Ohio renters are facing growing financial pressure as housing costs continue to outpace wage growth, according to a new report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio. The study finds that the wage gap between what renters earn and what they need to afford housing has more than doubled in five years.
The 2025 Out of Reach Report reveals that the average Ohio renter earns $18.62 per hour, but must make $22.51 per hour to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent without spending more than 30% of their income. That’s a $3.89 per hour shortfall—up sharply from a $1.57 gap in 2020.
Housing costs have surged in all of Ohio’s major metro areas. In Columbus, renters must earn $27.79 per hour to afford a two-bedroom unit. Cincinnati renters need $24 per hour, and those in Cleveland require $23.23. Since 2020, the state’s housing wage has risen by 40.7%.
Amy Riegel, executive director of the state’s housing coalition, said the rent burden is pushing more working families and seniors into homelessness. “Rent now consumes so much of the income that people need to survive,” she said.
This worsening crisis arrives as the Trump administration considers significant changes to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Proposals under review would reduce HUD’s budget by 44% and potentially eliminate federal rental assistance programs, part of a broader effort to streamline government spending and return responsibility to state and local entities.
Despite the federal uncertainty, Ohio lawmakers have preserved the Ohio Low Income Housing Tax Credit program and the Ohio Housing Trust Fund in the latest state budget, signaling a bipartisan recognition of the problem at the local level.
With rents climbing faster than wages, pressure continues to mount on low- and middle-income families. The situation is especially severe in urban centers, where housing demand far exceeds supply and rental costs show no signs of slowing.
