Housing Market Update March 2021

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housing market update March 2021 Columbus, Ohio

The popular monthly series continues with the local housing market update March 2021 report. Let’s drill down into the results.

Note: LSD= Local School District, CSD= City School District. In both cases, school district boundaries differ from city boundaries.

Top 15 Most Expensive Locations By Median Sales Price in March 2021
1. New Albany: $652,000
2. New Albany Plain LSD: $523,500
3. Powell: $519,000
4. Upper Arlington CSD: $476,600
5. German Village: $475,550
6. Grandview Heights: $474,000
7. Dublin: $462,000
8. Olentangy LSD: $443,685
9. Buckeye Valley LSD: $420,000
10. Dublin CSD: $419,000
11. Bexley: $413,000
12. Short North: $399,900
13. Granville LSD: $388,500
14. Big Walnut LSD: $384,900
15. Worthington: $358,000

New Albany continued to dominate the top of the market in terms of median sales price, and it wasn’t even close.

Top 15 Least Expensive Locations by Median Sales Price in March 2021
1. Whitehall: $140,100
2. Newark CSD: $146,000
3. Lancaster CSD: $160,500
4. Hamilton LSD: $166,000
5. Groveport Madison LSD: $185,000
6. Jefferson LSD: $185,000
7. Reynoldsburg CSD: $205,250
8. Columbus CSD: $209,718
9. Circleville CSD: $210,000
10. Columbus: $217,000
11. Obetz: $227,420
12. South-Western CSD: $230,000
13. Johnstown-Monroe LSD: $230,000
14. London CSD: $251,000
15. Teays Valley LSD: $253,092

Whitehall remains the area’s biggest bargain. This inner suburb hasn’t always had the best reputation, but the city has been making efforts to improve both its commercial corridors and residential options. Columbus is relatively cheap compared to most of the metro, yet has by far the largest variety of options and neighborhood types to choose from.

Overall Market Median Sales Price in March 2021: $242,550
The overall market is defined by Columbus Metro Area counties.

Top 15 Locations with the Highest Median Sales Price % Growth Between March 2020 and March 2021
1. London CSD: +52.2%
2. Circleville CSD: +44.3%
3. New Albany Plain LSD: +32.5%
4. German Village: +29.4%
5. Obetz: +26.4%
6. Gahanna Jefferson CSD: +26.0%
7. Grandview Heights: +25.4%
8. Powell: +23.9%
9. Upper Arlington CSD: +23.8%
10. Lancaster CSD: +23.7%
11. Jonathan Alder LSD: +23.6%
12. Grove City: +22.0%
13. Gahanna: +21.9%
14. Teays Valley: +21.5%
15. Pickerington LSD: +20.8%
16. Pickerington: +20.8%

Top 15 Locations with the Lowest Median Sales Price % Growth Between March 2020 and March 2021
1. Johnstown Monroe LSD: -25.0%
2. Downtown Columbus: -14.5%
3. Granville LSD: -13.2%
4. Big Walnut LSD: -10.5%
5. Short North: -10.0%
6. Bexley: -6.1%
7. Minerva Park: -5.4%
8. Worthington: -5.0%
9. Hamilton LSD: -3.8%
10. Hilliard: +0.8%
11. New Albany: +1.7%
12. Newark CSD: +4.3%
13. Dublin CSD: +4.6%
14. Hilliard CSD: +5.5%
15. Dublin: +7.5%

Urban areas and some inner suburbs had either the biggest price declines or smallest increases in March vs. March 2020 as the fallout continued from Covid and protest-related activities. These declines may be seen by potential buyers as a positive from the high prices that otherwise continue, however.

Overall Market Median Sales Price % Change March 2021 vs. March 2020: +16.3%

Top 10 Locations with the Most New Listings in March 2021
1. Columbus: 1,156
2. Columbus CSD: 811
3. South-Western CSD: 187
4. Olentangy LSD: 161
5. Hilliard CSD: 138
6. Westerville CSD: 125
7. Dublin CSD: 125
8. Gahanna Jefferson CSD: 78
9. Dublin: 77
10. Upper Arlington CSD: 76

To no surprise, Columbus remains strongly at the top. There were about 300 more new listings in Columbus in March than in February as warmer weather prompted more sellers to put their homes on the market.

