Central Ohio city has 'hottest ZIP code' in America, Realtor.com finds

GAHANNA, Ohio (WCMH) – A central Ohio city has been named America’s “hottest ZIP code” by Realtor.com for the second year in a row. 

Realtor.com looked at the number of buyers searching for homes in ZIP codes across America and the length of time houses stayed on the market, compiling a list of the 50 most popular markets. Gahanna’s main ZIP code, 43230, took the No. 1 spot as the hottest ZIP code in the country. 

In Gahanna, the median listing price for a home was $345,000 in June 2024. Listings spent an average of 11 days on the market, compared with a national average of 42 days, according to the site. Realtor.com points to multiple potential reasons for Gahanna's popularity, including the Columbus area featuring Ohio State University, the Short North Arts District and a “captivating” food scene.

“We're 10 minutes from Downtown, 10 minutes from Intel, five minutes from the airport,” said Gahanna Mayor Laurie Jadwin. “I think that alone helps to attract a lot of attention.”

Realtor.com additionally states homes in the Gahanna ZIP code were priced 11% below the Columbus metropolitan area’s average, and 19.4% below the national median in the first half of the year. 

“We have affordable and diverse housing options, a strong school system, 800 acres of parkland and open spaces, safe community, safe neighborhoods,” Jadwin said. “Our businesses are thriving. Our existing businesses are growing, new businesses are coming here adding job opportunities.”

Gahanna realtor Neal Hauschild called Gahanna a “close-knit community” that is open to growth and new people. He stated the city offers a variety of housing options for movers and families.

“From a real estate perspective, the housing prices, it ranges from very affordable houses all the way up to multi-million dollars,” Hauschild said. “So you do have that great range.”

The hottest ZIP code saw more than half of its listing viewership come from within the Columbus metro. The large number of viewers from within the metro suggests homeowners in Columbus are shopping around to “cash in on existing home equity to fund an upgrade or possibly to purchase an investment property,” according to Realtor.com. The next highest viewership came from New York City, which contributed to 8.3% of viewers. 

Completing the top five hottest ZIP codes is Ballwin, Missouri (2), Salem, Massachusetts (3), Basking Ridge, New Jersey (4) and Rochester, New York (5). Other Ohio ZIP codes that made the list include Cincinnati (15), Cleveland (18), Dayton (19), Toledo (21), Ashland (22) Mansfield (23) and Cuyahoga Falls (36).