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Hamilton County · Ohio

Cincinnati sales tax rate (OH)

Hamilton County's transit sales tax replaced Cincinnati's earnings-tax funding of Metro, shifting the burden from workers to shoppers.

Ten dollar bills on a dark surface, illustrating state sales tax rates

Quick answer

The combined sales tax rate in Cincinnati, OH is 7.85% as of January 1, 2026 — 5.75% state + 1.3% county + 0.8% special district. On a $100 purchase that is $7.85 in tax, for a total of $107.85. Ohio's statewide base is 5.75%.

Components estimatedEffective January 1, 2026 · rank 49 of 94 covered metros
Combined rate
7.85%
State share
5.75%
Local share
2.1%County + city + districts
Tax on $100
$7.85

Calculate Cincinnati sales tax

Pre-filled with the Cincinnati combined rate.

Sales tax calculator

The full combined rate of 7.85% applies to general merchandise.

Enter a pre-tax amount to see the tax due in Cincinnati, OH.

Pre-tax
$100
Sales tax at 7.85%
$7.85
Total
$107.85

Tax is rounded to the nearest cent on the full transaction, which is how most registers compute it. Line-item rounding can differ by a cent or two on long receipts.

Is 7.85% high?

Where Cincinnati sits against the state and the covered-metro median, in points and in dollars.

vs covered median
-0.1 ptsMedian 7.95%
Local share
27%2.1% of the total
Cost per household
$2,041Per year on $26,000 taxable spend
Jurisdiction layers
3Stacked into the combined rate

7.85% in Cincinnati — ordinary. It ranks 49 of 94 covered metros, -0.1 pts against the 7.95% median. On $26,000 of taxable household spending that is $2,041 a year, $26 below it.

Local government sets 2.1% of the total, 27% of the bill; the state takes 5.75%. 3 layers stack: Ohio state 5.75%, Hamilton County 1.3%, Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority 0.8%. The Hamilton County increment at 1.3% is the largest local piece — 62% of everything local, worth $338 a year on its own.

2 of 4 covered Ohio metros, +0.05 pts from the 7.8% state median. The in-state spread runs 7.5% in Columbus to 8% in Cleveland — 0.5 points wide. Buying a $35,000 vehicle in Columbus instead of Cincinnati saves $123, though Ohio normally taxes vehicles where they are registered.

Same bracket nationally: Chandler, AZ (7.8%). A household relocating between Cincinnati and any of them sees no meaningful change in sales tax.

Scale: 311,097 residents, roughly 124,439 households. At $26,000 of taxable spend each, the 2.1% local share pulls about $67,943,694 a year from residents alone — before any visitor or business spending, which in a metro this size is where the rest comes from.

Hamilton County's transit sales tax replaced Cincinnati's earnings-tax funding of Metro, shifting the burden from workers to shoppers.

Rates move when a district measure passes or a local option expires. Confirm the current figure with the Ohio Department of Taxation before filing or quoting it to a customer.

Jurisdiction breakdown

Every layer that makes up the combined rate, and how much of the total each one contributes.

Sales tax rate composition for Cincinnati, OH: 5.75% Ohio state, 1.3% Hamilton County, 0.8% Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, totalling 7.85%.
Sales tax rate components for Cincinnati, OH
JurisdictionLevelRateShare of total
Ohio statestate5.75%
73%
Hamilton Countycounty1.3%
17%
Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authorityspecial district0.8%
10%
Combined rate7.85%
Source: Ohio Department of Taxation rate tables · rates as published for 2026

Cincinnati sales tax reference table

Tax due at 7.85% on common purchase amounts.

Tax due at 7.85% for common purchase amounts
PurchaseSales taxTotal
$10$0.79$10.79
$25$1.96$26.96
$50$3.93$53.93
$100$7.85$107.85
$500$39.25$539.25
$1,000$78.50$1078.50
$5,000$392.50$5392.50
$25,000$1962.50$26962.50

Reverse out sales tax

Enter a receipt total and we split the item price from the 7.85% tax collected.

Backing out 7.85% for Cincinnati, OH.

Item price before tax
$100
Sales tax collected
$7.85

What this rate applies to

Ohio publishes the taxable base separately from the rate. Groceries, prescription drugs, clothing and services are treated differently state to state, and several categories in Ohio are taxed at reduced rates or exempt entirely. Hamilton County's transit sales tax replaced Cincinnati's earnings-tax funding of Metro, shifting the burden from workers to shoppers. Check the Ohio Department of Taxation guidance for the category you are pricing before assuming 7.85% applies.

Cincinnati at a glance

Population
311,097
Median household income
$51,219
County
Hamilton County
ZIP codes covered
12
Cincinnati demographicsZIP codesSeller registration

Compare with other Ohio cities

Other covered Ohio metros and how they compare.

Neighboring districts tax profiles

The closest covered jurisdictions by county and ZIP sectional centre, with the rate difference against this metro.

Compare Cincinnati with another metro

Side-by-side rate stacks and the dollar difference on a $1,000 purchase.

Cities near Cincinnati

Straight-line distance, estimated drive time and the rate charged there.

All metros within 250 miles of Cincinnati →

Download this metro's data

The Cincinnati jurisdiction stack, combined rate (7.85%), effective date and Census figures are published as open files. Free to use with attribution — no key, no signup.

Download CSV data fileCincinnati JSON endpointFull rate set (JSON)

Other Cincinnati datasets on this site.

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