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Franklin County · Ohio

Columbus sales tax rate (OH)

Ohio sets sales tax at county level, and COTA's transit levy applies across most of Franklin County rather than only inside Columbus.

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

Quick answer

The combined sales tax rate in Columbus, OH is 7.5% as of January 1, 2026 — 5.75% state + 1.25% county + 0.5% special district. On a $100 purchase that is $7.50 in tax, for a total of $107.50. Ohio's statewide base is 5.75%.

Verified against state tableEffective January 1, 2026 · rank 59 of 94 covered metros
Combined rate
7.5%
State share
5.75%
Local share
1.75%County + city + districts
Tax on $100
$7.50

Calculate Columbus sales tax

Pre-filled with the Columbus combined rate.

Sales tax calculator

The full combined rate of 7.5% applies to general merchandise.

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

Pre-tax
$100
Sales tax at 7.5%
$7.50
Total
$107.50

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 7.5% high?

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

vs covered median
-0.45 ptsMedian 7.95%
Local share
23%1.75% of the total
Cost per household
$1,950Per year on $26,000 taxable spend
Jurisdiction layers
3Stacked into the combined rate

7.5% in Columbus — low. It ranks 59 of 94 covered metros, -0.45 pts against the 7.95% median. On $26,000 of taxable household spending that is $1,950 a year, $117 below it.

Local government sets 1.75% of the total, 23% of the bill; the state takes 5.75%. 3 layers stack: Ohio state 5.75%, Franklin County 1.25%, Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) 0.5%. The Franklin County increment at 1.25% is the largest local piece — 71% of everything local, worth $325 a year on its own.

4 of 4 covered Ohio metros, -0.3 pts from the 7.8% state median. The in-state spread runs 7.5% in Columbus to 8% in Cleveland — 0.5 points wide. Columbus is the cheapest covered metro in Ohio; no in-state line is worth crossing.

Same bracket nationally: Tampa, FL (7.5%); Jacksonville, FL (7.5%); Wichita, KS (7.5%). A household relocating between Columbus and any of them sees no meaningful change in sales tax.

Scale: 913,175 residents, roughly 365,270 households. At $26,000 of taxable spend each, the 1.75% local share pulls about $166,197,850 a year from residents alone — before any visitor or business spending, which in a metro this size is where the rest comes from.

Ohio sets sales tax at county level, and COTA's transit levy applies across most of Franklin County rather than only inside Columbus.

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 Columbus, OH: 5.75% Ohio state, 1.25% Franklin County, 0.5% Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), totalling 7.5%.
Sales tax rate components for Columbus, OH
JurisdictionLevelRateShare of total
Ohio statestate5.75%
77%
Franklin Countycounty1.25%
17%
Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA)special district0.5%
7%
Combined rate7.5%
Source: Ohio Department of Taxation rate tables · rates as published for 2026

Columbus sales tax reference table

Tax due at 7.5% on common purchase amounts.

Tax due at 7.5% for common purchase amounts
PurchaseSales taxTotal
$10$0.75$10.75
$25$1.88$26.88
$50$3.75$53.75
$100$7.50$107.50
$500$37.50$537.50
$1,000$75.00$1075.00
$5,000$375.00$5375.00
$25,000$1875.00$26875.00

Reverse out sales tax

Enter a receipt total and we split the item price from the 7.5% tax collected.

Backing out 7.5% for Columbus, OH.

Item price before tax
$100
Sales tax collected
$7.50

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. Ohio sets sales tax at county level, and COTA's transit levy applies across most of Franklin County rather than only inside Columbus. Check the Ohio Department of Taxation guidance for the category you are pricing before assuming 7.5% applies.

Columbus at a glance

Population
913,175
Median household income
$65,051
County
Franklin County
ZIP codes covered
12
Columbus 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 Columbus with another metro

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

Cities near Columbus

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

All metros within 250 miles of Columbus →

Download this metro's data

The Columbus jurisdiction stack, combined rate (7.5%), effective date and Census figures are published as open files. Free to use with attribution — no key, no signup.

Download CSV data fileColumbus JSON endpointFull rate set (JSON)

Other Columbus datasets on this site.

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