Top 10 Locations with the Fewest New Listings in March 2021
1. Valleyview: 0
2. Lithopolis: 2
3. Minerva Park: 2
4. Jefferson LSD: 8
5. Jonathan Alder: LSD: 11
6. Sunbury: 12
7. Grandview Heights: 12
8. Obetz: 12
9. Whitehall: 12
10. German Village: 13

Total New Listings in the Columbus Metro in March 2021: 2,797
Overall Metro New Listings % Change March 2021 vs March 2020: +3.3%
The small increase overall was pushed by big increases smaller counties like Perry, Pickaway and Union.



Top 10 Fastest-Selling Locations by # of Days Homes Remain on the Market Before Sale in March 2021
1. Canal Winchester CSD: 3
2. Johnstown-Monroe LSD: 4
3. Minerva Park: 6
4. Hilliard: 7
5. Jefferson LSD: 7
6. Gahanna: 8
7. Groveport Madison LSD: 8
8. Whitehall: 9
9. London CSD: 10
10. Jonathan Alder LSD: 11
11. Marysville CSD: 11
12. South-Western CSD: 11

Top 10 Slowest-Selling Locations by # of Days Homes Remain on the Market Before Sale in March 2021
1. Lithopolis: 59
2. Powell: 55
3. Downtown Columbus: 54
4. Short North: 52
5. Big Walnut LSD: 49
6. Lancaster CSD: 39
7. Olentangy LSD: 38
8. Dublin: 37
9. Grandview Heights: 36
10. Buckeye Valley LSD: 34

Top 10 Locations with the Greatest % Decline of # of Days on the Market Before Sale March 2021 vs March 2020
1. Johnstown-Monroe LSD: -92.7%
2. Canal Winchester CSD: -92.5%
3. Minerva Park: -90.2%
4. Jefferson LSD: -89.9%
5. Sunbury: -85.0%
6. Jonathan Alder LSD: -83.8%
7. New Albany: -81.9%
8. New Albany Plain LSD: -75.5%
9. Marysville CSD: -71.8%
10. Whitehall: -71.0%

Top 10 Locations with the Lowest % Decline of # of Days on the Market Before Sale March 2021 vs March 2020
1. Worthington CSD: +50.0%
2. Worthington: +38.5%
3. Powell: +12.2%
4. Lancaster CSD: +2.6%
5. Hilliard CSD: -4.3%
6. Obetz: -5.3%
7. Short North: -10.3%
8. Newark CSD: -14.3%
9. Downtown Columbus: -23.9%
10. Pataskala: -26.1%

% Change for the # of Days Homes Remain on the Market Before Sale Across the Metro Overall:
-24.5%

The market remained hot in March, with faster sales and higher prices than in the previous. Inventory did inch up some as spring arrived, but not nearly enough to counter overall demand. Urban areas are still a bit off their peaks from pre-Covid and protests, but seem to have recovered slightly from some previous months.

The previous housing market report and the Columbus Realtors site offers additional information on the Columbus market.



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Columbus Historic Church Demolition

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Columbus historic church demolition

The former Washington Avenue United Methodist Church in 2019.

Columbus historic church demolition is a tricky subject, but has happened far more times over the years than people might believe. The Washington Avenue United Methodist Church at 359 East Markison Avenue has been part of the community since its dedication in 1923. While neither the oldest church in the city, nor the most elaborate, it has its own charms that would be lost to history should it fall to the wrecking ball.

It stopped functioning as a church at the beginning of 2015, perhaps part of the national decline in church attendance. Because of that relatively recent closure, the building remains in relatively good condition.

Churches used to just be torn down after their congregation abandoned them, but in recent years, they have found new life. They have become unique restaurants or retail shops, but the most popular conversion has been residential. Whether one of faith or not, churches offer a kind of architecture not found in any other building type.

Beyond adaptive reuse, however, is the issue of historic preservation. As mentioned, many such buildings have ended up rotting away before they are eventually demolished, and that scenario has played out many times in Columbus. This phenomenon is unfortunately not just part of our past. It continues to happen even now. Recently, a Franklinton church’s demolition was approved for new housing. Unlike the Washington Avenue building, this church had seen long-term abandonment and neglect by its owners. It’s poor overall condition from that neglect was then used to justify its demolition. It survived the 1913 flood when many surrounding buildings didn’t, but it won’t survive the Columbus building boom or intentional neglect.

Sadly, it looks like the same fate is in store for the Washington Avenue United Methodist Church. A company called Bexley Manning 569 Holdings has proposed demolishing all but the church’s steeple tower in order to construct 17 townhomes. Columbus is in the midst of one of the largest housing crunches in its history, so the city desperately needs more homes. Sacrificing yet another beautiful old building still seems wrong, though. Columbus has already lost so much of its architectural history to the wrecking ball.

