Groundwork

Real estate · Metro area · Ohio

Home inspectors in the Columbus, OH metro area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for home inspectors in the Columbus, OH metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #154 of 243 scored metro areas
#5 of 8 scored metro areas based in Ohio

Listings
74
3 chain locations (4%)
Official establishments
52
+11.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$12.8B
On rent and homeowner costs · $14,770 a household
Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
66
34% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
0.9
50% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
2,242,028
+4.7% since 2020

See the home inspectors around any address in the Columbus metro area

The site report maps the home inspectors on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of the Columbus metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Households in the Columbus metro area spend about $12.8B a year on rent and homeowner costs, or $14,770 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. Housing spending per business is 34% below the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money home inspectors take in.

There are 74 home inspectors on map listings in the Columbus metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 4%, against 3% across the U.S. That is 0.9 per 10,000 households, 50% above the U.S. rate of 0.6.

Official counts show 52 businesses with payroll classed as building inspection services in the Columbus metro area in 2023, up 11.9% from 2019. That is one for every 16,628 households, against one for every 17,237 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $119K have gone to businesses classed as building inspection services in the Columbus metro area.

Population estimates put the population change in the Columbus metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +4.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Columbus metro area scores 44 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for home inspectors, ranking #154 of 243 scored metro areas and #5 of 8 scored metro areas based in Ohio.

How the Columbus metro area compares

The same measures for Ohio and the whole U.S. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.

Home inspectors in Columbus, OH metro area compared with Ohio and the U.S.
MeasureColumbus metro areaOhioU.S.
Listings per 10k households0.90.70.6
Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)6677100
Households per official establishment16,62825,59617,237
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+11.9%+3.8%+6.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.7%+0.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs$14,770$13,878$16,661
Median household income$81,945$71,389$80,734
Groundwork market score4428

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
52+11.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
327
Annual payroll, 2023
$24.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
743 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
49The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$119K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as building inspection services in the Columbus metro area, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.

Population and households in the Columbus metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
2,242,028+4.7% since 2020
Households
864,663
Median age
38.1
Homes lived in by their owners
61%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
4,798 sq. mi.
People per square mile
454
Median household income
$81,945+25.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$110,942
Median home value
$300,800
Jobs located here
1,129,650
Daytime population
2,268,069Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Columbus metro area?

These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the home inspectors on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of the Columbus metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Home inspectors across Ohio

Every Ohio market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Ohio for home inspectors, numbered among those based in Ohio (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Columbus metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Ohio

Metro areas in Ohio ranked for home inspectors by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsHousing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)Population growthU.S. rank
1Toledo, OH55110.4118−1.0%#91 of 243
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH5460.4133−2.6%#102 of 243
2Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN52670.776+2.7%#117 of 243
3Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH51220.682+1.5%#121 of 243
4Cleveland, OH44590.684−0.8%#151 of 243
5Columbus, OH44740.966+4.7%#154 of 243
6Youngstown-Warren, OH37120.774−1.4%#179 of 243
7Canton-Massillon, OH27231.437−0.2%#230 of 243
8Akron, OH24270.9580.0%#234 of 243

Other business types in the Columbus metro area

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many home inspectors are in the Columbus, OH metro area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 74 home inspectors in the Columbus metro area. 3 of them (4%) are chain locations. The listings count home inspectors. Official counts show 52 businesses with payroll classed as building inspection services in 2023, up 11.9% from 2019.

How much do households in the Columbus, OH metro area spend on rent and homeowner costs?

About $12.8B a year, or $14,770 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 74 home inspectors on map listings, housing spending per business is 34% below the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money home inspectors take in. It is estimated from the incomes of the 864,663 households in the Columbus metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Columbus, OH metro area compare with the U.S. for home inspectors?

The Columbus metro area has 0.9 home inspectors per 10,000 households, 50% above the U.S. rate of 0.6. The index of housing spending per business is 66, where 100 is the U.S. At the U.S. ratio of home inspectors to household spending, the Columbus metro area would have about 49, against 74 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 16,628 households, against one for every 17,237 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.5% for the U.S.

How fast is the Columbus, OH metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Columbus metro area at 2,242,028 people in 2025, up 4.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 864,663 households. The median household income in the Columbus metro area is $81,945 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.8% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.

What is the Groundwork market score?

The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. The Columbus metro area scores 44 for home inspectors (lower middle), #154 of 243 scored metro areas.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Columbus metro area. It maps the home inspectors on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.

How the score works · Top markets for home inspectors · All 56 business types in the Columbus metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbus metro area?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

The button opens the report at the center of the Columbus metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.