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

All states·Ohio·Dayton

Montgomery County · Dayton-Kettering · population 136,346

Affordability
Dayton, OH
Image: Wikipedia · Dayton, Ohio
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
67
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Dayton stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $138,867
1-year +1.3%
5-yr CAGR +5.3%
vs 5-yr peak -0.1%
Population -0.2%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-03$139k$48k$80k$112k$145k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
40/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
30/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
77/100
Strong remote-work fit
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
$1,199/mo$813$1,042$1,271202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent129139100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 9.6
Buy

At a 9.6 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Dayton on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 9.6 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
57 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
66 · w22%
Distance from peak
89 · w18%
Population growth
41 · w16%
Rent YoY
68 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
89 · w10%
Long thesis

Dayton offers a $138,867 median home with +5.3% annualized 5-year appreciation. Affordability + positive trend is one of the better risk/reward setups in US residential — small downside, room to compound.

Short thesis

Dayton'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 Dayton

Dayton is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, with an estimated population of 136,346. It anchors the Dayton-Kettering metro area. The median home value in Dayton is $138,867 as of 2026-04, up 1.3% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.3% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Dayton average $1,199 per month, up 3.5% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 67 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Healthy 5-year run: +5.3% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Held the highs: currently -0.1% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
●Cheap entry point: $138,867 median home is well below the US median of $355k — room to grow without overpaying.

▼ Bear case

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

About Dayton (Wikipedia)

Dayton is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 census. The Dayton metropolitan area has an estimated 822,000 residents and is the state's fourth-largest metropolitan area. Dayton is located within Ohio's Miami Valley region, 40 miles (64 km) north of Cincinnati and 55 miles (89 km) southwest of Columbus.

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

City facts

MayorShenise Turner-Sloss
Area56.96 sq mi
Elevation742 ft
Founded1796
Density2466.47/sq mi
Named forJonathan Dayton

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

Things to see in Dayton(Tourism)

  • Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park
  • National Museum of the United States Air Force
  • Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
  • National Aviation Hall of Fame
  • Dayton Art Institute
  • Boonshoft Museum of Discovery
  • National Park Service
  • Orville
  • Wilbur Wright
  • Paul Laurence Dunbar
  • Wright Flyer III
  • Carillon Historical Park

+4 more on Wikipedia.

Extracted from the Wikipedia article. Names linked in the source — open the city’s Wikipedia page for details.

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 Montgomery County right now.

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

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

Neighborhoods of Dayton

56 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Pheasant Hill$311,395+1.5%
2Oregon$297,116-1.6%
3Gateway$296,107+4.1%
4Forest Ridge-Quail Hollow$272,594+1.0%
5Downtown$251,878-1.6%
6University Park$231,656-1.0%
7Patterson Park$223,912+2.0%
8Northridge Estates$204,966+3.8%
9Shroyer Park$193,192+2.3%
10McPherson$186,213-1.0%
11Wright-Dunbar$182,680-3.2%
12South Park$178,342-3.3%
13Fairlane$166,242+9.6%
14Eastmont$160,917+4.8%
15Belmont$151,057+3.2%
16Deweese$149,469+3.0%
17Hearthstone$141,521+7.4%
18Linden Heights$141,216-0.8%
19Dayton View Triangle$134,853+11.0%
20Walnut Hills$130,206-1.9%
21Eastern Hills$128,156+2.8%
22Grafton Hill$126,356+0.4%
23Historic Inner East$123,103+5.5%
24Old Dayton View$121,987+2.3%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Cities like Dayton

Cincinnati, OH68 · RisingAkron, OH69 · RisingCleveland Heights, OH65 · RisingFindlay, OH69 · Rising

Run the numbers for Dayton

ToolCan I afford Dayton?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Dayton rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Dayton to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolDayton 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.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Dayton 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 sports teams

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

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.

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