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The Top 100 Hottest US Housing Markets in 2022

By Zain Deane

Updated Nov 8, 2022

By Zain Deane

Updated Nov 8, 2022

Home > Blog > The Top 100 Hottest US Housing Markets in 2022

The housing market has exploded in recent years due to fluctuating mortgage rates, high demand accompanied by low inventory, as well as remote working opportunities allowing millions to rethink their home base. Americans have begun to rethink their priorities in a living space, many prioritizing space and comfort while others have flocked to bustling metropolises, leading to an exponential increase in home ownership. 

Whether you are interested in selling your home for a large profit or researching the most friendly market for first time home buying, House Method conducted a study to rank the hottest (and some of the cooler) housing markets in the U.S.

We analyzed data on the 100 largest MSA’s (Metropolitan Statistical Areas) and ranked them according to seven factors, such as affordability, inventory and population growth. Read on for the complete rankings and explanation of the methodology behind this study.

Here are some of our most interesting findings:

  • Home prices increased by an average of 21% since 2021
  • The top 10 markets rarely have listings sit on the market for more than 15 days, 40% less than the national average (25 days).
  • Many of the hottest housing markets are also some of the least affordable as demand increases and inventory decreases
  • Home equity has skyrocketed, allowing sellers to make huge profits
  • Home prices are projected to increase another 14.9% before 2023, even with steep mortgage rate increases

Main Findings

Below you’ll find the cities where homes are flying off the market fastest in ranked order, showing the rank, total score, and specific factor-category rank.

RankMSAOverall ScoreAffordability RankInventory RankPopulation Growth Rank
1Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla.38.2167626
2Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz.36.71731413
3Austin-Round Rock, Texas36.6682411
4Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash.36.42933018
5San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif.36.28997565
6Raleigh, N.C.36.27581915
7Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, N.C.-S.C.36.22511214
8Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla.36.04772016
9Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nev.35.86791635
10Salt Lake City, Utah35.84707660
11San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, Calif.35.671003251
12Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.35.64455010
13Colorado Springs, Colo.35.27668030
14San Diego-Carlsbad, Calif.35.2963354
15Charleston-North Charleston, S.C.35.1678428
16Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, Tenn.34.91642741
17Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, Ind.34.84303756
18Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Fla.34.82621724
19Boise City, Idaho34.77876849
20Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Ore.-Wash.34.6844738
21Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas34.5753543
22Columbus, Ohio34.5325231
23Stockton-Lodi, Calif.34.14869559
24Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Calif.34.0297966
25Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif.33.88851347
26Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Ga.33.81502323
27Spokane-Spokane Valley, Wash.33.75699450
28North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla.33.51832617
29Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, Fla.33.4971319
30Jacksonville, Fla.33.22722137
31Dayton, Ohio33.1810645
32Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C.33.09768320
33Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colo.33.04752921
34Grand Rapids-Wyoming, Mich32.5336558
35Richmond, Va.32.36384636
36Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, Mich32.262610100
37Cincinnati, Ohio-Ky.-Ind.32.19214169
38Portland-South Portland, Maine32.01819771
39Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Fla.31.9391327
40Chattanooga, Tenn.-Ga.31.84367255
41Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, Calif.31.58894439
42Fresno, Calif.31.5749057
43Wichita, Kan.31.49138876
44Knoxville, Tenn.31.37376163
45Omaha-Council Bluffs, Neb.-Iowa31.35396668
46Bakersfield, Calif.31.35613922
47Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.-Wis.31.34491534
48Albany-Schenectady-Troy, N.Y.31.2435492
49Albuquerque, N.M.30.9467173
50Providence-Warwick, R.I.-Mass.30.88808481
51Madison, Wis.30.86528540
52Columbia, S.C.30.6918573
53Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, Md.30.53402595
54Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, Calif.30.53948667
55Worcester, Mass.-Conn.30.47689680
56Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, Conn.30.3444891
57Springfield, Mass.30.27487861
58Kansas City, Mo.-Kan.30.23313452
59New Orleans-Metairie, La.30.15294045
60Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Mass.-N.H.30.03926944
61Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Va.-N.C.30.03652275
62Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, S.C.29.99225925
63Tucson, Ariz.29.8576062
64Harrisburg-Carlisle, Pa.29.79239319
65Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas29.7734246
66St. Louis, Mo.-Ill.29.64162496
67New York-Newark-Jersey City, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa.29.5795185
68Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-Va.-Md.-W. Va.29.35881129
69New Haven-Milford, Conn.29.2155917
70Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pa.-N.J.-Del.-Md.29.1941770
71Louisville/Jefferson County, Ky.-Ind.29.08195172
72Oklahoma City, Okla.29.01603832
73Rochester, N.Y.28.8767392
74Scranton–Wilkes-Barre–Hazleton, Pa.28.847746
75Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, Pa.-N.J.28.53255812
76Tulsa, Okla.28.47115474
77Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, N.Y.28.26547793
78Akron, Ohio28.1788189
79Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Ill.-Ind.-Wis.28.1356887
80Augusta-Richmond County, Ga.-S.C.28.05276778
81San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas28.03421828
82El Paso, Texas27.14126264
83Memphis, Tenn.-Miss.-Ark.27.1155586
84Baton Rouge, La.27.05204398
85Cleveland-Elyria, Ohio27.0123597
86Birmingham-Hoover, Ala.26.29244594
87Toledo, Ohio26.2548299
88Pittsburgh, Pa.25.68172891
89Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa25.53594879
90Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, Ark.25.51436382
91Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Ohio-Pa.24.711874
92Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, Wis.24.27475690
93Syracuse, N.Y.24.2557977
94Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Fla.21.4635333
95Honolulu, Hawaii20983683
96Jackson, Miss.19.5137084
97Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn.18.01909988
98Greensboro-High Point, N.C.15.03289842
99McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas12.8399248
100Winston-Salem, N.C.7.571410053

