Please consider taking a moment to participate in our housing survey at the end of this report. The TCEDC is currently working on putting together a housing committee or community action team to address the communities housing needs. If you’re a community stakeholder that would like to be considered for this committee, or if you have more current or relevant data you feel can add to the value of this report, please email us at marketing@tuscedc.com.

Housing Data Vs. Most Comparable Ohio Counties

•National Average number of People Per Household is 2.54 (Duffin, 2022)

•24% of households rent in Ohio (Smith, 2020) vs. 30% in Tuscarawas County (U.S. Census Bureau)

•2.47 people per house is below the national average

• 27% of the units occupied are renting

•There are 3,112 unoccupied residential dwellings in the county (Applied Geographic Solutions, 2022)

Reports on Increasing Rent: Ohio Housing Finance Agency

Tuscarawas County has seen one of the highest rates of change in the state for Inflation-Adjusted Median Gross Rent from 2008-2012 to 2013 to 2017, per a 2020 report. (Smith, 2020)

This suggests rents have risen more quickly than in other counties in Ohio.

Tuscarawas County Average Rent Prices v. State of Ohio

According to rentdata.org, “Fair Market Rent prices in Tuscarawas County are average compared to the national average.” Additionally, the website says in 2021, the average rent on a 2-bedroom unit in Ohio was $794/month, while the average for a 2-bedroom in Tuscarawas County is $799/month. Tuscarawas County rent prices are average nationwide, and slightly above average statewide. (rentdata.org, 2021)

Report on Housing Stock: Units Built in Tuscarawas (2010-2018)

Housing experts say that following the 2008 economic crash, the development of houses halted. (Hoff, 2020)

Stats suggest Tuscarawas County fits this trend. Between 2010 and 2018, 28 residential units were added in Tuscarawas County. (Ohio Housing Finance Agency. 2010-2018)

That is an average of 3.5 units a year.

Timeline on Housing Unit Changes (2010-2019)

From 2010 to 2016, there was a net loss of 43 units.

There was a sharp increase in 2018 (41), which declined in 2019 (9). (United States Census Bureau, 2020)

Report on Housing Stock Age: The Median Home Age in the U.S. By County, In Years

A home built before 1980 is defined as aging. (Li, n.d.)

The average home age in Tuscarawas county is 52 years old (built-in 1971). (Cusick, 2022)

Due to a lack of development over the last decade, Tuscarawas County has an aging housing market.

Feedback From The Community

Do We Have A Lack of Housing? Maybe Not?

The lack of inventory in the sales market could be and is likely partially due to current homeowners not wanting to sell their homes. A lack of inventory in the sales market does not necessarily indicate a lack of housing. Since it is a scarcity market, it is as much a sign that current owners are unwilling to sell as it is we have a lack of housing for our population.

The interest rate is used to stimulate and suppress the number of buyers in the market, ultimately affecting the value of the offers and when or if a seller feels comfortable selling. With interest climbing recently with inflation, a lack of inventory in the sales market was inevitable.

The number of housing units per capita in the U.S. peaked in 2008 at around 0.428. In 2022, the ratio was 0.427. Based on AGS data, the number of occupied housing units per capita in Tuscarawas County is 0.404. This is below the current national per capita and the peak in 2008. (Duyck, 2022)

Tuscarawas County-occupied dwellings support an average of 2.47 people per household. Above the state average of 2.38 and below the national average of 2.54. This can be interpreted as indicating that our number of dwellings is sufficient to hold our population, assuming the population does not grow. (Statista, 2022) In the 2010 census, there was a population of 92, 582 people. In the 2020 census, there was a population of 93, 263. In 2021, the U.S. Census published an estimate of the population of 92,500. It is estimated Tuscarawas County will slightly decline in the near future, following national and state trends in population.

Why We Do Need To Build/Renovate Housing

The housing stock available in Tuscarawas County is aging. With the average age of the home built here being 52 years old, and with the halt of development following the 2008 crash, building new housing is needed, if not just to replenish the houses we will lose to age and other causes.

According to the statistics, there’s a unique opportunity here for renovation. We have approximately 3,112 residential dwellings that are unoccupied. Some likely need demolition, but it would also suggest an opportunity to renovate residential units exists.

Single-family homeowners are more likely to sell if they feel there is mobility in the county. If they do not feel they can secure a new home, they will not risk selling their current one.

Tuscarawas County rent prices have risen more quickly than most places, and have settled slightly above the average price statewide. Investment in new housing would give wanting buyers a chance to become homeowners and alleviate the tight rental market.

Tuscarawas County occupied dwellings support an average of 2.47 people per household. This indicates that our units are at capacity, enough to hold our population, but just enough. This is creating a tight market and a lack of mobility. We are lower than the nationwide average but higher than the statewide average on this metric. The nation and the state of Ohio have declared a need for housing. This stat also aligns with averages from other Ohio counties that have defined housing shortages.

