Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro: mortgages and home buyers
2025 home-purchase and refinance statistics for the 15-county Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN area (OMB code 17140), from official HMDA records.
In 2025, lenders reported 24,068 home-purchase mortgages for owner-occupied, single-family homes in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area. The median buyer borrowed $275,000 on a home valued at $325,000 and reported a household income of $105,000.
Buyers financed a median 90% of the home's value (roughly 10% down), paid a median 6.625% on 30-year fixed conventional loans and faced median conventional loan costs of $4,260.
Lenders denied 6.3% of completed home-purchase applications.
Key facts
- Median conventional loan costs ($4,260) were 24% lower than the U.S. median ($5,570).
- The most common age bracket among borrowers was 25–34 (36.8% of purchase loans).
- 55.1% of purchase mortgages had a single borrower with no co-applicant.
- The most-cited reason for denial was debt-to-income ratio (34.4% of denials with a stated reason).
Counties in the metro area
| County | Purchase loans | Median loan | Buyer income | 30-yr rate | Loan costs | Conforming limit | FHA limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton County, OH | 7,743 | $255,000 | $100,000 | 6.625% | $4,290 | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Butler County, OH | 3,879 | $275,000 | $100,000 | 6.625% | $4,410 | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Warren County, OH | 3,166 | $355,000 | $134,000 | 6.625% | $4,550 | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Clermont County, OH | 2,648 | $285,000 | $106,000 | 6.625% | $4,250 | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Kenton County, KY | 2,172 | $255,000 | $98,000 | 6.625% | $3,950 | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Boone County, KY | 1,730 | $295,000 | $109,000 | 6.625% | $4,040 | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Campbell County, KY | 1,153 | $255,000 | $100,000 | 6.625% | $4,250 | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Dearborn County, IN | 513 | $265,000 | $101,000 | 6.625% | $3,380 | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Brown County, OH | 429 | $245,000 | $85,000 | 6.750% | $4,470 | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Grant County, KY | 216 | $275,000 | $99,000 | 6.625% | $4,330 | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Franklin County, IN | 173 | $245,000 | $97,000 | 6.750% | $3,130 | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Pendleton County, KY | 109 | $245,000 | $86,000 | 6.750% | $4,720 | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Gallatin County, KY | 48 | $225,000 | $83,000 | — | — | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Bracken County, KY | 52 | $195,000 | $79,000 | — | — | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Ohio County, IN | 36 | $215,000 | $78,000 | — | — | $832,750 | $541,287 |
Who bought homes in Cincinnati
Home-purchase mortgages for owner-occupied, single-family (1–4 unit) site-built homes, first liens, originated in 2025.
Values are medians; "middle half" is the 25th to 75th percentile.
Loan type
What the homes were for
All first-lien, closed-end purchase mortgages, including second homes and investors.
Borrower age
Debt-to-income ratio
Monthly debts (including the new payment) as a share of income, as used in underwriting.
What borrowing cost in Cincinnati
Medians for 2025 home-purchase loans. Total loan costs are section D of the Loan Estimate/Closing Disclosure (lender and third-party loan charges, excluding taxes, prepaids and escrow). FHA and VA costs include the upfront mortgage insurance premium or VA funding fee, so compare like with like.
| Measure | Cincinnati | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| 30-year fixed rate · conventional | 6.625% | 6.625% |
| 30-year fixed rate · FHA | 6.500% | 6.250% |
| 30-year fixed rate · VA | 6.250% | 6.125% |
| 15-year fixed rate · conventional | 5.875% | 5.875% |
| Rate spread vs. APOR · conventional | +0.20 pts | +0.13 pts |
| Total loan costs · conventional | $4,260 | $5,570 |
| Total loan costs · FHA | $9,800 | $11,310 |
| Total loan costs · VA | $5,580 | $6,490 |
| Origination charges (all loan types) | $1,640 | $1,860 |
| Borrowers paying discount points | 46.7% | 51.3% |
| Points paid, when paid (% of loan) | 0.67% | 0.87% |
| Borrowers receiving lender credits | 34.6% | 33.1% |
| Adjustable-rate mortgages | 7.6% | 7.4% |
| Jumbo loans (above conforming limit) | 1.8% | 3.8% |
Medians are shown only when at least 30 loans report the field. Rates are those reported at closing; market rates changed during 2025, which the rate spread (APR minus the average prime offer rate on the lock date) adjusts for.
Approvals and denials
Cincinnati: 1,644 of 26,283 completed home-purchase applications were denied (6.3%).
Denial rate
| Application | Cincinnati | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Home purchase | 6.3% | 8.5% |
| Conventional | 4.9% | 7.1% |
| FHA | 11.1% | 12.5% |
| VA | 7.1% | 8.0% |
| USDA | 10.2% | 12.5% |
| Refinance | 13.3% | 17.9% |
| Cash-out refinance | 30.0% | 33.6% |
Main reason for purchase denials
First reason the lender reported.
Denial rate = denied ÷ (originated + approved but not accepted + denied). Withdrawn and incomplete applications are excluded. Differences between places reflect who applies, not only lender behavior.
Refinancing in Cincinnati
Source: FFIEC/CFPB HMDA 2025 public LAR (derived MSA/MD); OMB July 2023 delineations via the U.S. Census Bureau. Methodology