US Metro Real Estate Intelligence
Rankings/Columbus, GA-AL

Columbus, GA-AL

NeutralTier 1CBSA 17980Compare
Risk Rank: #158 of 287Month: 2025-12Score change (12m): -12
48score
Composite risk percentile vs 287 metros (higher = higher risk)

Cycle Phase

Columbus experienced a market correction from late 2025 through late 2025. The market is currently recovering.

Recovery
Expansion
Hypersupply
Recession
In Recovery for 3 months·Previously: Recovery

Market conditions are rebuilding after a correction period

RecExpExpExpExpRecRessExpRecExpRessHypRessRess2019202020212022202320242025
Recovery
Expansion
Hypersupply
Recession

Columbus's housing market shows average risk, ranking 158th of 287 metros. The market recently entered Recovery. Inventory is growing moderately (+14% YoY) with stable liquidity.

Executive Summary

Risk is Neutral, driven primarily by price momentum and migration. The market is in Recovery phase. Liquidity is stable and valuation is balanced.

Top Risk Drivers (This Month)

Price Momentum
p93 (highest risk decile)
12-month HPI change
Migration
p84 (elevated risk)
Net AGI migration (risk inverted)
Affordability
p49 (below average risk)
Mortgage payment / income

Market Signals

Inventory is growing at a moderate +14% pace with homes taking +0% longer to sell — within normal ranges.

Liquidity

Stable
Active Listings YoY
+13.7%p63
Days on Market YoY
+0.0%p46
Months in status1
Data through Dec 2025

Valuation

Balanced
Rent vs. Price Growth
+0.0%p65
Months in status14
Data through Dec 2025Rent growth vs price growth (rent support). Note: Affordability and Valuation measure different structural dimensions and can diverge.
Factor Details

Factor Breakdown

Price Momentum93

12-month HPI change — higher = overheating

Permit Growth15

YoY permit change — higher = supply pressure

Permits per Capita17

Permits per 1,000 residents — higher = overbuilding risk

Affordability49

Mortgage payment / income — higher = more burdened

Employment28

12-month employment change (risk inverted)

Migration84

Net AGI migration (risk inverted)

Underlying Values

MetricValuePctile
Price Momentum+5.8%p93
Permit Growth-22.7%p15
Permits/1K Pop1.85p17
Affordability0.27p49
Employment+0.8%p28
Net AGI Migration-$72Kp84
National ContextDoes not affect score

Credit Conditions

Credit Regime

Stable

Healthy recovery. Credit is flowing normally and transactions are steady — conditions favor continued rebuilding.

Bank Lending Standards
-5.7Normal
Rate Change (YoY)
-74 bpsNormal
Mortgage Risk Premium
+189 bpsElevated
Stable for 8 quartersData through 2026-Q1

Supply Pipeline

Supply Regime

Accumulating

Supply pipeline is building up while credit remains available. New units are accumulating in the system — watch for delivery pressure in coming quarters.

Pipeline Ratio
0.91High
Completion-Permit Divergence
-3.2 ppNormal
Accumulating for 3 quartersData through 2025-Q4
Local SignalsDoes not affect score

Metro Permit Activity

Permit Activity

Cooling
YoY Permit Growth
-22.7%Below norm

Raw signal — not the composite percentile

Relative to 2016–2019 norms for this metro

Builders are pulling back but demand remains healthy. A supply constraint could form — fewer new units entering a market that is still absorbing well.

Liquidity

Liquidity

Stable
Active Listings YoY+13.7%
Days on Market YoY+0.0%
AssessmentBalanced conditions
Stable for 1 monthData through Dec 2025
Internal Structure

Columbus's counties diverge significantly — Muscogee County (Elevated) contrasts sharply with Harris County, making the metro average potentially misleading.

High23.6Limited data
3 of 7 counties scored

Columbus, GA-AL shows High internal divergence — the metro composite may obscure significant county-level differences. Muscogee County contributes the most structural risk (Elevated, driven by permit growth), while Harris County anchors the lower end (Low Risk).

Within-metro factor percentiles (0 = lowest risk, 100 = highest risk)
CountyScore
Muscogee CountyRisk Driver
67
Russell County
67
Marion CountyUnscored
50
Chattahoochee CountyUnscored
50
Talbot CountyUnscored
50
Stewart CountyUnscored
50
Harris CountyStabilizer
17
Score History
MonthScore
2025-1154
2025-0952
2025-0754
2025-0656
2025-0457
2025-0246
2025-0147
2024-1163
2024-0863
2024-0662
2024-0366
2024-0164
2023-1256
2023-1058
2023-0860
2023-0658
2023-0358
2023-0260
2022-1252
2022-1151
2022-1050
2022-0951
2022-0750
2022-0652
2022-0553
2022-0352
2022-0252
2021-1254
2021-1055
2021-0853
2021-0551
2021-0451
2021-0250
2021-0152
2020-1145
2020-1043
2020-0847
2020-0551
2020-0347
2020-0249
2019-1258
2019-1155
2019-0954
2019-0853
2019-0651
2019-0346
2019-0144
Data Vintages
Price (HPI)2025-Q3
Permits2025-12
Income2024
Employment2025-12
Migration2022