The original site plan for the Markison project.

The project is still in initial approval phases, so it’s possible the demolition will receive some pushback. The fact that the steeple tower is being preserved is actually a change from the original design. Perhaps more of the church may be saved in subsequent project updates.
That said, the location is outside of established historic zones and lacks formal protection. Therefore, it seems likely that the WAUMC is facing its last days.

Proposed projects of all types around the city can be found at Columbus Development



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Ohio Covid Vaccination Rates By County

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Ohio Covid Vaccination rates by county

Vaccinations have been going on for about a month now. How is the process progressing across locations and age groups?

This data is updated through April 5, 2021.

Ohio Total Vaccinations Begun (1 shot): 3,721,565 31.84% of Ohio Population
Ohio Total Vaccinations Completed (2 shots): 2,188,726 18.72% of Ohio Population

Top 20 Counties by Vaccinations Begun- One Shot Given- by % of Population
1. Delaware: 39.77%
2. Ottawa: 39.67%
3. Lake: 36.51%
4. Wood: 36.38%
5. Geauga: 36.35%
6. Cuyahoga: 35.57%
7. Warren: 35.07%
8. Medina: 34.88%
9. Henry: 34.58%
10. Erie: 33.92%
11. Mahoning: 33.61%
12. Green: 33.42%
13. Lorain: 32.97%
14. Hamilton: 32.78%
15. Summit: 32.62%
16. Montgomery: 31.96%
17. Sandusky: 31.79%
18. Clark: 31.64%
19. Trumbull: 31.58%
20. Lucas: 31.46%

Bottom 20 Counties by Vaccinations Begun- One Shot Given- by % of Population
1. Holmes: 11.38%
2. Adams: 17.51%
3. Brown: 19.63%
4. Lawrence: 21.23%
5. Highland: 21.37%
6. Shelby: 21.54%
7. Ashland: 22.56%
8. Preble: 22.90%
9. Hardin: 22.96%
10. Vinton: 23.68%
11. Darke: 24.20%
12. Wayne: 24.27%
13. Morrow: 24.37%
14. Logan: 24.45%
15. Fayette: 24.50%
16. Mercer: 24.59%
17. Perry: 24.63%
18. Clinton: 24.84%
19. Tuscarawas: 24.99%
20. Richland: 25.10%

In general, more urban counties- or those within larger metros, have had better vaccination start success while more rural counties have done worse. Holmes County is by far the worst, and that may have something to do with the large Amish population.

Top 20 Counties for Completed Vaccinations by % of Population
1. Ottawa: 24.91%
2. Putnam: 23.72%
3. Henry: 23.29%
4. Erie: 22.55%
5. Delaware: 21.98%
6. Clark: 21.87%
7. Muskingum: 21.71%
8. Wood: 21.28%
9. Mahoning: 21.22%
10. Geauga: 20.91%
11. Fulton: 20.84%
12. Scioto: 20.75%
13. Sandusky: 20.54%
14. Monroe: 20.36%
15. Greene: 20.22%
16. Crawford: 20.07%
17. Washington: 20.04%
18. Defiance: 20.0%
19. Noble: 19.98%
20. Wyandot: 19.83%

Bottom 20 Counties for Completed Vaccinations by % of Population
1. Holmes: 8.68%
2. Adams: 12.20%
3. Brown: 13.38%
4. Ashland: 13.56%
5. Lawrence: 13.57%
6. Highland: 14.61%
7. Preble: 14.74%
8. Shelby: 14.81%
9. Wayne: 14.98%
10. Butler: 15.02%
11. Champaign: 15.11%
12. Logan: 15.30%
13. Morrow: 15.81%
14. Darke: 15.93%
15. Portage: 16.18%
16. Belmont: 16.36%
17. Richland: 16.46%
18. Pickaway: 16.63%
19. Tuscarawas: 16.72%
20. Jackson: 16.78%

There is less of a rural/urban divide in completed numbers, perhaps because there is 3-week time frame between the first and second shots. The numbers may eventually wash out more similarly in the end.



In terms of who is getting the vaccine by age, I will break it down below.

