Lorain County, Ohio Housing Market

In Lorain County, Ohio, the median home value is $223,200, with a median monthly rent of $966. This places Lorain County at #1148 nationally out of 3134 counties by median home value, and #20 within Ohio.

Median Home Value $223,200
Median Rent $966/mo
Owner Occupancy 74.0%
Price/Rent Ratio 19.3

📈 Price Trend (2017 → 2024)

📊 Recent Market Momentum (FHFA HPI)

FHFA House Price Index — All-Transactions, Annual (2000 = 100) · Latest: 2025

💡 Year-over-Year Trend: Home prices in Lorain County rose +5.6% year-over-year as of 2025. (Source: FHFA)

📍 Economic Snapshot

💼

Employment & Wages

84,162
jobs (private sector)
  • Avg weekly wage: $1,085
  • Establishments: 6,614
  • BLS QCEW, 2025
🏗️

Housing Supply

1,082
new units authorized (2025)
  • Single-family: 949
  • Multi-family: 133
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey
🚚

Migration Patterns

+4726
net migration (filers, 2021-2022)
  • Inflow: 137,265 (avg $77,797)
  • Outflow: 132,539 (avg $77,913)
  • IRS Statistics of Income

📍 Sub-Market Activity

Top 10 active ZIP codes in Lorain County · Latest: 2025

# ZIP Code HPI YoY Change Latest Year
1 44055 161.4 +4.83% 2025
2 44039 202.2 +7.61% 2025
3 44090 183.2 +6.45% 2025
4 44253 214.0 +2.33% 2025
5 44275 211.0 +7.92% 2025
6 44052 159.9 +2.69% 2025
7 44044 194.9 +2.09% 2025
8 44054 200.7 +7.32% 2025
9 44256 209.8 +8.09% 2025
10 44053 180.1 +8.05% 2025

Source: FHFA HPI for Five-Digit ZIP Codes (All-Transactions Index, 2000 = 100).
This product uses FHFA Data but is neither endorsed nor certified by FHFA.

How Lorain County Compares

MetricLorain CountyOhio AverageU.S. Average
Median Home Value $223,200 $196,325 $227,706
Median Gross Rent $966 $904 $968
Owner Occupancy Rate 74.0% 73.7% 73.3%
Price/Rent Ratio 19.3 17.9 18.7

Market Analysis

The median home value in Lorain County is 13.7% above the Ohio state average and 2.0% below the U.S. national average. The median rent of $966/month is 6.9% above the state average.

With a price-to-rent ratio of 19.3, the buy-vs-rent decision in Lorain County is balanced. Whether buying or renting makes more sense depends on your time horizon, down payment capacity, and local market conditions.

Lorain County has an owner-occupancy rate of 74.0%, compared to 73.7% in Ohio and 73.3% nationally. This indicates a more homeowner-heavy market than the U.S. average.

Similar Counties by Home Value

CountyStateMedian Home ValueMedian Rent
Osage County Missouri $223,300 $639
Payne County Oklahoma $223,300 $917
Putnam County West Virginia $223,300 $952
Kearney County Nebraska $223,400 $857
Valencia County New Mexico $223,000 $1,015

Other Counties in Ohio

CountyMedian Home ValueMedian RentOwner Occ.
Morrow County $222,300 $937 81.2%
Wayne County $222,100 $881 76.6%
Ottawa County $219,900 $930 83.6%
Portage County $227,000 $1,064 70.1%
Wood County $227,600 $972 64.4%

Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2024 5-Year Estimates (2017–2024). Variables: B25077 (Median Home Value), B25064 (Median Gross Rent), B25003 (Tenure). Data collected on 2026-10-14. The price-to-rent ratio is calculated as Median Home Value ÷ (Median Monthly Rent × 12).