America’s Top Housing Market Is an Affordable Midwest City Where Buyers Can Save $163,000 on a Home

America’s top housing market is a Midwestern city where the typical home is listed for $163,000 less than the national median price.

The midsize city of Canton, OH, ranked No. 1 in the latest Wall Street Journal/Realtor.com® Housing Market Ranking, which highlights in-demand metros that offer shoppers a lower cost of living, including for homes, in or near economic hubs.

Canton has now taken the top spot twice in a row in the quarterly rankings, due to a combination of factors including its strong local economy, reasonable cost of living, amenities, and lower risk of climate-related disasters.

The birthplace of the NFL and home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Canton is also the hometown of Former President William McKinley, who is enjoying a moment in the spotlight as a newfound hero of President Donald Trump.

Trump has praised McKinley’s aggressive stances on tariffs and territorial expansion. As one of his first official acts after returning to the White House, Trump reverted the official name of Alaska’s Denali mountain back to Mount McKinley in honor of the 25th president.

Canton featured a median home list price of $239,900 in December, well below the typical $402,502 price seen across the U.S. that month.

Unsurprisingly, due to Canton’s relative affordability and strong demand, homes sell quickly there. Last month, the typical Canton home listing was sold in 43 days, compared with the national median of 70.

Like many other Midwest markets, Canton also benefits from a lower risk of climate-related hazards. Just 2.7% of properties in Canton are at severe or extreme risk of experiencing one of the five risks considered—extreme heat, wind, air quality, flood, and wildfire—over the next 30 years.

The top 20 markets in the new ranking saw an average of just 5.1% of properties at risk of damage from climate-related incidents. 

The Wall Street Journal/Realtor.com Housing Market Ranking examines the 200 largest metro areas, weighing real estate demand, housing stock, median days on the market, price trends, climate risks, unemployment rate, wages, regional price parities, and other factors that affect the cost of living and quality of life.

Midwest and Northeast dominate the top 20

In the latest rankings, every market in the top 20 is in either the Midwest or Northeast. Most are secondary metros or located within commuting distance of major metros.

Following Canton at the top of the list are Rockford, IL; Toledo, OH; Manchester, NH; and Akron, OH.

Ohio stands out as a superstar in the rankings, with five metros included in the top 20.

Akron features the lowest home prices in the top 20 list, with a December median list price of just $209,950.

In fact, only 4 of the top 20 markets were priced higher than the U.S. median listing in December, reflecting the strength of homebuyer demand in markets with more attainable home prices.

“Buyer demand has held up considerably well in areas that offer considerable bang for your buck,” says Realtor.com senior economic research analyst Hannah Jones.

Trenton, NJ, surges in the rankings

In the latest top market rankings, Trenton, NJ, climbed 16 spots since the prior quarter to No. 12, the biggest gain of any market.

Just 30 miles from Philadelphia and 60 miles from New York City, Trenton highlights the appeal of commuter towns.

Realtor.com data shows that 21.9% of home shopper traffic to Trenton comes from within the metro, 59.6% comes from New York City, and 17.7% comes from Philadelphia.

“The outsized share of views from New York City is both due to the metro’s size and perhaps to the relative savings that a New York City-to-Trenton area move would yield,” says Jones.

The median list price in Trenton was $422,000 in December, a savings of more than $300,000 compared with the New York City median, but about $60,000 above the Philadelphia metro median.

Strong demand and a scarcity of active listings have driven prices higher in Trenton, where the median list price climbed 11% in December from a year earlier.

Homes in Trenton spent 52 days on the market last month, almost three weeks less than the national median.