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According to a new data analysis from Zillow, Prairie Village, Kansas came in as the most searched market of 2022, showcasing continued interest in the Midwest region, marking a dramatic shift from 2021's predominantly leaders from West Coast.
Using Zillow page-view traffic, available housing inventory, price appreciation, sales data and other housing metrics that indicate consumer demand, Zillow analyzed thousands of ZIP codes within the nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas to create a ranking of the site's most popular U.S. cities.
Through their analysis, Zillow ranked the nation’s top markets in a number of categories, including Most Popular Overall, Most Popular Large City, Most Popular Vacation Town, Most Popular Seaside Town, Most Popular Retirement Town, Most Popular Small Town, and Top College Town.
"The most popular places on Zillow showcase a few trends we've noticed over the course of the year—most notably that affordability has become the chief driver of the market, said Anushna Prakash, economic data analyst at Zillow. “The Midwest and most Northeastern markets saw relatively small run-ups in home values over the course of the pandemic, and now are still affordable enough for residents to shop in.”
The shift from fully remote to hybrid working situations may played a factor in the Zillow searches as well.
While the percentage of employees working remotely all or most of the time is lower than in the early pandemic, the share working from home at least some of the time is now much higher, according to Pew Research. This may help explain the higher popularity in 2022 of vacation spots and small towns within a somewhat reasonable, occasional commute to downtown employment centers.
Most Popular on Zillow Overall: Prairie Village, Kansas
An upscale suburban community just minutes from downtown Kansas City, Prairie Village jumped to the top of Zillow's popularity rankings with site-leading page views of for-sale listings per day. Established on the Kansas-Missouri state line and featuring a number of activity-filled parks, posh shops and restaurants, Prairie Village was also tops on Zillow's popularity rankings for small towns.
"I think when most people are looking at houses, they are looking at building a home, and that goes beyond the four walls of the structure you live in and expands to the community," said Earvin Ray, Owner of Ray Homes in Kansas City. "Prairie Village offers the trifecta of beautiful homes, a spectrum of accessible price points and great amenities, such as highly rated schools, community events and local shopping."
The Kansas City metro area is one of a host of Midwest markets still seeing robust competition for houses because they're relatively affordable. Mortgage costs as a share of income and the years needed for renters to save up for a down payment are far lower than the national average.
Rounding out the top three overall on Zillow in popularity were Derry, New Hampshire; and Bon Air, Virginia.
Most Popular Large City: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan topped Zillow’s popularity chart among cities with populations greater than 200,000, driven by category-leading page views per listing and relatively affordable homes. A wide selection of breweries and a growing local foodie scene are putting Grand Rapids on the map for connoisseurs.
Richmond, Virginia landed in second place, while Omaha, Nebraska took third. The three top results led the category for page views per listing, and all feature typical home values significantly lower than the national average of $357,733.
Most Popular Seaside Town: Beverly, Massachusetts
The Boston suburb of Beverly, Massachusetts features miles of coastline and easily accessible public parks. Gloucester, Massachusetts and Newport, Oregon (the most popular beach town in 2021) ranked second and third for similar reasons.
Most Popular Retirement Town: Dunedin, Florida
With Dunedin's location on the Gulf Coast west of Tampa, the town features local access to plenty of waterfront parks and country clubs. Florida is home to the top three cities in the category, with Sarasota placing second, and St. Pete Beach in third. Demand for homes has surged in Florida throughout the pandemic.
Most Popular Small Town: Windham, New Hampshire
Windham, New Hampshire, a bedroom community outside Boston, scored highest on Zillow's index after Prairie Village. Typical home values of $738,574 in Windham are higher than the Boston metro area ($643,642). Zillow defined "small towns" as cities with populations between 15,000 and 25,000. Hockessin, Delaware, located outside Philadelphia, followed Windham for second place.
Most Popular Vacation Town: Lavallette, New Jersey
A popular summer vacation destination for dwellers of nearby New York, Lavallette, New Jersey features long, sandy beaches for swimming, surfing, and fishing in the Atlantic; space for bocce, tennis, and rollerblading; and opportunities for crabbing, sailing and other water sports in Barnegat Bay.
Vacation areas have seen a surge in popularity over the course of the pandemic as remote work makes them viable for visits longer than just weekends and holidays. Applications for mortgages in vacation areas rose 30% from 2019 to 2020, with activity concentrated around mountains and coasts, according to a Zillow analysis of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data.
Indian Rocks Beach, Florida and South Lake Tahoe, California followed Lavallette in Zillow's results in the Most Popular Vacation Town category.
Top College Town: Tempe, Arizona
Part of the Phoenix megaplex, Tempe is home to Arizona State University. Reigning as Zillow's Top College Town for the second year in a row, the city is home to the second-highest total number of rental listings among college towns studied, after Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has one of the largest populations of undergraduate and graduate college students.
Smithfield, Rhode Island, where Bryant University is located, came in second place; while Bowling Green, Ohio, home of Bowling Green State University, landed third.