When considering average home age, lack of recent development, a below-average number of housing units per capita, lower than average home ownership, high rent prices, and other qualitative data— such as feedback from professionals and residents—investments in housing are likely overdue.

Conclusions: How Many Do We Build?

Unfortunately, producing a projected goal for development is complex. Because of population density, there are no suggestions on how many homes per capita a community should have to house its population. In addition, many variables could be considered to produce such a number, some very aggressive and some conservative.

An aggressive but common approximation for projected construction looks at historical data. (Amy Scott, 2021) We might look at decades before 2010 and attempt to match that production. This percentage might serve to replenish old dwellings and position the county to attract new people.

A study in 2016 found that each decade dating back to the 1940s averaged produce 10% of the homes in the county. (Shnugi, 2016) To match the production of 10% from the current 37516 occupied dwellings, we would aim to add approximately 3751 new residential units in a decade or 375 units a year.

A conservative approach might look at the number of condemned residential properties in the county and aim to replenish those residential losses by building new ones.

Funding Programs Identified to Build Housing

Ohio Housing Finance Agency: Office of Multifamily Homes

•OHFA allocated $53.3 million in Housing Tax Credits (HTCs) awarded annually over 10 years.

•OHFA allocated $43.3 million in Housing Development Assistance Programs (HDAP) awards.

•OHFA issued $334 million in Multifamily Bonds, financing the construction or preservation of 2,985 units in 26 projects.

Ohio Housing Trust Fund

•Provides funding opportunities to nonprofit organizations, public housing authorities, private developers, lenders, local governments, and other eligible applicants interested in increasing workforce housing,

•Grants, loans, loan guarantees, and loan subsidies are used for constructing and rehabilitating publicly or privately held housing. Matching money for federal funds received by the local government. It can be used for technical assistance, design, financial services, and predevelopment consults. Support services related to housing.

TCEDC 2023 Housing Survey

Works Cited

Amy Scott, M. ( 2021, July 2). How many more housing units do we really need to build? Retrieved from A Minnesota Public Radio Web Site: https://www.marketplace.org/2021/07/02/how-many-more-housing-units-do-we-really-need-to-build/

Applied Geographic Solutions. (2022). GIS Planning I Zoom Prospector Enterprise. Retrieved from Tuscedc.com: https://www.tuscedc.com/buildings-sites-1#gis-anchor-link

Cusick, D. (2022, October 11). The Median Age of Homes in the United States by Build Year [Data Study]. Retrieved from House Method: https://housemethod.com/home-warranty/median-home-age-us/

Duffin, E. (2022, December 2022). Average size of households in the U.S. 1960-2022. Retrieved from Statista: https://www.statista.com/statistics/183648/average-size-of-households-in-the-us/#:~:text=The%20average%20American%20household%20consisted%20of%202.5%20people%20in%202022.

Duyck, G. (2022, March 30). U.S. Housing Is A Dead Man Walking. Retrieved from Seeking Alpha: https://seekingalpha.com/article/4498666-us-housing-is-a-dead-man-walking

Hoff, M. (2020, September 27). Housing in the US has not been able to keep up with buyer demand over the past decade. Retrieved from Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/us-underbuilding-housing-over-the-past-decade-2020-9

Li, S. (n.d.). Where Is the Aging Housing Stock in the United States? Retrieved from Freddie Mac, Housing Insight and Solutions: https://my.sf.freddiemac.com/updates/news/news~where-is-the-aging-housing-stock-in-the-united-states#:~:text=Aging%20housing%20stock%20is%20defined,already%20gone%20through%20major%20renovations.

Ohio Housing Finance Agency. (2010-2018). American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates, Table B25024. Retrieved from Change In Number of Housing Units, 2010 to 2018: https://ohiohome.org/research/housingstock.aspx#units

Rentdata.org. (2023, February). Tuscarawas County Fair Market Rent FY 2021. Retrieved from Rentdata.org: https://www.rentdata.org/tuscarawas-county-oh/2021

Shnugi. (2016, September 11). Mapping the Average House Age by County. Retrieved from Personal Finance Data : https://personalfinancedata.com/2016/09/11/mapping-average-house-age-county/

Smith, S. (2020, June 30). Annual Report. Retrieved from Ohio Housing Finance Agency: https://ohiohome.org/news/documents/annualreport_20.pdf

Statista. (2022, September). Average size of households in the United States in 2021, by state. Retrieved from Statista: https://www.statista.com/statistics/242265/average-size-of-us-households-by-state/

U.S. Census Bureau. (2021). QuickFacts Tuscarawas County. Retrieved from U.S. Census Bureau: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/tuscarawascountyohio/HSG445221#HSG445221

United States Census Bureau. (2020, May 21). A Snapshot of the Nation's Housing Stock. Retrieved from United States Census Bureau: https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/nations-housing-stock-snapshot.html