The residential real estate market in the U.S. stands as one of the largest asset classes in the country, worth $47.5 trillion in 2023.
This article was written by Dorothy Neufeld and originally published by Visual Capitalist.
Despite a slowdown in home sales, the total value of homes increased $2.4 trillion last year as low inventory levels pushed up prices. Affordable metropolitan areas saw steady price growth, while expensive metros experienced slower price appreciation.
This graphic shows America’s most valuable housing markets, using data from Redfin.
Top U.S. Residential Real Estate Markets
To calculate the largest U.S. housing markets, Redfin analyzed 90 million properties covering single-family homes, townhouses, condos, and two-to four-unit multifamily properties.
Below, we show the most valuable residential markets as of December 2023:
| Rank | U.S. Metro | Total Value of Homes | Total Value of Homes YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | $2.4T | -1.0% |
| 2 | Los Angeles, CA | $2.1T | +4.3% |
| 3 | Atlanta, GA | $1.2T | +6.2% |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $1.2T | +8.3% |
| 5 | Anaheim, CA | $1.1T | +8.0% |
| 6 | Washington, DC | $1.0T | +6.2% |
| 7 | Chicago, IL | $991B | +7.4% |
| 8 | San Diego, CA | $988B | +9.4% |
| 9 | Phoenix, AZ | $987B | +4.2% |
| 10 | Seattle, WA | $911B | +4.6% |
With a housing market worth $2.4 trillion, New York, NY tops the list.
Unlike the majority of large U.S. cities, the aggregate value of homes declined as buyers became increasingly priced out of the market. At the same time, homeowners hesitated to sell in order to lock in low mortgage rates. In fact, more than 80% of mortgage holders in New York City have interest rates that are 5% or lower.
Los Angeles, CA falls in second, with a residential real estate market worth $2.0 trillion. Last year, existing home sales tumbled 24.8%, falling to the lowest point since 2007. However, the housing shortage led prices to increase amid high demand. The median sale price climbed to $975,000 in February 2024, a 5.9% jump compared to the same time last year.
Atlanta, GA ranks third and is the most overpriced housing market in the country according to one countrywide analysis. Homes have been selling for 41.7% more than their worth as of the February 2024 data update.
People are flocking to the city for many reasons. General housing affordability is a major driver, along with its thriving tech center. Along with this, state tax credits have increasingly made it a hub for the TV and film industries, earning it the moniker “Y’allywood”. Another factor in Atlanta’s inflating housing market are large investment firms, which own a huge footprint of homes in the city.
Editor’s note: For those wondering about the Bay Area, the data groups cities like San Francisco ($657 billion), San Jose ($821 billion), and Oakland ($881 billion) as individual entities, which puts them outside the cutoff. See the Redfin data for the full list of cities.