The 43220 ZIP label is Zillow’s ZIP market identifier and the match used for the Census ZCTA evidence. At the center is a rent-versus-resale tension: the current ZIP rent benchmark sits below every named wider rent context, while the direct resale observation is firmer. Zillow’s June ZORI is $1,371 per month. ZORI is a typical observed asking-rent index blended across rental types, rather than a survey of occupied homes or property-specific asking quotes. For wider rent context, the Upper Arlington city scope is about $1,968, the Franklin County scope is $1,510, and the Columbus, OH metro scope is $1,528; city, county, and metro values are context only, not replacements for the ZIP measure. Those scope differences preclude treating their figures as ZIP rental comps.
Recent asking-rent direction breaks from, rather than confirms, the longer historical path. In the direct Zillow ZIP history through the stated endpoint, exact same-month annualized changes were −1.18% for 1 year, +0.51% for 3 years, and +4.06% for 5 years. The series has 100% coverage. It is categorized high variability: annualized monthly-return variability was 4.30%, and the maximum drawdown was −5.69%. That variability supports less confidence in a single current rent snapshot than a steadier series would merit. Transparent national discovery ranks were 2,553 for momentum, 2,702 for stability, and 2,823 for the balanced measure; lower rank is stronger among history-eligible ZIPs. These are backward-looking measurements, not forecasts or investment recommendations.
Bedroom figures require a separate construction, not a claim that ZORI observed unit-size rents. HUD’s FY 2026 local FMR/SAFMR ladder is an administrative, bedroom-specific standard rather than asking rent, running from $1,150 for a studio to $1,990 for four bedrooms. Scaling ZIP ZORI with that local HUD ladder produces modelled monthly ZIP estimates of $1,065 for a studio, $1,149 for one bedroom, $1,371 for two bedrooms, $1,640 for three bedrooms, and $1,843 for four bedrooms. These are modelled estimates, never measured bedroom rents. They do not establish actual availability, condition, utility treatment, lease terms, or a property’s likely contract rent; HUD supplies relative bedroom steps, while ZORI supplies the ZIP index level.
Affordability and burden originate in the matched Census ZCTA, not Zillow’s ZIP series. A ZCTA is a statistical area and is not identical to a USPS delivery ZIP. In the ACS 2024 five-year survey, median gross rent was $1,269 with a $57 90% margin of error. ACS median gross rent describes occupied renter homes and includes selected utilities, creating a different evidence universe from observed asking rent. Median household income was $74,298. Applying current ZORI to a 30% required-income screen yields $54,840 annually. That screen is arithmetic, not advice or an applicant qualification rule. It also does not establish that a current listing includes utilities, will lease at the index level, or is affordable for any particular household.
Survey stock and burden put the rent screen in a household context without proving anything about a given dwelling. The matched ACS ZCTA estimates 14,251 housing units and a 4.0% vacancy rate. Renters occupy 49.3% of occupied homes, and the reported stock includes both single-family and large-multifamily categories. Among renter households, 38.5% were burdened at or above the stated threshold. The survey estimates 122 units vacant for rent, but a vacancy classification is not proof that a particular unit is available, rentable, comparable in size, or offered at the ZORI. Aggregate burden likewise identifies a share of surveyed renter homes, not the payment capacity of a particular applicant.
ZIP resale evidence points in the other direction. The direct rolling-three-month Redfin ZIP for-sale observation through June 30, 2026 reported a median sold price of $531,880, up 13.7% year over year, even as the recent one-year asking-rent history declined. This is for-sale market evidence, not rental transactions or rental comps. It recorded 113 homes sold, a median marketing time of 34 days, reported inventory of 70 homes, and 1.9 months of supply. The average sale-to-list result was 100.95%, and 41.9% of sales closed above list; both are resale pricing signals, not evidence about a lease. Annualized ZIP ZORI divided by median sold price is 3.09%, a cross-source screening ratio only, not a cap rate, net return, expected return, or property yield.
