Ohio land market insights reveal a state of dramatic contrasts in 2025, with rural counties like Morgan showing 1900% turnover while urban Franklin County land appreciates at nearly 19% annually. Whether you're seeking affordable acreage or maximum growth potential, our county-by-county analysis pinpoints exactly where to invest.
Key Takeaways:
- Rural counties offer the best value-growth combination, with Noble County delivering 21.58% appreciation at just $5,244 per acre.
- Sale timelines vary dramatically, from Morgan County's quick 43.5 days to Fairfield County's staggering 1,890-day average.
- The urban-rural price divide creates a 25x multiplier, with major urban areas averaging $167,542/acre versus remote rural at $6,560/acre.
Data Source: All land pricing data in this article was compiled from multiple real estate sources including Redfin, Zillow, and local MLS listings, with data subject to change based on market conditions.
Ohio's Hottest Land Markets for 2025
Understanding Turnover Ratio: The Key Market Indicator
The chart above reveals Ohio's most active land markets based on turnover ratio – the percentage of active listings sold within 365 days. Higher ratios indicate markets where demand outpaces supply.
Key Findings:
- Morgan County leads dramatically with a 1900% turnover ratio, meaning properties sell at 19x the rate of active inventory.
- Rural counties dominate the top spots, with Noble (300%), Scioto (600%), and Coshocton (353%) showing exceptional activity.
- Geographic diversity is notable, with hot markets distributed throughout different regions of Ohio.
- Knox County (480%) and Carroll County (360%) present prime opportunities for both buyers and sellers.
What This Means For You:
- Sellers: These counties offer the fastest potential sales timelines in Ohio.
- Buyers: Expect competition; be prepared to act quickly with financing in place.
- Investors: Focus on these regions for potential fix-and-flip or buy-and-hold strategies.
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Ohio's Slowest Land Markets: Where Patience Pays
Identifying Low-Turnover Counties
This chart illustrates the 20 Ohio counties with the lowest 365-day turnover ratios, revealing markets where properties typically take longer to sell.
What The Data Shows:
- Three counties report zero turnover: Delaware, Pickaway, and Union Counties show no completed sales relative to active inventory, indicating stagnant markets.
- Fairfield County stands out with just 20% turnover, making it the fourth slowest market in Ohio.
- Urban counties appear frequently in this list, including Hamilton (76.17%), Montgomery (63.56%), and Mahoning (77.11%).
- Several agricultural counties with Ohio farmland like Seneca (65.63%), Putnam (64.71%), and Shelby (60.87%) show surprisingly slow markets despite strong land values.
Strategic Implications:
- Buyers: These markets offer greater negotiating leverage and less competition.
- Sellers: Expect longer holding periods; pricing competitively is essential, especially if you're looking to sell land to a developer.
- Investors: These areas may present value opportunities if you can afford longer holding timeframes.
- Developers: Research carefully why these markets move slowly before committing capital.
Land Appreciation Hotspots Across Ohio
Regional Performance & Standout Counties
This chart displays average land appreciation rates across Ohio's major regions, providing context to how much an acre of land is in Ohio today, with highlighted standout counties showing exceptional growth far above their regional averages.
Regional Insights:
- Central Ohio leads with an impressive 8.9% average appreciation rate, anchored by Franklin County's exceptional 18.84% growth.
- Western Ohio follows at 7.8%, bolstered by Shelby County's market-leading 22.47% appreciation rate.
- Southeast Ohio shows strong 7.4% regional growth, with Noble County standing out at 21.58%.
- Lake Erie Shore and Southwest Ohio regions demonstrate the lowest overall appreciation at 3.5% and 3.8% respectively.
Investment Implications:
- High-growth pockets exist even in moderate-performing regions, suggesting micro-market opportunities.
- Central Ohio's dominance reflects Columbus metro expansion and business growth.
- Rural surprise performers like Noble County indicate potential off-the-radar investment targets.
- Regional trends vary significantly, requiring location-specific research before purchasing.
Note: Standout counties (in orange) dramatically outperform their regional averages, demonstrating that exceptional opportunities exist in specific counties regardless of broader regional performance.
