The High Cost of Rent in Columbus and Its Mental Toll

Columbus, Ohio, is changing. What was once a city known for its relative affordability is now grappling with housing pressures that are psychologically affecting thousands of its residents.

Rising Rents in Columbus

In 2024, Franklin County recorded more than 24,600 evictions—a sharp 40% increase over pre-pandemic levels. Across the city, the average rent climbed by approximately 3 to 4% in 2024, with projections suggesting it could edge closer to 4% in 2025.

Despite recent construction aimed at easing demand, rents remain high: Columbus averages about $1,569 per month for rentals, which is still burdensome for lower- and even middle-income households.

The year-over-year increase in rent (about $17–$19 more per month) may seem modest in isolation. But when income growth stalls and other costs rise, that extra $20 makes a real difference
especially for single-income households, service-sector workers, and families trying to get ahead.

Evictions and Legal Pressures

Eviction filings in Columbus amount to roughly 25,000 per year, representing around 9% of renter households. This is a mental and emotional emergency, not just a legal statistic.
While the city is taking action investing in programs like Right to Counsel to reduce evictions by about 5% annually—the impact of past and ongoing evictions – still reverberates through families and communities.

Migration: Not Just Leaving, But Changing Roots

Columbus sustains population growth of about 1.4% from 2023 to 2024, largely driven by international migration, which accounted for 77% of that growth. But this growth masks a deeper reality: many long-time residents, pushed by rent burdens, are moving outward into suburbs—or leaving Ohio entirely. Surrounding counties see outward migration, and central neighborhoods face demographic shifts and displacement.

The Human Cost: Stress, Displacement, Identity

When rent rises just a few percent, it can upend lives. The difference between making rent peacefully and worrying late into the night, whether this will be the month you can’t pay changes or everything.

Community members describe the fatigue of living paycheck to paycheck, the strain of hefty rent checks, and the sorrow of leaving the only home children have known. Parents worry constantly—can they keep food on the table, preserve their child’s school community, and offer stability?

Students experience anxiety when eviction looms; many schools in Ohio report thousands of students lacking stable housing at any point during the school year.

For those forced to relocate, whether across town or across state lines, change is costly
not just financially but emotionally. Social ties fray. Support networks thin. A sense of identity, rooted in neighborhood rhythms, can feel suddenly lost.

What These Numbers Reveal

Numbers are not just cold data points they reflect people’s lives. A 40% spike in evictions echoes through broken routines and rising depression rates. A rent increase of even $20 a month can transform peace of mind into daily anxiety. Migration, while sometimes a hopeful choice, can also be a response to pressure—forcing people to begin again without the grounding of home.

Columbus’s growth through international migration reminds us of its continuing promise. Yet that promise rings hollow when longstanding residents are edged out. The city risks losing its soul when affordability is sacrificed at the altar of development.

A Call to Care

Columbus must not only build more housing—it must preserve dignity, access, and mental well-being. That means reinforcing eviction prevention, expanding legal support, investing in affordable units, and listening closely to those whose stories are often overlooked.

Every figure here—rent increases percentages, eviction tallies, migration shares—points back to human beings. As someone deeply invested in mental health and wellbeing, Dr. David Rex Orgen urges us to recognize that housing is more than shelter. It is safety. It is belonging. It is hope.

By Ambassador Dr. David Rex Orgen, Best-Selling Author and International Mental Health Expert