15East Walnut Hills$327,117-2.3%
16West End$309,217+0.2%
17Paddock Hills$302,993+7.9%
18North Avondale$302,147+3.8%
19Linwood$293,238+1.9%
20Corryville$275,763+0.5%
21Mt. Washington$274,887+1.6%
22Mt. Auburn$272,395-7.3%
23CUF$263,268+2.4%
24Madisonville$255,853-2.4%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Cities like Cincinnati

Dayton, OH67 · RisingAkron, OH69 · RisingBeavercreek, OH69 · RisingReynoldsburg, OH70 · Rising

Run the numbers for Cincinnati

ToolCan I afford Cincinnati?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Cincinnati rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Cincinnati to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolCincinnati cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
36° / 21°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
83° / 64°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
178
~49% of year
Annual precip
39″ rain
28″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
High
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Low
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Cincinnati area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Cincinnati listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
72%
Humid climate
Median household income
$67,800
Ohio state median
Top industries (state-level)
ManufacturingHealthcareFinance

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

Cities similar to Cincinnati

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