Mortgage by CountyWhat home buyers actually paid, county by county

Independent analysis of official mortgage recordsHMDA 2025 · 7,155,718 applications

Ohio · Columbus, OH

Licking County, OH: mortgages, home buyers & loan limits

What buyers in Licking County actually borrowed, earned and paid in 2025, from the official Home Mortgage Disclosure Act records — plus the 2026 conforming and FHA loan limits.

HMDA 2025 data released June 23, 2026 · Loan limits for calendar year 2026

In 2025, lenders reported 1,928 home-purchase mortgages for owner-occupied, single-family homes in Licking County, OH. The median buyer borrowed $305,000 on a home valued at $355,000 and reported a household income of $104,000.

Buyers financed a median 90.5% of the home's value (roughly 9.5% down), paid a median 6.625% on 30-year fixed conventional loans and faced median conventional loan costs of $4,640.

Lenders denied 6.4% of completed home-purchase applications.

Conforming limit 2026
$832,750
1-unit home · FHFA
FHA limit 2026
$591,100
1-unit home · HUD
Buyer income
$104,000
U.S. $116,000
30-yr fixed rate
6.625%
U.S. 6.625%
Loan costs
$4,640
Conventional · U.S. $5,570
Denial rate
6.4%
Purchase · U.S. 8.5%

Key facts about Licking County mortgages

  • Home buyers' median income ($104,000) is 11% higher than the Ohio median ($94,000).
  • Median conventional loan costs ($4,640) were 17% lower than the U.S. median ($5,570).
  • The most common age bracket among borrowers was 25–34 (33.7% of purchase loans).
  • 49.5% of purchase mortgages had a single borrower with no co-applicant.
  • The most-cited reason for denial was debt-to-income ratio (39.3% of denials with a stated reason).

National rank among 1,994 counties with at least 100 purchase loans: median income of home buyers 668th · median home-purchase loan 613th · median conventional loan costs 1055th · purchase application denial rate 1427th. See rankings.

2026 loan limits in Licking County

PropertyConforming 2026vs 2025FHA 2026vs 2025
1 unit $832,750 +$26,250 $591,100 +$21,850
2 units $1,066,250 +$33,600 $756,700 +$27,950
3 units $1,288,800 +$40,650 $914,700 +$33,800
4 units $1,601,750 +$50,500 $1,136,750 +$42,050

2026 limits for Licking County, OH: conforming (Fannie Mae / Freddie Mac) from FHFA; FHA forward-mortgage limits from HUD. FHA treats this county as a high-cost area (limit above the national floor). Loans above the conforming limit are "jumbo" loans.

All Ohio counties: Ohio 2026 loan limits. FHFA and HUD normally announce the next year's limits in late November.

Who bought homes in Licking County

Home-purchase mortgages for owner-occupied, single-family (1–4 unit) site-built homes, first liens, originated in 2025.

Purchase loans
1,928
of 2,115 applications
Buyer income
$104,000
Middle half $75,000–$153,000
Home value
$355,000
Middle half $265,000–$475,000
Loan amount
$305,000
Middle half $225,000–$405,000
Down payment
9.5%
36.3% put 20%+ down
Single borrower
49.5%
No co-applicant

Values are medians; "middle half" is the 25th to 75th percentile.

Loan type

Conventional 71.5% 1,378
FHA 18.0% 348
VA 10.1% 194
USDA 0.4% 8

What the homes were for

Primary residence 96.5% 2,012
Second home 1.1% 22
Investment property 2.4% 51

All first-lien, closed-end purchase mortgages, including second homes and investors.

Borrower age

Under 25 9.1%
25–34 33.7%
35–44 25.2%
45–54 14.2%
55–64 10.5%
65–74 5.1%
75 and over 2.3%

Debt-to-income ratio

Under 20% 2.5%
20–29% 12.1%
30–35% 16.2%
36–42% 26.8%
43–49% 34.0%
50–60% 8.1%
Over 60% 0.4%

Monthly debts (including the new payment) as a share of income, as used in underwriting.

What borrowing cost in Licking County

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.

MeasureLicking CountyOhioU.S.
30-year fixed rate · conventional6.625%6.625%6.625%
30-year fixed rate · FHA6.500%6.575%6.250%
30-year fixed rate · VA6.250%6.250%6.125%
15-year fixed rate · conventional5.990%5.875%5.875%
Rate spread vs. APOR · conventional+0.21 pts+0.22 pts+0.13 pts
Total loan costs · conventional$4,640$4,610$5,570
Total loan costs · FHA$10,480$9,160$11,310
Total loan costs · VA$6,130$5,600$6,490
Origination charges (all loan types)$1,830$1,780$1,860
Borrowers paying discount points48.1%51.4%51.3%
Points paid, when paid (% of loan)0.85%0.76%0.87%
Borrowers receiving lender credits32.8%33.5%33.1%
Adjustable-rate mortgages8.6%7.2%7.4%
Jumbo loans (above conforming limit)1.1%1.3%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

Licking County: 136 of 2,115 completed home-purchase applications were denied (6.4%).

