Hamilton County, OH

The selected direct-evidence set poses a choice question rather than a countywide ranking: which location’s current asking-rent level fits the household budget, required unit size, and search constraints? In June 2026, Zillow ZORI—a typical observed asking-rent index—runs from $1,043 in ZIP 45238 to $1,806 in ZIP 45236. The selected-set median is $1,357, producing a $763 spread. That dispersion makes an initial budget band more useful than treating any single ZIP reading as representative. Use ZORI to screen current advertised-rent tolerance, then test a specific unit’s size, charges, and availability. It cannot answer whether any particular unit meets a household’s needs.

Keep the three rent measures in separate analytical lanes. ACS 2024 five-year median gross rent is a survey estimate, not a current asking-rent index; it ranges from $884 to $1,584 among the selected matches. FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR is an administrative standard rather than asking rent, and its selected-match range is $1,120 to $2,030. In ZIP 45202, the Zillow index is 80.4% of that two-bedroom standard; in 45236 it is 132.8%. These comparisons identify how the index differs from a bedroom-specific program benchmark. They do not convert housing types or terms, establish a lease price, or indicate eligibility. Treat the three measures as complements, not substitutes.

Budget pressure and vacancy require a second, separate screen. In ACS five-year estimates, the share of renters with rent burden of at least 30% runs from 33.4% to 63.1%; ZIP 45219 is at the high end. For 45219, the ZORI-based annual income needed to hold the index rent to that share is $58,080, while the ACS median household income is $35,657. This is a household-budget prompt, not an estimate of any particular renter’s burden. ACS vacancy ranges from 3.4% to 14.8% in the selected matches. A lower survey rate warrants verifying live availability promptly; a higher rate does not establish unit condition, concessions, or suitability. Vacancy is a search check, not an affordability offset. Read burden and vacancy together, while retaining their survey basis.

Scope and crosswalk limits bound every comparison. The displayed direct-ZORI ZIP/ZCTA matches were selected from 34 eligible matches and cover 69,110 renter households, so they are not an exhaustive county inventory. Display assignment uses the county with the largest HUD residential-address share. Although every displayed match has full primary-county share in this packet, ZIPs can cross county lines, and Census ZCTAs are statistical areas rather than USPS delivery ZIPs. ACS values remain five-year estimates. Before acting, verify the exact address and county assignment, live advertised rent, bedroom count, utility treatment, available date, lease term, deposits and fees, occupancy or income rules, and the applicable HUD bedroom standard.