Summary

Our analyses found that Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida, tops the list as the hottest housing market this year. Homes are sitting on the market for the least amount of time before selling, selling for top dollar, and attracting new residents at a rapid rate. Low inventory combined with a quick sale rate contributed to its high score – and it’s important to note that many of the top spots ranked poorly for affordability. 

As these hot housing markets continue to gain traction, we can assume that affordability will continue to dwindle. The other top 5 spots were rounded out by: 

  • Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Arizona 
  • Austin-Round Rock, Texas 
  • Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington 
  • San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California

Jackson, Mississippi, Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut, Greensboro-High Point, North Carolina, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas and Winston-Salem, North Carolina received the lowest ranking for hottest housing markets. These markets remain cooler than those who ranked highly due to ample housing inventory and slower population growth. Although it is still a seller’s market, these MSA’s may not fly off the market quite as quickly as their high-ranking counterparts.

Methodology

To find the hottest housing markets in 2022, we looked at data for the 100 largest MSA’s (Metropolitan Statistical Areas) in the United States. We ranked the cities using three categories:

  • Affordability
  • Inventory
  • Population Growth

In all, there were 7 factors across those three larger categories that are listed below along with their corresponding weights. Each city was graded on an 85-point scale, with a score of 85 representing the hottest housing market.

Finally, we determined each city’s weighted average across all categories to calculate its heat score and used the results to rank-order our sample.

Affordability—45 points

  • Home price change percentage 2021 vs 2022—Double Weight
  • Homes price change percentage 2012 vs 2022—Full Weight
  • Average price per square foot (measured in hundreds)—Full Weight
  • Majority of homes available below and above the national average of $428,700 (calculated with average home price and factored into a yes or no ratio)— Half Weight

Inventory—35 points

  • Average active home listing per month—1.5 Weight
  • Average days on the market before pending sale—Double Weight

Population Growth—5 points

  • Population growth change percentage from 2010 census vs 2020 census data —Half Weight

Sources

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