Ohio Sales Tax by County 2026: Rates from 6.50% to 8.00%

Ohio's sales tax is not one fixed number — it depends on which county you are standing in, and that catches shoppers, online sellers, and small businesses off guard every day. The state sets a 5.75% base, every county adds its own levy, and a handful of regions stack a transit tax on top. The result is 88 different combined rates — with a $15 swing on a $1,000 purchase between the lowest and highest county. Let's look at the numbers.

The State Base Rate: 5.75%

Every taxable sale in Ohio starts from the exact same place: a statewide base rate of 5.75%. This number hasn't changed since 2013. On its own, that base would make every purchase simple. The complexity comes from what gets added on top.

How County Additions Work

Each of Ohio's 88 counties levies its own additional sales tax on top of the 5.75% base. These county additions generally range from 0.75% to about 2.25%. The county tax funds local services, and because each county sets its own level, no two regions are guaranteed to match.

When you add the county levy to the state base, you get the combined rate. That combined rate is what determines your tax bill, and it is the figure you actually see on your receipt.

The Highest Rates: Cuyahoga and Franklin (8.00%)

At the top end, Cuyahoga County (Cleveland) and Franklin County (Columbus) both max out at a combined 8.00%. Because these are two of Ohio's most populous counties, a massive share of the state's purchases happen at the highest rate. On a $500 purchase, that 8.00% rate means an extra $40.

The Lowest Rates: 6.50%

Several counties sit comfortably at the floor of 6.50%, including Butler, Lorain, Stark, and Wood. The 1.5 percentage point gap between the highest and lowest combined rates seems small on paper, but it is real money on big-ticket items. On a $25,000 car, the difference between 6.50% and 8.00% is $375.

The COTA Transit Levy

Part of the reason Franklin County hits 8.00% is the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA). COTA is a transit district that adds its own levy on top of the state and county rates. Transit-district taxes are the third layer of Ohio sales tax, and they explain why some counties land at rates you couldn't reach with just state and county portions alone.

Destination-Based Sourcing Flowchart

graph TD
    A[Customer Order] --> B{Where does the customer receive it?}
    B -->|At your store| C[Tax at your store's county rate]
    B -->|Shipped to Ohio Address| D[Tax at delivery county rate]
    B -->|Shipped Out of State| E[No Ohio Tax]

The Trench Truth: Because Ohio uses destination-based sourcing for most sales, the tax rate is determined by where the consumer receives the product. With dozens of transit authorities and county piggyback taxes changing the rates constantly, you cannot rely on zip codes alone (since zip codes can cross county lines). The only reliable workflow is using a geolocation-based tax engine built into your point-of-sale or ERP system that utilizes ODT's "The Finder" system (lookups by exact latitude/longitude or full 9-digit zip code) to pinpoint the exact county and transit authority rate.

What Isn't Taxed

One of the biggest sources of confusion is food. Unprepared groceries—the stuff you buy to cook at home—are completely exempt from Ohio sales tax. That means your weekly grocery run carries $0.00 in sales tax, regardless of which county you shop in. Prescription drugs are also entirely exempt.

Prepared food, however, is a different story. Restaurant meals, hot deli items, and food sold to be eaten on the premises are fully taxed at the county's combined rate. Read the full taxable vs. exempt breakdown if you're not sure.

Skip the Guesswork

With 88 counties, three possible layers of tax, and several exempt categories, the safest move is to just look it up. Use our calculator to check the exact combined rate for your county before you start budgeting.

If you need to calculate the math backwards from a receipt you already have, use our Reverse Sales Tax Calculator instead.

Common County and City Rate Lookups

If you're wondering "what is sales tax in my county" or need a sales tax calculator for a specific city, here's a quick guide covering the most commonly searched locations. Remember that Ohio cities do not set their own sales tax; the rate is determined entirely by the county.

Major Metro Counties

• Cuyahoga County (including Cleveland and Parma): The sales tax for Cuyahoga County Ohio is 8.00%.
• Franklin County (including Columbus and Dublin): The sales tax in Franklin County Ohio is 8.00%. See the full Columbus Ohio sales tax rate guide for the COTA breakdown.
• Hamilton County (including Cincinnati): The sales tax rate in Hamilton County Ohio is 7.80%.
• Montgomery County (including Dayton): The sales tax in Montgomery County Ohio is 7.50%.
• Lucas County (including Toledo): The sales tax for Lucas County Ohio is 7.75%.
• Summit County (including Akron): The Summit County Ohio sales tax is 6.75%.

Other Frequently Searched Counties

Below are the base combined rates for other commonly searched Ohio counties. You can use our calculator for exact figures:

• Allen County Ohio sales tax: 6.75%
• Clark County sales tax (Springfield): 7.25%
• Clermont County Ohio sales tax: 7.00%
• Columbiana County Ohio sales tax: 7.25%
• Erie County Ohio sales tax (Sandusky): 6.75%
• Fairfield County sales tax: 7.00%
• Geauga County sales tax: 7.00%
• Greene County Ohio tax rate (Beavercreek): 6.75%
• Hancock County Ohio sales tax (Findlay): 6.75%
• Lake County Ohio sales tax rate (Mentor): 7.00%
• Licking County sales tax: 7.25%
• Logan County Ohio sales tax: 7.25%
• Lorain County Ohio sales tax: 6.50%
• Mahoning County Ohio sales tax: 7.50%
• Medina County Ohio sales tax: 7.00%
• Miami County Ohio sales tax: 7.00%
• Portage County sales tax: 7.25%
• Stark County OH sales tax: 6.50%
• Trumbull County Ohio sales tax rate: 7.00%
• Tuscarawas County sales tax: 7.00%
• Warren County Ohio sales tax (Mason, Franklin): 6.75%
• Wayne County sales tax: 6.50%

Frequently Searched Cities

Because sales tax is based on the county, a sales tax calculator Akron Ohio simply uses Summit County's rate. Here are other cities people ask about:

• Sales tax in Mason Ohio / Sales tax in Westlake Ohio / Sales tax in Sandusky Ohio: Look up their respective counties (Warren, Cuyahoga, Erie).
• Findlay sales tax, Medina sales tax, Perrysburg sales tax, Springfield sales tax, Wilmington Ohio sales tax rate: These follow the rates of Hancock, Medina, Wood, Clark, and Clinton counties respectively.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ohio's combined sales tax rate? Ohio's statewide base is 5.75%. The combined rate — state base plus county and any transit levy — ranges from 6.50% to 8.00% depending on your county.

Which Ohio county has the highest sales tax rate? Cuyahoga (Cleveland) and Franklin (Columbus) both sit at 8.00%, driven by county levies and transit authority charges.

Which Ohio county has the lowest rate? Several counties are at 6.50%, including Butler, Lorain, Stark, and Wood.

Are groceries taxed in Ohio? No. Unprepared food sold for off-premises consumption is fully exempt in every county. See what is taxable in Ohio for the full breakdown.

How do I calculate Ohio sales tax? Multiply the price by your county's combined decimal rate. A $100 item in an 8.00% county costs $8.00 in tax. See the How to Calculate Ohio Sales Tax guide for step-by-step examples.

Sources

• Sales & Use Tax Rates — Ohio Department of Taxation
• The Finder — Ohio Department of Taxation
• Ohio Revised Code § 5739.021 — County Permissive Sales Tax