The Urban-Rural Price Divide in Ohio Land Markets
Understanding Land Value Categories Across the State
This chart illustrates the dramatic price disparities between urban and rural land in Ohio, organized by development intensity categories that reflect actual market conditions.
Price Breakdown by Area Type:
- Major Urban ($167,542/acre): Counties like Franklin (Columbus), Cuyahoga (Cleveland), and Hamilton (Cincinnati) command the highest prices when selling commercial land, at over 25x rural rates.
- Secondary Urban ($82,609/acre): Areas surrounding Toledo, Akron, and Dayton feature strong demand but at roughly half the price of major metros.
- Suburban ($54,873/acre): Developing counties adjacent to urban centers balance accessibility with more moderate pricing.
- Mixed Development ($36,326/acre): Counties with both rural character and emerging development opportunities represent the middle market.
- Agricultural ($18,425/acre): Productive farmland counties maintain steady but significantly lower valuations.
- Remote Rural ($6,560/acre): The most affordable category includes counties like Morgan, Vinton, and Meigs, where an acre costs less than 4% of major urban prices.
What This Means For Buyers:
- Budget constraints should heavily influence your target region.
- Investment potential varies dramatically by category.
- Remote work trends are beginning to influence mid-category pricing.
- Accessibility trade-offs directly correlate with price differences.
Ohio's Land Market Speed: Where Properties Fly vs. Where They Sit
Understanding Days on Market Across Counties
This chart reveals the dramatic differences in how long land stays on the market across Ohio counties, highlighting both lightning-fast and extremely slow-moving markets.
Key Insights:
- Extreme Range: The market speed varies by over 43x, from Morgan County's rapid 43.5 days to Fairfield County's staggering 1,890 days (over 5 years!).
- Ultra-Slow Markets: Four counties show extraordinary waiting periods:
- Fairfield (1,890 days)
- Wyandot (735 days)
- Madison (465 days)
- Hancock (395 days)
- Quick-Moving Counties: Land in Morgan (43.5 days), Noble (51 days), and Champaign (51 days) sells nearly 3x faster than the state average.
- Middle-Market Counties: Most metropolitan-adjacent counties fall into the 120-150 day range, including Hamilton (130.5), Summit (129.5), and Montgomery (152).
What This Means For Buyers and Sellers:
- Cash flow planning is critical in slow-moving counties where holding costs can multiply.
- Pricing strategy matters most in extremely slow markets—competitive pricing can dramatically reduce DOM.
- Seasonality impacts may be especially important in mid-range counties.
- Buyer's market conditions dominate in the red/orange counties, while seller's markets exist in green counties.
Pro Tip: In fast-moving counties, buyers should have financing secured before shopping; in slow counties, sellers should consider creative terms or significant price reductions to attract limited buyer pools.
Ohio's Most Active Land Markets: Supply vs. Demand
Comparing Current Inventory to Annual Sales
This stacked bar chart reveals Ohio's 25 most active land markets by comparing current active listings (blue) with properties sold in the last 365 days (orange), providing a clear picture of inventory vs. transaction volume.
Market Activity Highlights:
Urban Counties Dominate: Hamilton (Cincinnati), Cuyahoga (Cleveland), and Summit (Akron) show the highest combined activity, confirming urban land remains Ohio's most active segment.
Inventory-to-Sales Imbalances: Several counties show significantly more sold properties than active listings, including:
- Knox (15 active vs. 72 sold)
- Geauga (14 active vs. 41 sold)
- Brown (57 active vs. 110 sold)
- Clermont (72 active vs. 127 sold)
Potential Oversupply Markets: Some counties display more active listings than annual sales, suggesting possible buyer's markets:
- Cuyahoga (152 active vs. 88 sold)
- Ottawa (95 active vs. 73 sold)
- Montgomery (118 active vs. 75 sold)
Balanced Markets: Counties like Butler (54 active vs. 56 sold) and Summit (103 active vs. 93 sold) show near-equilibrium between supply and demand.
Strategic Takeaways:
- Opportunity for buyers exists in counties with higher active-to-sold ratios (blue bars larger than orange).
- Seller's markets are indicated where sold listings exceed active inventory (orange bars larger than blue).
