Rent Change in 2nd Half of 2026 Will Be a Key Indicator for Columbus Performance in 2027

The happenings of Columbus, OH are in some ways more akin to what you might find in the Sun Belt. It's one of few Midwest markets that actually has seen robust supply growth, but by that same token it's a metro where local economic expansion fits more in line with a Sun Belt growth market too (albeit perhaps a sampler-sized version). Columbus has sat on the knife's edge of year-over-year rent cuts for three consecutive quarters now. In fact, 2nd quarter 2026 brings with it a year-over-year growth rate of 0.01%, so just barely hanging on as of summer. But Columbus' first half of 2026 was actually pretty resilient. It's almost a carbon copy of the market's expected 1st Quarter and 2nd Quarter growth rate, even relative to last cycle.  So the crux of the matter is that Columbus' next six months will be extremely important for the market's 2027 outlook. If the market can avoid losing about 2.5% of its effective rental rate, then year-over-year acceleration will begin showing. That isn't a given, however. The metro's supply is just now peaking, and the disconnect between peak supply and performance slowing obviously isn't always a 1:1 match. The good? Job growth looks to be stabilizing after a really poor 2nd half of 2025 stretch (as is the case in so many metros). Still, supply growth is robust enough that Columbus rent growth stays in the doldrums for much of 2027 before eventually picking back up.