Taken together, the resale data confirm a firmer for-sale pricing and transaction signal, but challenge any attempt to read the current asking-rent decline as a general measure of housing-market weakness. They neither validate nor overturn the median-income affordability screen, because a for-sale observation measures a different market. Conversely, rent history cautions against projecting resale acceleration into asking rents, since the sources observe different events and use different methods. The aggregate median income exceeds the arithmetic income screen, yet the surveyed burden share remains material; that is a tension between a median-income comparison and lived rent burden, not a contradiction. The city of Upper Arlington, Franklin County, and the Columbus, OH metro provide wider context, but their scope does not alter either direct ZIP observation.
Limits remain central to interpretation. ZORI abstracts a blended asking-rent signal; ACS has survey timing, sampled households, and margins of error; HUD standards are administrative; and Redfin is a rolling resale observation. None is a unit-level lease, expense record, inspection, or appraisal. The concrete property-level checks are the live advertised rent for the exact bedroom count, the lease term and concessions, which utilities are separately paid, and documented availability and occupancy status. A reader can also compare the property’s condition and unit type with the index’s broad rental mix. For a purchase-side review, the individual property’s recorded list price, closing price, marketing history, and sale terms need verification. The closing question is whether those documents align with, or depart from, the aggregate signals without treating any aggregate measure as proof.
","findings":[{"body":"Zillow’s ZIP asking-rent index is $1,371 in June 2026. Direct history declined 1.18% over the latest same-month year but retained 0.51% annualized growth over three years and 4.06% over five years. Annualized variability of 4.30% and a 5.69% maximum drawdown indicate that the current index is informative but not a highly stable single-period reading.","title":"Rent trend has turned down after a longer rise"},{"body":"HUD’s $1,150-to-$1,990 bedroom standard defines relative steps. Applying those steps to the $1,371 ZIP ZORI creates modelled estimates from $1,065 for a studio to $1,843 for four bedrooms. The approach is useful for a consistent size ladder, but it is not a measurement of bedroom-specific listings, executed leases, or unit availability.","title":"Bedroom ladder is modelled, not observed"},{"body":"The matched ACS 2024 five-year ZCTA reports $1,269 median gross rent, which includes selected utilities, and $74,298 median household income. The $54,840 income amount is only the arithmetic result of applying a 30% screen to ZORI. Meanwhile, 38.5% of surveyed renter households were at or above the burden threshold. These measures describe different populations and cannot qualify a particular household.","title":"Affordability measures use different evidence universes"},{"body":"Redfin’s direct rolling-three-month resale data show a $531,880 median sale price, 13.7% annual appreciation, 1.9 months of supply, and 100.95% average sale-to-list. Those for-sale signals are stronger than the latest rent direction, creating a cross-market tension rather than confirmation of a shared trend. The 3.09% annualized-rent-to-price figure remains only a cross-source screening ratio and is not a property return measure.","title":"Resale strength conflicts with rent softness"}],"risks":["Zillow ZORI blends asking rents across rental types, so it cannot reveal the current price, concessions, condition, utilities, or availability of a specific apartment or house.","ACS ZCTA estimates summarize a multi-year surveyed geography with sampling uncertainty and selected-utility gross rent; the ZCTA boundary is statistical and does not equal a USPS delivery ZIP.","HUD FMR/SAFMR values are