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

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Wayne County · Wooster · population 26,982

First-time buyersInvestorsBargain hunters
Wooster, OH
Image: Wikipedia · Wooster, Ohio
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
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61
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Wooster stands

23% off 5-year peak. home values up 4.1% in the last year. averaging 7.9% annual growth over 5 years. rents up 8.9% in the last year.

Median home $259,840
1-year +4.1%
5-yr CAGR +7.9%
vs 5-yr peak -23.3%
Population -0.2%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2023-02$260k$0k$117k$235k$352k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
15/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
81/100
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
$1,358/mo$1,100$1,270$1,43920242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent11111610012020242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 15.9
Lean buy

At a 15.9 price-to-rent ratio, Wooster is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
70 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
79 · w22%
Distance from peak
19 · w18%
Population growth
42 · w16%
Rent YoY
85 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
75 · w10%
Long thesis

Wooster is 23% below its 5-year peak but compounded at +7.0% per year over a decade. Long-run trend is intact; you're buying through-the-cycle pricing in a market that has historically rewarded patience.

Short thesis

Wooster has given back 23% from its 5-year peak — that's not a healthy correction, it's a market still digesting an overshoot. The bear case is that the floor hasn't been found yet.

About Wooster

Wooster is a city in Wayne County, Ohio, with an estimated population of 26,982. The median home value in Wooster is $259,840 as of 2026-04, up 4.1% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +7.9% annual growth, and the market currently sits about 23% below its 5-year peak. Rents in Wooster average $1,358 per month, up 8.9% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 61 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

▲ Bull case

●Reset opportunity: 23% off recent peak but +7.0% annualized over 10 years — long-run trend is up even if the last year wasn’t.
●Healthy 5-year run: +7.9% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Quiet strength: +4.1% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
●Hot rental market: rents up 8.9% YoY — landlords have pricing power, supports new investment math.

▼ Bear case

●23% off the 5-year peak. That’s not a healthy correction — that’s a market that ran too far and is still digesting.
●Rental squeeze: rents up 8.9% YoY — tenants face tough renewals. Affordability deteriorating fast.

About Wooster (Wikipedia)

Wooster is a city in Wayne County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Ohio, the city lies approximately 50 miles (80 km) south-southwest of Cleveland, 35 miles (56 km) southwest of Akron and 30 miles (48 km) west of Canton. The population was 27,232 at the 2020 census. It is the largest in Wayne County, and the center of the Wooster micropolitan area. Wooster is home to the private College of Wooster and the main branch of the Wayne County Public Library.

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

Playbook

Buyer

Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.

Seller

Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.

Investor

Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.

Local safety & alerts

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

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

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

Cities like Wooster

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Run the numbers for Wooster

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