- Competition intensity correlates directly with the active-to-sold ratio.
- Investment timing matters more in high-volume counties where market shifts can happen rapidly.
Finding Your Sweet Spot: Land Pricing Patterns in Ohio
How Market Activity Influences Price Per Acre
This scatter plot reveals the relationship between land pricing and market activity across different types of Ohio counties, with agricultural prices now adjusted to reflect the current market reality.
Key Patterns Revealed:
- Urban Counties (red) Command premium prices ($69K-$182K per acre) with low market activity ratios (0.02-0.06), representing scarce but high-value development opportunities.
- Suburban/Mixed Counties (blue) Form a distinct mid-tier market ($50K-$72K per acre) with moderate activity ratios (0.05-0.08), offering a balance between price and availability.
- Agricultural Counties (green): Accurately reflect typical Ohio farmland values ($21K-$39K per acre) despite higher activity levels (0.09-0.21), aligning with current listings around $22K-$25K per acre.
- Rural/Recreational (yellow): This remains the most affordable option ($4.8K-$22K per acre), with widely variable activity levels and the best pure acreage value.
Investment Strategy Insights:
- Price tiers are clearly defined across the four market segments, creating distinct buying opportunities based on budget and goals.
- Agricultural land shows remarkably consistent pricing despite varying activity levels, reflecting its stable underlying productive value.
- Dramatic price jumps appear between rural and agricultural (+100%), agricultural and suburban (+100%), and suburban and urban (+100%) segments.
- Activity ratio sweet spots appear around 0.05-0.09 across multiple price points, suggesting an optimal balance of selection and value.
Practical Applications:
- Entry-level land investors should focus on the yellow cluster where $50K-$100K can purchase significant acreage.
- Agricultural operators benefit from the pricing consistency in the green cluster, with predictable returns on investment.
Long-term appreciation potential increases as you move upward through the clusters, with the highest growth historically in urban counties.
Ohio's Top Land Investment Opportunities for 2025
The Science Behind Our Investment Opportunity Index
This chart ranks Ohio counties by their investment potential based on a proprietary index combining price per acre (affordability), appreciation rate (growth), and turnover ratio (liquidity).
Top Investment Destinations:
- Shelby County (92) leads with extraordinary potential, driven by its nation-leading 22.47% appreciation rate, reasonable $58,939/acre pricing, and moderate turnover.
- Noble County (87) offers the perfect trifecta: 21.58% appreciation, extremely affordable $5,244/acre pricing, and a 300% turnover ratio.
- Morgan County (85) features the state's highest turnover ratio (1900%), strong 4.55% appreciation, and bargain $6,160/acre prices.
- Franklin County (79) represents an urban investment powerhouse, with an 18.84% appreciation despite high entry costs of $182,217/acre.
- Vinton County (76) rounds out the top five with 8.16% appreciation at extremely low $7,518/acre entry points.
Strategic Insights By Investor Profile:
- Budget-conscious investors should target Noble, Morgan, and Vinton Counties, all scoring 75+ and having entry prices under $8,000/acre.
- Growth-focused investors will find exceptional opportunities in Shelby, Noble, and Franklin Counties, each with 18%+ annual appreciation.
- Liquidity-Prioritizing Investors should consider Morgan, Scioto, and Coshocton Counties, all with turnover ratios exceeding 300%.
- Balanced Portfolio Builders would do well with Williams, Brown, and Carroll Counties, offering solid scores across all metrics.
Performance Tiers:
- Green (70-92): Exceptional investment opportunities with standout metrics
- Yellow (54-69): Strong contenders with good balance across factors
- Orange/Red (28-48): Higher risk or limited upside investment targets
Ohio's land market in 2025 presents diverse investment opportunities, from high-appreciation urban centers to affordable rural counties with surprising growth potential. Whether you're seeking quick flips in Morgan County's 43-day market or long-term appreciation plays in Shelby County's 22% annual growth region, understanding these county-specific dynamics is your key to making informed land investment decisions in the Buckeye State. For investors looking to diversify their portfolio across the Midwest, our Wisconsin land market county-by-county analysis and Michigan county-by-county land market insights reveal similar patterns with notable regional variations worth exploring.
