Published by REALTOR.com | August 1, 2025
The Buckeye State now ranks eighth in the nation for property tax burden—ahead of even New York and California—yet it sits 40th in median household income.
While Ohioans enjoy an extended sales tax holiday this August, state lawmakers skipped summer break to tackle what many call the state’s most urgent housing issue: skyrocketing property taxes. But even as talks continue in Columbus, millions of homeowners across the state are watching their bills rise as their patience wears thin.
The warning signs are getting harder to ignore. In Mahoning County, the tax delinquency rate has hit 18%, with more than $70 million in unpaid property taxes. Some neighborhoods in Youngstown are even seeing rates as high as 1 in 3 homeowners behind. In Cuyahoga County, values jumped 32% on average after reassessments, fueling a $60 million increase in past-due balances.
And it might get worse: Homeowners could face an additional 25% increase in property taxes in the coming years unless lawmakers step in, according to Matt Nolan, president of the County Auditors’ Association of Ohio.
The Buckeye State now ranks eighth in the nation for property tax burden—ahead of even New York and California—yet it sits 40th in median household income. With the state’s tax system under scrutiny and reform measures stalled, a grassroots movement is stepping in where the state Legislature has not, calling for nothing less than the abolition of property taxes altogether.
From boom to burden: Why are taxes surging in Ohio?
Ohio has been at the center of a Midwestern revival, booming in cities such as Columbus and Cleveland, drawing new development, and watching home values climb across once-stagnant suburbs. But with that growth has come a surge in property tax assessments that many homeowners say they simply can’t keep up with.
In Cuyahoga County, recent reassessments raised home values by an average of 32%, with some communities seeing even steeper increases. For example, East Cleveland jumped 67%. For homeowners who bought modest properties decades ago, taxes now seem closer to those of luxury subdivisions.
Part of the issue is structural. Ohio reappraises property every six years, meaning many residents just underwent their first reassessment since the COVID-19 pandemic-fueled housing boom. That’s created a massive collective jump in assessed value for the state—and, in many cases, higher tax bills.
Lawmakers say they hear the growing frustration, but meaningful relief has yet to materialize. That inaction has helped spark a grassroots movement that’s gaining statewide attention: a push to abolish the property tax entirely through a constitutional amendment.
“Much of what has been proposed in the Legislature should have been done 20 years ago to have any meaningful effect on people,” says Beth Blackmarr, an organizer and spokesperson for Citizens for Property Tax Reform. Her group helped launch the repeal movement, though she says leadership has since transitioned to a campaign known as Ax the Tax.
At the same time, legislative battles continue. In late July, Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed a provision that would have limited local governments from placing certain levies on the ballot. But the House overrode that veto, and if the Senate follows suit, the restriction could become law.
While the measure might slow future tax hikes, it does little to address the financial distress homeowners are facing right now. That’s one reason grassroots groups are still gathering signatures in hopes of putting a full repeal of the property tax on the ballot in November.
For many homeowners, the wait for reform has grown intolerable. With no fixes yet in place and higher tax bills looming, frustration has reached a boiling point.
When 1 in 3 homeowners in a city like Youngstown can’t afford to pay their property taxes, it’s no longer a personal problem; it’s a policy failure—one that puts thousands of homeowners at risk of foreclosure.