administrative bedroom standards. The displayed bedroom ladder is scaled from ZORI and HUD, not observed bedroom rents, signed leases, or eligibility determinations.","Redfin measures ZIP resale activity rather than rental transactions. Price appreciation and sale-to-list results cannot establish a property’s expenses, rents, cash flow, value, or investment outcome."],"qa":[{"a":"The $1,371 figure is Zillow’s June 2026 ZIP ZORI, a typical observed asking-rent index blended across rental types. It is not ACS median gross rent, a HUD standard, a contract-rent average, or an advertised quote for a named unit. Its ZIP geography is also distinct from the broader city, county, and metro context figures.","q":"What does the current ZIP rent figure measure?"},{"a":"No. The studio-through-four-bedroom amounts are modelled monthly ZIP estimates created by scaling the ZIP ZORI with the local HUD FMR/SAFMR bedroom ladder. HUD’s bedroom figures are administrative standards, not asking rent, and the result does not identify current unit availability, lease terms, utility responsibility, location, condition, or signed rents for any individual property.","q":"Are the studio-through-four-bedroom amounts observed rents?"},{"a":"The $54,840 figure simply divides annualized current ZORI by the 30% screen. It is arithmetic rather than financial advice, a tenant recommendation, or an applicant qualification rule. The 38.5% burden figure instead comes from ACS surveyed renter households in the matched ZCTA, while median gross rent includes selected utilities.","q":"How should the income and burden data be read?"},{"a":"No. Redfin’s rolling-three-month ZIP record describes for-sale transactions, while ZORI tracks blended observed asking rents. Higher resale price and sale-to-list indicators can coexist with a declining recent rent measure. Their annualized-rent-to-price calculation is merely a cross-source screen; it is not a cap rate, net return, expected return, or property yield.","q":"Does rapid resale evidence validate the asking-rent index?"}],"sources":[{"key":"apartment_list_time_on_market","name":"Apartment List Time on Market — listing liquidity","release":"Apartment List 2026-07","pulledAt":"2026-08-08","url":"https://www.apartmentlist.com/research/category/data-rent-estimates"},{"key":"apartment_list_vacancy","name":"Apartment List Vacancy Index — rental vacancy","release":"Apartment List 2026-07","pulledAt":"2026-08-08","url":"https://www.apartmentlist.com/research/apartment-list-vacancy-index-methodology"},{"key":"census_zcta_facts","name":"Census ACS five-year — ZCTA housing and income","release":"ACS 2024 5-year ZCTA","pulledAt":"2026-08-08","url":"https://api.census.gov/data/2024/acs/acs5.html"},{"key":"hud_zip","name":"HUD USPS crosswalk and Small Area FMRs — ZIP rent fallback","release":"ZIP-CBSA 2025Q4 + SAFMR FY2026","pulledAt":"2026-07-26","url":"https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/usps_crosswalk.html"},{"key":"realtor_county","name":"Realtor.com Economic Research — county listing inventory","release":"county inventory 2026-06","pulledAt":"2026-07-28","url":"https://www.realtor.com/research/data/"},{"key":"redfin","name":"Redfin Data Center — inventory, days on market, and price cuts","release":"metro tracker through 2026-05-01","pulledAt":"2026-07-26","url":"https://www.redfin.com/news/data-center/"},{"key":"redfin_zip","name":"Redfin Data Center — ZIP resale activity and supply","release":"ZIP rolling 3 months through 2026-06-30; updated 2026-07-03","pulledAt":"2026-08-12","url":"https://www.redfin.com/news/data-center/"},{"key":"zillow_county","name":"Zillow ZHVI and ZORI — county values and rents","release":"county ZHVI/ZORI 2026-06","pulledAt":"2026-07-26","url":"https://www.zillow.com/research/data/"},{"key":"zillow_zori","name":"Zillow ZORI — metro market rents","release":"Metro_zori_uc_sfrcondomfr_sm_sa_month.csv","pulledAt":"2026-07-26","url":"https://www.zillow.com/research/data/"},{"key":"zillow_zori_city","name":"Zillow