Top 10 Counties with the Most Vaccination Starts for the 0-39 Age Group by % of Population
1. Delaware: 19.13%
2. Wood: 18.63%
3. Cuyahoga: 16.18%
4. Athens: 15.74%
5. Hamilton: 15.63%
6. Warren: 15.43%
7. Franklin: 14.67%
8. Medina: 14.52%
9. Ottawa: 14.07%
10. Geauga: 13.75%
Greene: 13.64%

Bottom 10 Counties with the Fewest Vaccination Starts for the 0-39 Age Group by % of Population
1. Holmes: 2.54%
2. Adams: 4.65%
3. Shelby: 5.22%
4. Brown: 5.38%
5. Harrison: 5.94%
6. Preble: 6.10%
7. Logan: 6.20%
8. Belmont: 6.27%
9. Darke: 6.39%
10. Monroe: 6.47%

Top 10 Counties with the Most Vaccination Starts for the 40-59 Age Group by % of Population
1. Delaware: 53.79%
2. Wood: 47.0%
3. Warren: 44.39%
4. Cuyahoga: 40.63%
5. Ottawa: 40.44%
6. Athens: 40.21%
7. Union: 40.21%
8. Franklin: 40.20%
9. Hamilton: 40.12%
10. Greene: 39.63%

Bottom 10 Counties with the Fewest Vaccination Starts for the 40-59 Age Group by % of Population
1. Holmes: 12.41%
2. Adams: 15.24%
3. Brown: 18.33%
4. Ashland: 21.47%
5. Preble: 21.82%
6. Harrison: 22.01%
7. Lawrence: 22.11%
8. Darke: 22.26%
9. Mercer: 23.16%
10. Shelby: 23.22%

Top 10 Counties with the Most Vaccination Starts for the 60 and Older Age Group by % of Population
1. Delaware: 80.12%
2. Wood: 77.63%
3. Union: 75.64%
4. Henry: 74.39%
5. Warren: 72.78%
6. Putnam: 72.61%
7. Sandusky: 71.31%
8. Medina: 71.26%
9. Geauga: 70.36%
10. Muskingum: 70.36%

Bottom 10 Counties with the Fewest Vaccination Starts for the 60 and Older Age Group by % of Population
1. Noble: 38.30%
2. Holmes: 39.92%
3. Lawrence: 46.90%
4. Adams: 47.33%
5. Brown: 50.30%
6. Vinton: 55.02%
7. Preble: 55.22%
8. Scioto: 55.35%
9. Shelby: 56.86%
10. Pike: 57.01%

Again, rural counties do generally worse while suburban and urban counties tend to do better. Only Delaware County has managed to at least start vaccinations for more than 80% of the most vulnerable age group- those aged 60 and older.

So overall, the state clearly has a long way to go if it wants to reach “herd immunity”, which is considered somewhere around 70% or more of the population.

To see more county data for Covid 19 and vaccinations, go to the Ohio Covid Dashboard
And for instructions on how to schedule a vaccine shot appointment, go here: Ohio Covid Vaccine Guide



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New Amtrak Route Plan Underserves Columbus

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Amtrak route underserves Columbus

Columbus is the 2nd largest city in the United States without any form of passenger rail. It hasn’t had passenger rail since the last train pulled out of Union Station in 1977. Some might argue that rail is an outdated form of transit, and therefore unnecessary anyway. Others argue that not having a multi-modal transit system holds the city back economically and developmentally.

However one views rail, Amtrak’s latest national route plan, called Connect US is still arguably mediocre. In fact, one could say that the new Amtrak route plan underserves Columbus completely.

The route plan.

As shown in the above map, Columbus would only have direct connections to Cincinnati and Cleveland. To go anywhere else, passengers from Columbus would first have to travel to those cities and then make transfers. While a direct connection to Cleveland and Cincinnati is important, this plan would present more of a challenge to potential travelers who want direct connections outside of the state.
Columbus is currently the largest city in Ohio and will soon be the largest metro area. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States and has added more people the past 10 years than any other Midwest city. On top of all that, it is the capital of the 7th most-populated state.

Amtrak’s plan attempts to largely use existing rail lines, but in many places the routes would be brand new. Columbus doesn’t have existing passenger rail routes, so it may be more expensive to build them there. However, it seems to be a wasted opportunity to not make Columbus more of the state’s hub by having direct connections to cities like Chicago, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh.
Incidentally, the proposed Hyperloop project would be a Chicago-Columbus-Pittsburgh route that would eventually connect all the way to New York. Most people view Hyperloop as a gimmick more than a real proposal, so more traditional rail is still taken more seriously.

