Groundwork

Real estate · Metro area · Ohio

Real estate agents and brokers in the Columbus, OH metro area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for real estate agents and brokers in the Columbus, OH metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #273 of 387 scored metro areas
#11 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio

Listings
2,639
153 chain locations (6%)
Official establishments
932
+34.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$12.8B
On rent and homeowner costs · $14,770 a household
Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
89
11% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
30.5
In line with the U.S.
Population, 2025
2,242,028
+4.7% since 2020

See the real estate agents and brokers around any address in the Columbus metro area

The site report maps the real estate agents and brokers 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 2,639 real estate agents and brokers in the Columbus metro area. 153 of them (6%) are chain locations, against 4% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 30.5, in line with the U.S. rate of 30.6.

Household spending on rent and homeowner costs in the Columbus metro area comes to about $12.8B a year: $14,770 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 11% below the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate agents and brokers take in.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as offices of real estate agents and brokers in the Columbus metro area was 932 in 2023, up 34.8% from 2019. That is one for every 928 households, against one for every 788 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 36 SBA-backed loans worth $5.6M have gone to businesses classed as offices of real estate agents and brokers in the Columbus metro area.

Population estimates show the Columbus metro area grew 4.7% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For real estate agents and brokers, the Columbus metro area has a Groundwork market score of 41 (lower middle): #273 of 387 scored metro areas and #11 of 12 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.

Real estate agents and brokers in Columbus, OH metro area compared with Ohio and the U.S.
MeasureColumbus metro areaOhioU.S.
Listings per 10k households30.520.730.6
Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)89123100
Households per official establishment9281,468788
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+34.8%+20.0%+20.1%
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 score4153

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
932+34.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
2,654
Annual payroll, 2023
$199.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
2,639153 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
2,342The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
36
Amount
$5.6M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of real estate agents and brokers 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 real estate agents and brokers 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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Real estate agents and brokers across Ohio

Every Ohio market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Ohio for real estate agents and brokers, 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 real estate agents and brokers by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsHousing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)Population growthU.S. rank
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH621519.9254−2.6%#76 of 387
Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH60459.1264−3.6%#82 of 387
1Lima, OH595312.8187−1.2%#93 of 387
Wheeling, WV-OH586911.9205−3.6%#101 of 387
2Mansfield, OH576813.6172−0.1%#109 of 387
3Springfield, OH578014.3167−0.4%#110 of 387
4Youngstown-Warren, OH5426514.4162−1.4%#136 of 387
5Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN522,08223.0119+2.7%#164 of 387
6Akron, OH5154818.51380.0%#169 of 387
7Toledo, OH5146118.1136−1.0%#170 of 387
11Columbus, OH412,63930.589+4.7%#273 of 387

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 real estate agents and brokers are in the Columbus, OH metro area?

The Columbus metro area has 2,639 real estate agents and brokers on map listings as of September 2026. 153 of them (6%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokerages, commercial brokers included. Official counts show 932 businesses with payroll classed as offices of real estate agents and brokers in 2023, up 34.8% 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 2,639 real estate agents and brokers on map listings, housing spending per office is 11% below the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate agents and brokers 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 real estate agents and brokers?

The Columbus metro area has 30.5 real estate agents and brokers per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 30.6. The index of housing spending per office is 89, where 100 is the U.S. At the national ratio of real estate agents and brokers to household spending, the Columbus metro area would have about 2,342, against 2,639 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 928 households, against one for every 788 across the U.S. The official count rose 34.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +20.1% 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 41 for real estate agents and brokers (lower middle), #273 of 387 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 real estate agents and brokers 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 real estate agents and brokers · 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.