The 10 Best Housing Markets in the US in 2025

Texas has welcomed a number of residents from less affordable parts of the country looking to get more for their money — and they may be on to something. Texas is becoming more than just a temporary escape from high costs on the way to homeownership; many of its cities can actually retain residents thanks to other assets that extend beyond sheer affordability.

WalletHub ranked 300 cities based on two key dimensions: its real estate market and its affordability and economic environment. A total of 17 relevant metrics were examined to determine not only an area’s potential for a home’s value to increase, but also the surrounding market economics, like job growth and unemployment rates. WalletHub found that the Lone Star State fared disproportionately well, taking five of the list’s top 10 spots.

“Texas cities in the top 10, like McKinney, Frisco, Richardson, Denton, and Allen, stand out because they score well in both the real estate market and the affordability and economic environment dimension,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo told Business Insider. “The rankings reflect strong performance across factors such as median home-price appreciation, job growth, and the share of newer housing, all of which contribute to long-term stability.”

Texas cities are often known for being more affordable than large coastal cities thanks to their generally low tax burden. But the ones that showed up on WalletHub’s list weren’t the ones you might expect: Austin and Dallas, for example, didn’t crack the top 10 — likely because their sizes aren’t conducive to more growth.

“Most of the top-ranking cities fall into the midsize population category, which suggests that market health in this year’s rankings is closely tied to environments that are growing, but not yet at the scale of major metropolitan areas,” Lupo said. “Midsize cities may have an advantage because they can offer newer housing inventory, more building-permit activity, and housing affordability that aligns with local income levels.”

Each market was graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 being the healthiest market. Median home listing prices came from Realtor.com.

Below are the 10 healthiest housing markets in the country, according to WalletHub.