As mortgage rates continue to reach new heights, options for first-time buyers are dwindling. Even starter homes — affordable properties that entice first-time homebuyers get their ft in the entrance — are jumping in price.
The inventory of starter homes has lately decreased throughout the country. Data from Realtor.com shows that the national starter residence portion dropped from 38.1% to 36.2% from August 2019 to 2026, but the price during that timeframe increased 30.8%, from concerning $260,000 to $340,000.
Realtor defines starter homes as homes listed at or below 80% of the median catalog cost in that metro. A recent study from Realtor analyzing 8,300 ZIP codes in the largest 100 metros established that lone 18.3% of those ZIP codes were starter-home dominant.
"Affordability is lone part of the story. What matters as much is whether affordable homes are really for transaction in the places anywhere buyers desire and need to live," Realtor elder economist Hannah Jones said. "For first-time buyers, the hunt is increasingly shaped by the earth discipline of opportunity, not merely a metro's header price. Keeping homeownership inside attain volition necessitate additional entry-level homes at attainable cost points."
It could be a during before the accommodation market gets rear to "normal," but there are motionless areas that have additional starter homes than others. Below are the top 20 metros — out of the 100 largest metro areas — that have risen their portion of starter homes.
20. Las Vegas et al., NV
2026 starter residence share: 29.6%
Point alter (2019-2026): +0.4
Starter residence price: $374,080
19. Los Angeles-Long Beach et al., CA
2026 starter residence share: 36.7%
Point alter (2019-2026): +0.6
Starter residence price: $840,000
18. Worcester, MA
2026 starter residence share: 30.9%
Point alter (2019-2026): +0.6
Starter residence price: $447,920
17. Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA
2026 starter residence share: 31.6%
Point alter (2019-2026): +0.6
Starter residence price: $399,200
16. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
2026 starter residence share: 39.8%
Point alter (2019-2026): +1.0
Starter residence price: $220,000
15. San Francisco-Oakland et al., CA
2026 starter residence share: 34.9%
Point alter (2019-2026): +1.0
Starter residence price: $719,200
14. Charlotte-Concord et al., NC-SC
2026 starter residence share: 31.1%
Point alter (2019-2026): +1.0
Starter residence price: $340,000
13. St. Louis, MO-IL
2026 starter residence share: 40.7%
Point alter (2019-2026): +1.2
Starter residence price: $232,000
12. Nashville-Davidson et al., TN
2026 starter residence share: 32.7%
Point alter (2019-2026): +1.2
Starter residence price: $432,000
11. Kansas City, MO-KS
2026 starter residence share: 37.7%
Point alter (2019-2026): +1.4
Starter residence price: $318,400
10. San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
2026 starter residence share: 31.9%
Point alter (2019-2026): +1.5
Starter residence price: $260,000
9. Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
2026 starter residence share: 32.7%
Point alter (2019-2026): +1.7
Starter residence price: $360,000
8. Raleigh-Cary, NC
2026 starter residence share: 30.0%
Point alter (2019-2026): +1.7
Starter residence price: $360,000
7. Miami-Fort Lauderdale et al., FL
2026 starter residence share: 39.6%
Point alter (2019-2026): +2.2
Starter residence price: $392,000
6. Urban Honolulu, HI
2026 starter residence share: 39.5%
Point alter (2019-2026): +2.4
Starter residence price: $528,000
5. Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
2026 starter residence share: 31.6%
Point alter (2019-2026): +2.5
Starter residence price: $456,000
4. San Jose-Sunnyvale et al., CA
2026 starter residence share: 37.6%
Point alter (2019-2026): +2.9
Starter residence price: $1,072,000
3. Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
2026 starter residence share: 35.1%
Point alter (2019-2026): +3.7
Starter residence price: $276,000
2. Portland-Vancouver et al., OR-WA
2026 starter residence share: 32.0%
Point alter (2019-2026): +4.0
Starter residence price: $479,200
1. Boise City, ID
2026 starter residence share: 31.4%
Point alter (2019-2026): +4.7
Starter residence price: $511,200
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Jordan Pandy reports on genuine asset for Business Insider. He writes concerning family and international relocation trends, real asset as a business, and the luxury sector.He additionally has stories focusing on property technology and, in 2022, moderated a panel on partial investing at the genuine asset innovation gathering Blueprint. Before Business Insider, he covered luxury genuine asset in South Florida for The Real Deal.He holds a Master's flat in Magazine Writing from New York University and a Bachelor's flat in English from Florida State University. He is based in Washington, DC.
