Photo: Myself · CC BY 2.5Measured against area pay, Paulding costs less to live in than 89% of U.S. towns
It ranks #74 of 993 in Ohio for affordability. Up 5% in a year, 35% below the Ohio typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of Paulding County, OH ($68K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across Paulding County earn ($68K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 1.8 years of area income, and 44% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $160Ktypical home, 35% below the Ohio typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $970a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 1.8 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$68K, Paulding County income
- 15%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 44%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Ohio: 46%Census 2020–24
- 14%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What kind of housing town is Paulding?
Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Paulding’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Paulding is more affordable than 89% of U.S. towns, #74 of 993 in Ohio. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Ohio: up 32.8% in five years, against 29.8% statewide (Zillow).
Up 5% in a year
Faster than Ohio (3.2%).
Show as a table
| January | Paulding | Ohio |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $83,000 | $131,000 |
| 2018 | $85,000 | $139,000 |
| 2019 | $94,000 | $148,000 |
| 2020 | $97,000 | $156,000 |
| 2021 | $109,000 | $175,000 |
| 2022 | $125,000 | $193,000 |
| 2023 | $137,000 | $208,000 |
| 2024 | $144,000 | $221,000 |
| 2025 | $152,000 | $234,000 |
| 2026 | $153,000 | $242,000 |
| September 2026 | $160,000 | $246,000 |
A typical Paulding home worth $83K in October 2016 is worth about $160K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 5 homes sold in September 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 1.8 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Paulding’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Paulding home, with $97K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $970 a month here, $20 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Paulding’s typical property tax (1.14% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $970
Renters already here pay a median of $822, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Paulding County, OH): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
4 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 4 new homes in Paulding in 2025: 2 single-family houses and 2 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $1.1 million to build. That's 1.2 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Ohio (3.3). Over the past 10 years, Paulding has permitted 27 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Paulding's population fell by 50 even though 17 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Ohio: 1.3 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 2 | $1.1 million |
| 2024 | 5 | 1 | 4 | $920,000 |
| 2023 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $435,000 |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 2 | $402,000 |
| 2021 | 3 | 1 | 2 | $400,000 |
| 2020 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $815,000 |
| 2019 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $592,000 |
| 2018 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $510,000 |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | 2 | $260,000 |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $250,000 |
| 2014 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $222,000 |
| 2013 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $223,000 |
| 2012 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $155,000 |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $85,000 |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $454,000 |
| 2007 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $745,000 |
| 2006 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $411,000 |
| 2005 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2004 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $575,000 |
| 2003 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $265,000 |
| 2002 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $180,000 |
| 2001 | 10 | 8 | 2 | $905,000 |
| 2000 | 12 | 8 | 4 | $943,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Ohio norm
The median bill is $1,373 (Ohio: $2,822), 1.14% of a home’s value a year, against 1.31% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
Paulding vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Paulding has the lowest. Jackson Township and Paulding Township have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paulding | A | $160K | $120K | 1.14% | $970 |
| Paulding Township | – | — | $125K | 1.21% | $980 |
| Jackson Township | A | — | $154K | 0.90% | $970 |
| Emerald Township | – | — | $188K | 0.89% | $970 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents). “—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Paulding
Is Paulding expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Paulding costs less than 89% of U.S. towns: an A for cost of living, #74 of 993 in Ohio. The typical home costs 1.8 years of the median household income of Paulding County, OH ($68K).
How much does a house cost in Paulding?
About $160K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 5.0% in a year. The Ohio typical home is $246K.
What salary do you need to live in Paulding?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $42,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $990 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $39,000.
How much is rent in Paulding?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $970 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $822 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Paulding?
The median bill is $1,373 a year, 1.14% of the median home value (Ohio: $2,822, 1.31%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Paulding going up?
Yes: up 5.0% in the past year and 32.8% in five years, against 29.8% across Ohio (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Paulding buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.