Ottawa County, Ohio Housing Market Prices
Ottawa County Home Prices and Rent at a Glance
The median home price (often called the average home price), rent costs, affordability metrics, and housing stock characteristics for this housing market.
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Median home price 53% below the Ohio median Cheaper than 82% of counties in Ohio$65,000
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Median rent 10% below the Ohio median$930
Median Home Price Map: Nearby Counties
Housing Market Overview
| Metric | Ottawa County | Ohio Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $65,000 | $139,044 | $248,835 |
| Price Trend (Annual %) | -1.5% | 6.7% | 7.5% |
| Median Gross Rent | $930 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Rent Trend (Annual %) | 3.9% | 4.2% | 5.1% |
| Household Income Trend (Annual %) | — | — | — |
The median home price in Ottawa County is about 53% lower than in Ohio. Rent is about 10% lower than the Ohio average.
Median Home and Rent Price Trends
Median Home Prices, 2015-2024
Median Rent Prices, 2015-2024
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Ottawa County: home prices fell about 1.5% a year while rent rose about 3.9% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
Median rent in Ottawa County rose about 33.8% between 2015 and 2024, from $695 to $930. Over the same span, rent in Ohio rose about 41.7%.
Affordability
On average, housing unit costs 0.9 yearly household incomes in Ottawa County.
Buying the median-priced home in Ottawa County costs roughly 5.8 years of rent at the median monthly rate. That is a relatively low price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor buying over renting in Ottawa County. The price-to-rent ratio in Ohio is about 11.2.
| Metric | Ottawa County | Ohio Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $65,000 | $139,044 | $248,835 |
| Median Household Income | $76,272 | $71,509 | $80,455 |
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 0.9 | 1.9 | 3.1 |
Home Prices vs Income Over Time
Between 2015 and 2024, the median home price in Ottawa County fell about 45.4%, while median household income rose about 33.7% between 2009 and 2025 — income grew faster than the home price.
Income Growth vs Housing Cost Growth (Year-over-Year %)
Compare income and housing cost trends.
Occupancy & Tenure
| Metric | Ottawa County | Ohio Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership Rate | 53.5% | 61.7% | 58.5% |
| Rental Rate | 10.5% | 30.1% | 31.2% |
| Vacancy Rate | 36.0% | 8.1% | 10.2% |
| Median Tenure (years) | 17.0 | 16.0 | 15.0 |
| Median Year Moved In | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
Ottawa County has a homeownership rate of 53.5%, lower than the Ohio average of 61.7%. Its housing vacancy rate is 36.0%, compared with 8.1% in Ohio.
Housing Stock
| Metric | Ottawa County | Ohio Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 2.13 people | 2.37 people | 2.53 people |
| Median Structure Built Year | 1969 | 1970 | 1978 |
| Median Number of Rooms | 5.7 | 5.9 | 5.5 |
The typical housing unit in Ottawa County was built around 1969. On average, 2.1 people live in a home with about 5.7 rooms, staying for about 17.0 years on average.
Ottawa County, OH Housing Compared With Nearby Counties
Ottawa County, OH is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 39,994 residents against a local median of 74,571. Ottawa County, OH's median home price, at $65,000, runs 56% below the $149,137 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $224,735 on median home price, so Ottawa County, OH sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Ottawa County, OH has the 6th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median home price | Median rent | Homeownership |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa County, OH | 39,994 | $65,000 #6/6 | $930 #4/6 | 83.6% #1/6 |
| Sandusky County, OH | 58,778 | $149,137 | $783 | 73.4% |
| Lucas County, OH | 427,836 | $115,392 | $934 | 62.0% |
| Erie County, OH | 74,571 | $323,498 | $932 | 71.9% |
| Seneca County, OH | 54,770 | $98,763 | $855 | 73.4% |
| Monroe County, MI | 155,488 | $194,999 | $1,059 | 81.7% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the housing market in Ottawa County, Ohio.
What is the median home price in Ottawa County, Ohio?
The median home price in Ottawa County, Ohio is $65,000, lower than the Ohio average of $139,044.
What is the average home price in Ottawa County, Ohio?
The typical home price in Ottawa County, Ohio, reported as the median sale price, is $65,000. The median is used instead of a mathematical average because it is not skewed by a small number of very expensive or very cheap homes, so it better reflects what a typical buyer pays.
What is the median rent in Ottawa County, Ohio?
The median gross rent in Ottawa County, Ohio is $930 per month, lower than the Ohio average of $1,033.
What was the median gross rent in Ottawa County in 2020?
In 2020, the median gross rent in Ottawa County, Ohio was $752 per month.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in Ottawa County, Ohio?
The price-to-rent ratio in Ottawa County, Ohio is about 5.8, meaning it would take roughly 5.8 years of rent payments at the median rent to equal the median home price. That is a relatively low price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor buying over renting in Ottawa County.
Are home prices or rent rising faster in Ottawa County, Ohio?
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Ottawa County: home prices fell about 1.5% a year while rent rose about 3.9% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
What is the homeownership rate in Ottawa County, Ohio?
53.5% of households in Ottawa County, Ohio own their home, lower than the Ohio average of 61.7%.
What is the vacancy rate in Ottawa County, Ohio?
The housing vacancy rate in Ottawa County, Ohio is 36.0%, higher than the Ohio average of 8.1%.
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