Columbus Multifamily Report – September 2026
Steady fundamentals are helping this market stay consistent.
The Columbus multifamily market remained resilient through the first half of 2026. The average advertised asking rent climbed 0.2 percent, on a trailing three-month basis through July, to $1,368, mirroring the U.S. pace of growth. Year-over-year, the average asking rate in Columbus was up 0.4 percent, placing the metro in the first half of the top 30 metros tracked by Yardi Matrix. The latest forecast projects a 2.3 percent increase for Columbus in 2026.
Columbus employment stood at 0.2 percent through May, 30 basis points above the national rate. Mining, logging and construction led gains with 4,500 new positions added to the workforce. The area’s unemployment rate landed at 3.3 percent as of June, 90 basis points below the U.S. figure, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Cologix is committing $1.1 billion to its data center expansion in Central Ohio, with two new campuses planned in Orange Township and Johnstown. The initial phase is set to create 90 permanent jobs and hundreds of construction jobs during the buildout.
A total of 2,747 units, or 1.3 percent of existing stock, came online this year through July, 20 basis points higher than the national rate of completions. The metro’s five-year average clocked in at 6,309 units delivered annually. Transaction activity remained slow, with just $336 million in sales recorded year-to-date through July.
