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Full-time workers in Ohio must earn at least $23.82 an hour to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment, according to a report released Thursday by the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio.
The 2026 Out of Reach report shows that the gap between rents and renter wages has widened in recent years. The average Ohio renter now earns $19.59 an hour, or $4.23 less than the two-bedroom Housing Wage. In 2020, the gap was $1.57 an hour, meaning it has grown by 169% over the last six years.
The Housing Wage estimates the hourly pay full-time workers need to afford a rental home at HUD’s Fair Market Rent without spending more than 30% of their income, the long-time standard for housing affordability.
In some areas, the Housing Wage is considerably higher than the statewide average. The Housing Wage is $27.50 an hour in Columbus, $26.02 in Cincinnati, and $24.60 in Cleveland.
While rents are generally higher urban areas, the gap between rents and wages is often wider in rural areas. For example, Fairfield County renters need to earn $27.50 an hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment, but the average renter there earns only $14.67 an hour. In Union County, which has the state’s highest Housing Wage of $27.56 an hour, the average renter earns only $19.86 an hour.
COHHIO Executive Director Amy Riegel said workers’ wages increased briefly during the pandemic but have fallen behind the cost of housing in recent years.
“Renters’ incomes shot up in the early 2020s, but then rent increases eventually swamped the wage gains. And it’s not just housing. The cost of food, transportation, healthcare, childcare, and education is continuing to rise while people working in low wage jobs are getting squeezed,” she said.
Ohio Chamber of Commerce General Counsel Tony Long said wages rose in recent years, but Ohioans are now struggling to keep up with ongoing housing inflation caused by the shortage of housing stock in Ohio.
“Safe, stable, affordable housing is essential for a strong workforce. But the growing shortage of affordable housing options is jeopardizing our competitive advantage,” he said. “We appreciate the steps that the state and federal governments have taken to add tools and programs to increase the supply of affordable housing, but more still needs to be done to reduce the housing supply deficit.”
Fred Berry, president and CEO of Humility of Mary Housing in Akron, said the affordable housing shortage has a direct impact on homelessness in the community.
“I’m amazed by our clients’ creativity and determination to overcome incredible barriers to rebuild their families and achieve stability. And while we’re helping many families get stably housed, even more are falling into homelessness every day,” he said. “The lack of affordable housing is increasing the risk of homelessness and making it harder to get out of homelessness.”
NLIHC President and CEO Renee M. Willis said the Out of Reach report highlights the significant need to assist the lowest-income renters and noted that only one in four eligible households receives federal housing assistance.
“To meaningfully address the affordable housing crisis, the federal government must adequately fund housing programs in a way that would expand rental assistance and both preserve and increase the supply of deeply affordable homes for those with the lowest incomes,” she said. “We have the resources to invest in expanding housing solutions that provide stable homes for the lowest-income people in our country. We just need the political will to do so.”
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