Many housing markets in the Midwest have been characterized by their relative affordability and resilience against the challenging national backdrop.
Within the region, Columbus has become the Midwest’s most consistent economic performer, ranking within the top 10 among large metros for economic development for the 14th consecutive year in 2025, according to Site Selection Magazine. Columbus leads all Midwest cities in population growth and holds an unemployment rate well below the state and national rates. The metro ranked as the 32nd largest new-home market on Zonda’s Local Leaders list with 4,623 annual closings.
The Zonda Columbus Dealmakers event will shed light on the tailwinds supporting resilience in the market as well as the factors to watch in the new-home market. Investment from major manufacturing, semiconductor, data center, and digital health companies is helping support economic strength and long-term job creation in the central Ohio region.
The new-home market in Columbus is stabilizing and remains undersupplied. The average sales rate per month in the metro is above the Ohio average. The market’s median new-home price is down double digits annually but still represents a nearly 70% premium over the median existing-home price.
“An unprecedented wave of corporate investment is reshaping Central Ohio, setting the stage for a stable performer to transition to an outperformer,” says Peter Dennehy, principal of home building for Zonda Advisory. This job creation will lead to opportunities for home builders and developers to offer new homes and commercial offerings for a more diverse, affluent, and expanding consumer base.”
Annualized detached and attached new-home sales in Columbus declined on a year-over-year basis and observed starts declined more than 20%, though monthly sales rates have improved through the first several months of 2026.
At the Columbus Dealmakers event, Zonda advisory experts, including Dennehy, Ali Wolf, Nicollette Chapman, and Tim Sullivan will detail the national and regional housing landscape.
The Columbus Dealmakers event takes place June 3 at the Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel. Register here.
