Portage County presents an income-underwriting tension: Zillow’s county median home value was $327,104 in 2026-06, up 10.67% year over year, while median asking rent was $1,274 per month and grew 2.13%. The reported gross yield was 4.67% before costs. FHFA’s 2025 repeat-transaction HPI increased 4.47% year over year, directionally consistent with appreciation but neither a dollar valuation nor the same observation period or method as Zillow. Income-focused buyers should investigate achievable lease terms and operating costs rather than treat recent price movement as income support.
At county level, the $3,492 median annual property tax is a carrying cost that gross yield does not include, so taxes, insurance, repairs and vacancy require property-level pricing. The modeled annual climate loss ratio is 0.13% of building value, and inland flood is the dominant hazard; both require site-specific exposure and insurance review. The supplied figures calculate median asking market rent as 22.9% above HUD’s two-bedroom FMR. That FMR is a payment standard, not an estimate of asking rent or a substitute for lease revenue.
QCEW reports annual covered workplace employment and average weekly wage increased, while Trade, transportation, and utilities was the largest disclosed private supersector. Those are covered workplace measures, not resident employment, unemployment or a forecast. Tax-return migration produced a calculated net gain of 53 households; arrivals’ average AGI was $5,014 higher than departures’. Nonoccupant investors accounted for 43 of 587 purchases, or 7.33%. This evidence identifies participants and mover income, but does not establish tenant demand or buyer competition for a specific property.
Realtor.com MLS listing-market figures for median listing price, active listings, days on market and price-reduced share are not published, preventing a read on visible supply, marketing time or seller concessions. They would be asking-price and listing evidence, not closed-sale prices or proof of buyer demand. Next checks are property rent comparables and achieved collections, operating and insurance quotes, flood-zone and elevation review, and closed-sale comparables. Without these, the county evidence cannot determine cash flow durability, resale value or a building’s actual flood exposure.