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DSCR Loans in Athens County, Ohio

Athens County's effective property tax rate runs 1.17% — below Ohio's 1.36% statewide average — which is a modest but real advantage on a DSCR file. Here's what that means on an actual property, and what else moves financing in Athens and the rest of the county.

01

Athens County at a glance

County seat
Athens
Population
63,197 (2025 est.)
Effective property tax rate
1.17%
Median home value
$185,000 (ACS 2020-2024 5yr)
Median gross rent
$939/mo (ACS 2020-2024 5yr)

02

Why investors look at Athens County

Home to Ohio University; a large student-renter population drives rental demand well above the region's rural norm.

03

The tax-drag math for Athens County

Ohio's 88 counties span from under 1% effective property tax to over 2.3% in parts of Cuyahoga and Montgomery — a range wide enough to move a deal from cash-flowing to underwater on identical rent and price. Athens County sits on the favorable side of that range.

A $185,000 property here — Athens County's own median home value, 20% down ($37,000), renting for $939/mo — financed at an observed Ohio DSCR average of 7.20% (Q2 2026)¹:

Gross rent
$939
Athens County property tax ($185,000 × 1.17% ÷ 12)
$180
Landlord insurance ($1220 ÷ 12)
$102
Principal & interest, $148,000 loan at an observed 7.20% Ohio average¹, 30-yr fixed
$1,005
PITIA (tax + insurance + P&I)
$1,287
DSCR (rent ÷ PITIA)
$939 ÷ $1,287 = 0.73

At these countywide figures, a 0.73 lands under the 1.00 floor most DSCR programs require — see the methodology note below for why a whole-county median often understates what a targeted rental-grade property actually clears. At the statewide average tax rate of 1.36% instead of Athens County's lower 1.17%, this same property's monthly tax bill would run about $210 instead of $180 — Athens County's below-average rate is worth roughly $29/month here.

This worked example deliberately uses Athens County's own ACS-reported median home value against its ACS-reported median gross rent — a blended, whole-county pairing that includes higher-priced owner-occupied housing on the value side and apartment/multifamily rents on the rent side. That's a more conservative starting point than a matched, rental-grade single-family purchase. Run your own address and rent number through the DSCR calculator for a property-specific result instead of this countywide blend.

A countywide average under 1.00 doesn't mean Athens County doesn't work — it means the median deal isn't the deal. Investors clear DSCR here by buying below the county median, renting above it, or putting more down, and the spread between the average and what's achievable is where the opportunity sits.

¹ Ohio DSCR long-term-rental loans averaged 7.20% in Q2 2026 (Private Lender Link), inside the broader 6.5%–8.75% range lenders were publishing for DSCR product nationally. This is a market observation, not an offer — your rate depends on your DSCR, credit, LTV and loan purpose, and is set by the lender, not by us.

04

Cities in Athens County

Every city and village in Athens County with its own page is listed here, largest by population first.

05

Nearby counties

Other SE Ohio counties, for comparison:

06

Get your Athens County DSCR quote

County-level tax math is the start of underwriting a Athens County rental, not the end of it. Compare DSCR quotes on your specific property next.

Compare DSCR quotes for an Athens County property →

07

Sources for this page

Last updated 2026-08-25. County tax rates and home-value figures are refreshed periodically from the sources above, each with its own as-of date.