ZORI — city market rents","release":"zillow_zori_city.csv","pulledAt":"2026-07-29","url":"https://www.zillow.com/research/data/"},{"key":"zillow_zori_zip","name":"Zillow ZORI — ZIP market rents","release":"ZORI ZIP 2026-06","pulledAt":"2026-08-08","url":"https://www.zillow.com/research/data/"}],"history":[{"period":"2020-11-01","rent":1087.055341},{"period":"2020-12-01","rent":1087.543366},{"period":"2021-01-01","rent":1090.348112},{"period":"2021-02-01","rent":1097.299162},{"period":"2021-03-01","rent":1109.001923},{"period":"2021-04-01","rent":1107.923804},{"period":"2021-05-01","rent":1108.21186},{"period":"2021-06-01","rent":1123.011123},{"period":"2021-07-01","rent":1147.770599},{"period":"2021-08-01","rent":1179.242656},{"period":"2021-09-01","rent":1205.515734},{"period":"2021-10-01","rent":1218.225329},{"period":"2021-11-01","rent":1234.233491},{"period":"2021-12-01","rent":1252.75036},{"period":"2022-01-01","rent":1248.334093},{"period":"2022-02-01","rent":1256.046328},{"period":"2022-03-01","rent":1245.712023},{"period":"2022-04-01","rent":1273.376468},{"period":"2022-05-01","rent":1271.974383},{"period":"2022-06-01","rent":1295.265839},{"period":"2022-07-01","rent":1288.157371},{"period":"2022-08-01","rent":1284.828951},{"period":"2022-09-01","rent":1282.202885},{"period":"2022-10-01","rent":1297.732954},{"period":"2022-11-01","rent":1313.323649},{"period":"2022-12-01","rent":1327.801257},{"period":"2023-01-01","rent":1325.198002},{"period":"2023-02-01","rent":1320.299801},{"period":"2023-03-01","rent":1325.312422},{"period":"2023-04-01","rent":1336.812165},{"period":"2023-05-01","rent":1369.719934},{"period":"2023-06-01","rent":1349.644166},{"period":"2023-07-01","rent":1339.699065},{"period":"2023-08-01","rent":1329.07376},{"period":"2023-09-01","rent":1362.885842},{"period":"2023-10-01","rent":1359.134603},{"period":"2023-11-01","rent":1345.082643},{"period":"2023-12-01","rent":1301.751208},{"period":"2024-01-01","rent":1328.026892},{"period":"2024-02-01","rent":1338.290175},{"period":"2024-03-01","rent":1363.555352},{"period":"2024-04-01","rent":1344.390481},{"period":"2024-05-01","rent":1332.577674},{"period":"2024-06-01","rent":1357.012372},{"period":"2024-07-01","rent":1382.123855},{"period":"2024-08-01","rent":1381.192456},{"period":"2024-09-01","rent":1356.65164},{"period":"2024-10-01","rent":1354.206674},{"period":"2024-11-01","rent":1367.926144},{"period":"2024-12-01","rent":1412.250718},{"period":"2025-01-01","rent":1420.341446},{"period":"2025-02-01","rent":1431.07129},{"period":"2025-03-01","rent":1415.321094},{"period":"2025-04-01","rent":1413.747616},{"period":"2025-05-01","rent":1403.032361},{"period":"2025-06-01","rent":1386.967066},{"period":"2025-07-01","rent":1377.398133},{"period":"2025-08-01","rent":1386.684224},{"period":"2025-09-01","rent":1392.129061},{"period":"2025-10-01","rent":1395.514869},{"period":"2025-11-01","rent":1390.685653},{"period":"2025-12-01","rent":1376.404887},{"period":"2026-01-01","rent":1359.947556},{"period":"2026-02-01","rent":1349.622317},{"period":"2026-03-01","rent":1349.609848},{"period":"2026-04-01","rent":1357.897249},{"period":"2026-05-01","rent":1366.131777},{"period":"2026-06-01","rent":1370.589461}],"historySummary":{"pointCount":68,"firstPeriod":"2020-11-01","latestPeriod":"2026-06-01","coverageMonths":68,"coverageRatio":1,"changes":{"1":{"years":1,"startPeriod":"2025-06-01","endPeriod":"2026-06-01","startRent":1386.967066,"endRent":1370.589461,"change":-0.011808214774149395,"cagr":-0.011808214774149395},"3":{"years":3,"startPeriod":"2023-06-01","endPeriod":"2026-06-01","startRent":1349.644166,"endRent":1370.589461,"change":0.01551912387550014,"cagr":0.005146509296126034},"5":{"years":5,"startPeriod":"2021-06-01","endPeriod":"2026-06-01","startRent":1123.011123,"endRent":1370.589461,"change":0.2204593818613496,"cagr":0.04064994604635985}},"maxDrawdown":-0.05692339897336629,"annualizedVolatility":0.04297430631897049,"consecutiveReturnCount":67}}