It is in all our best interests to want the best possible infrastructure. Amtrak’s plan treats Columbus as a 2nd or 3rd-rate city. That’s unfortunate, and works against all the momentum the city has had in recent decades. The current Amtrak plan would provide less economic benefit and options to Ohio’s fastest-growing city and capital.
The city deserves so much better than being an afterthought.



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Columbus’ 2020 Economic Performance

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Columbus' 2020 economic performance

As with everywhere else in the country, Columbus has not gone unscathed by the Covid-19 pandemic and its related economic fallout.  Just how bad did the situation get, though, and how was Columbus’ 20202 economic performance overall? Has it recovered since reaching pandemic bottom?

To find out, we’ll look at the latest economic data ending in January 2021.

First, here are the historic and current Ohio Covid-19 numbers.

Covid 19 Cases and Deaths in Ohio


In Ohio, the pandemic generally began in early January, though Ohio didn’t originally announce any cases until the end of February.

March 2020 marked the official beginning of the pandemic. It was on March 11th, 2020, however, that truly brought out the seriousness of the situation. On that day, multiple news stories all happened simultaneously. The WHO finally declared the situation a pandemic, state and local shutdowns began, Trump gave a national televised address announcing travel bans to Europe, and the stock market had one of its largest drops in history. The pile of bad news would begin affecting the economy almost immediately.

In Ohio, cases and deaths also began to add up quickly in March. As stay-at-home orders were issued and people stopped going out, there were mass layoffs across every industry of the economy.

So how was this all reflected in the economic data?

Columbus Metro Labor Force

The metro’s labor force was initially unfazed and reached peak in February 2020, slightly higher than the 2019 peak. However, March lost more than 20,000 from the labor force and April lost almost 36,000 more.
The losses were mostly temporary, with a new peak being reached in October. However, the labor forced declined going into the late fall and winter as the 3rd- and worst- wave hit.

Columbus Metro Total Employed and Unemployed


Employed totals were hit far harder than the labor force overall. More than 158K fewer people were employed in April versus February, a nearly 15% drop. Total employed has gone up since the bottom, but was still below the pre-Covid peak through January 2021.

Columbus Metro Unemployment Rate

The 13% unemployment in April was one of the highest outside of the Great Depression and nearly 4 points higher than the 2009-2010 recession. Unemployment fell through the end of 2020, but remained higher that pre-Covid levels.
Columbus’ unemployment rate was a full point below the national average in January, a sign of its continuing economic resilience even during some of the worst economic conditions in generations.

Columbus Metro Non-Farm Jobs

Non-farm jobs in the metro area had peaked in November 2019 and had been declining even before the pandemic set in. Between February and April, 2020, 150,000 non-farm jobs were lost in the metro. As of January 2021, the metro was still short about 71,000 from the 2019 peak.



Now let’s take a closer look at how individual industries have performed.

Columbus Jobs by Industry

While the mining/logging/construction group did manage to get close to pre-Covid levels, it has been in general decline since last September, likely due to the 3rd wave that began in October.


Manufacturing, surprisingly, has recovered completely, and jobs in the industry continued to rise through the 3rd wave.


This industry group has also recovered fairly well, being close to where it was pre-Covid.


Information jobs were already in a long-term decline before the pandemic, but still faced a steep drop during the spring. Those lost jobs have not come back.


Financial activities jobs did not seem to face a significant decline, and have mostly recovered.


Professional and business services jobs were hit relatively hard during the economic collapse, and have only managed to recover about half of the losses through January.


Another hard-hit industry group, the majority of the losses in the Health/Education group probably stem from the education side given that in-person schools have been mostly shut down the past year. Still, the industry group had recovered about 2/3rds of the losses through January.


Government jobs typically see a significant mid-year drop, but it was much more severe in 2020. This category has not yet recovered fully.


Other services jobs are typically pretty steady year over year and don’t see large changes. Obviously they did during the downturn, however. They have mostly recovered, although seemingly at a readjusted lower level.


The leisure and hospitality industry was absolutely devastated, losing nearly 50% of all jobs. It has recovered some, but January still featured the fewest jobs in the industry since February 2003.

The Conclusion
So as we can see, recovery for some industries is *far* better than others. Service industries have done much worse overall and continue to be below pre-Covid levels. This is not really all that surprising when restaurants, bars and other entertainment spots have faced the brunt of hardship. It remains to be seen how everything from economic stimulus packages to vaccination rates affect 2021, but it’s hard to imagine anything worse than last year.

To get more local and national economic data, check out The Bureau of Labor Statistics



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