Denial rate

ApplicationLicking CountyOhioU.S.
Home purchase6.4%7.1%8.5%
Conventional5.8%5.7%7.1%
FHA9.8%11.4%12.5%
VA4.8%8.2%8.0%
USDA—9.5%12.5%
Refinance17.3%16.4%17.9%
Cash-out refinance27.4%33.3%33.6%

Main reason for purchase denials

Debt-to-income ratio 39.3%
Credit history 20.0%
Collateral (appraisal/property) 15.6%
Credit application incomplete 8.9%
Insufficient cash (down payment/closing costs) 8.1%
Other 3.7%
Employment history 3.0%
Unverifiable information 1.5%

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 Licking County

Refinances
444
Median loan $295,000
Refi rate
6.375%
30-yr fixed, conv.
Refi loan costs
$4,070
Conventional
Cash-out refis
478
Median loan $225,000
Cash-out rate
6.875%
30-yr fixed, conv.
Cash-out income
$93,000
Median borrower

Top mortgage lenders in Licking County

214 lenders originated at least one home-purchase or refinance loan here in 2025. The table ranks them by loan count; pricing columns compare conventional purchase loans only.

#LenderLoansShareDenial rate30-yr rate*Spread*Costs*
1 Rocket Mortgage, LLC 228 8.0% 11.0% 6.500% +0.19 $4,410
2 United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) 202 7.1% 10.9% 6.625% +0.25 $5,570
3 Equity Resources, Inc. 162 5.7% 1.7% 6.750% +0.33 $3,100
4 NFM, Inc. 141 5.0% 1.6% 6.625% +0.32 $7,440
5 Union Home Mortgage Corp. 111 3.9% 0.0% 6.875% +0.53 $5,280
6 The Park National Bank 105 3.7% 7.6% 6.625% +0.18 $4,050
7 The Huntington National Bank 101 3.5% 9.2% 6.625% +0.06 $4,490
8 CrossCountry Mortgage, Inc. 83 2.9% 0.0% 6.750% +0.52 $6,530
9 First Federal Savings and Loan Association 81 2.8% 21.6% 6.500% +0.21 $3,190
10 JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. 64 2.3% 9.4% 6.375% −0.06 $3,380
11 Lower, LLC 60 2.1% 7.7% 6.750% +0.36 $5,440
12 Freedom Mortgage Corporation 54 1.9% — — — —
13 Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation 54 1.9% 1.8% 6.750% +0.33 $5,670
14 Union Savings Bank 53 1.9% 7.9% — +0.33 $3,570
15 DHI Mortgage Company, Ltd. 49 1.7% 15.5% — — —
16 Veterans United Home Loans 45 1.6% 5.0% — — —
17 Fifth Third Bank, N.A. 45 1.6% 0.0% 6.250% −0.18 $5,450
18 New American Funding 43 1.5% 0.0% — — —
19 Victory Mortgage, L.L.C. 42 1.5% 6.8% 5.750% −0.88 $2,230
20 The Community Bank 40 1.4% 3.7% — +0.16 $3,590
21 Rate 40 1.4% 0.0% 6.500% +0.27 $6,710
22 Pennymac Loan Services, LLC 37 1.3% 16.7% — — —
23 PNC Bank, N.A. 36 1.3% 10.3% 6.375% +0.18 $3,480
24 RMC Home Mortgage, LLC 31 1.1% 3.2% 6.375% +0.15 $4,870
25 Wright-Patt Credit Union, Inc. 29 1.0% 0.0% — −0.20 $3,770

Lenders in Licking County, OH. Loans = home-purchase, refinance and cash-out originations (2025); share = share of those loans here; denial rate = home-purchase applications. *Medians for conventional home-purchase loans, shown with at least 20 loans; spread = APR minus the average prime offer rate at rate lock (percentage points); costs = total loan costs (section D).

Check a quote for Licking County

Typical effective property-tax rate 1.22% = median real estate taxes ÷ median home value, U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates.

Nearby counties

CountyDistancePurchase loansMedian loanBuyer incomeConforming limitFHA limit
Knox County, OH22 mi653$255,000$91,000$832,750$541,287
Fairfield County, OH25 mi1,978$325,000$106,000$832,750$591,100
Perry County, OH27 mi286$225,000$84,000$832,750$591,100
Franklin County, OH29 mi11,860$295,000$104,000$832,750$591,100
Muskingum County, OH30 mi789$215,000$82,000$832,750$541,287
Delaware County, OH31 mi3,149$445,000$160,000$832,750$591,100

Frequently asked questions

What is the 2026 conforming loan limit in Licking County?

$832,750 for a one-unit home (FHFA). Two- to four-unit limits are $1,066,250, $1,288,800, $1,601,750. Loans above the limit are jumbo loans and are not eligible for purchase by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.

What is the 2026 FHA loan limit in Licking County?

$591,100 for a one-unit home (HUD). Licking County is an FHA high-cost area; HUD's median price used to set the limit is $514,000.

How much do home buyers in Licking County earn?

The median household income reported on 2025 home-purchase mortgages was $104,000; the middle half of buyers reported $75,000 to $153,000.

What mortgage rate did buyers in Licking County get in 2025?

The median rate on 30-year fixed conventional purchase loans was 6.625%; FHA borrowers paid a median 6.50%. These are rates locked during 2025; check today's rates with several lenders.

How often are mortgage applications denied in Licking County?

6.4% of completed home-purchase applications were denied in 2025; the most common stated reason was debt-to-income ratio.

Sources: FFIEC/CFPB HMDA 2025 public loan/application register (Snapshot as of June 1, 2026); FHFA 2026 conforming loan limits; HUD 2026 FHA forward-mortgage limits; U.S. Census Bureau. Figures describe typical 2025 loans, not your offer. Methodology