The COVID-19 pandemic fueled a surge in demand among homebuyers that is only now beginning to show signs of slowing. This historic demand coincided with low borrowing costs, limited housing inventory, and labor and materials bottlenecks that have been hampering new construction. These factors have pushed home values to all time highs.
Of course, in some parts of the country, exorbitant home prices are nothing new. Even before the pandemic, the majority of states had at least one town where the value of most homes exceeded half a million dollars.
Using data on median home value from the U.S. Census Bureau, 24/7 Wall St. identified the most expensive town to buy a home in every state. We included cities, towns, villages, and unincorporated communities with populations between 1,000 and 25,000 in our analysis. The prices listed here are five year average estimates as of 2019, the most recent year of available data from the Census Bureau.
Home values in a given area are often a reflection of what residents can afford. And not surprisingly, the vast majority of the towns on this list have a median household income that exceeds the median across the state as a whole. Here is a look at the richest town in every state.
High home prices in these communities do not appear to be discouraging homebuyers. In most of the communities on this list, the homeownership rate exceeds the comparable rate across the state as a whole. Here is a look at how much home you can buy for $200,000 in every state.
Click here to see the most expensive town to buy a home in every state
Click here to read our detailed methodology
Alabama: Mountain Brook
> Median home value: $628,800 (Alabama: $142,700)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $2,848 (Alabama: $1,186)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 61.5% (Alabama: 56.2%)
> Homeownership rate: 86.0% (Alabama: 68.8%)
> Median household income: $152,355 (Alabama: $50,536)
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Alaska: Unalaska
> Median home value: $368,000 (Alaska: $270,400)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $2,488 (Alaska: $1,933)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 72.2% (Alaska: 62.9%)
> Homeownership rate: 22.4% (Alaska: 64.3%)
> Median household income: $94,750 (Alaska: $77,640)
Arizona: Paradise Valley
> Median home value: $1,516,200 (Arizona: $225,500)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $4,000+ (Arizona: $1,434)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 55.9% (Arizona: 63.8%)
> Homeownership rate: 93.1% (Arizona: 64.4%)
> Median household income: $211,393 (Arizona: $58,945)
Arkansas: Lake Hamilton
> Median home value: $390,900 (Arkansas: $127,800)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $1,919 (Arkansas: $1,089)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 59.3% (Arkansas: 54.5%)
> Homeownership rate: 61.9% (Arkansas: 65.6%)
> Median household income: $54,000 (Arkansas: $47,597)
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California: Monte Sereno
> Median home value: $2,000,000+ (California: $505,000)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $4,000+ (California: $2,357)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 71.8% (California: 70.3%)
> Homeownership rate: 93.5% (California: 54.8%)
> Median household income: $250,000+ (California: $75,235)
Colorado: Cherry Hills Village
> Median home value: $1,727,100 (Colorado: $343,300)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $4,000+ (Colorado: $1,744)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 68.0% (Colorado: 71.3%)
> Homeownership rate: 94.9% (Colorado: 65.2%)
> Median household income: $250,000+ (Colorado: $72,331)
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Connecticut: Old Greenwich
> Median home value: $1,561,200 (Connecticut: $275,400)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $4,000+ (Connecticut: $2,119)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 70.4% (Connecticut: 67.8%)
> Homeownership rate: 84.1% (Connecticut: 66.1%)
> Median household income: $222,794 (Connecticut: $78,444)
Delaware: Rehoboth Beach
> Median home value: $1,017,100 (Delaware: $251,100)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $2,468 (Delaware: $1,587)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 48.4% (Delaware: 65.0%)
> Homeownership rate: 81.5% (Delaware: 71.2%)
> Median household income: $114,583 (Delaware: $68,287)
Florida: Key Biscayne
> Median home value: $1,211,000 (Florida: $215,300)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $4,000+ (Florida: $1,503)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 50.9% (Florida: 56.8%)
> Homeownership rate: 69.5% (Florida: 65.4%)
> Median household income: $151,310 (Florida: $55,660)
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Georgia: Druid Hills
> Median home value: $645,600 (Georgia: $176,000)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $3,144 (Georgia: $1,417)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 67.0% (Georgia: 65.1%)
> Homeownership rate: 66.9% (Georgia: 63.3%)
> Median household income: $129,740 (Georgia: $58,700)
Hawaii: Pupukea
> Median home value: $1,178,500 (Hawaii: $615,300)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $2,965 (Hawaii: $2,418)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 68.4% (Hawaii: 65.1%)
> Homeownership rate: 59.6% (Hawaii: 58.9%)
> Median household income: $99,265 (Hawaii: $81,275)
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Idaho: Ketchum
> Median home value: $760,500 (Idaho: $212,300)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $1,782 (Idaho: $1,270)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 62.1% (Idaho: 64.6%)
> Homeownership rate: 65.7% (Idaho: 70.0%)
> Median household income: $60,491 (Idaho: $55,785)
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Illinois: Winnetka
> Median home value: $1,091,700 (Illinois: $194,500)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $4,000+ (Illinois: $1,693)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 66.6% (Illinois: 63.3%)
> Homeownership rate: 89.6% (Illinois: 66.1%)
> Median household income: $250,000+ (Illinois: $65,886)
Indiana: Long Beach
> Median home value: $437,500 (Indiana: $141,700)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $2,061 (Indiana: $1,148)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 58.5% (Indiana: 65.5%)
> Homeownership rate: 97.1% (Indiana: 69.1%)
> Median household income: $105,000 (Indiana: $56,303)
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Iowa: Robins
> Median home value: $295,200 (Iowa: $147,800)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $1,957 (Iowa: $1,260)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 70.9% (Iowa: 60.6%)
> Homeownership rate: 96.3% (Iowa: 71.1%)
> Median household income: $131,078 (Iowa: $60,523)
Kansas: Mission Hills
> Median home value: $963,600 (Kansas: $151,900)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $4,000+ (Kansas: $1,378)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 58.0% (Kansas: 59.4%)
> Homeownership rate: 98.6% (Kansas: 66.3%)
> Median household income: $250,000+ (Kansas: $59,597)
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Kentucky: Indian Hills
> Median home value: $529,000 (Kentucky: $141,000)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $3,128 (Kentucky: $1,178)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 59.2% (Kentucky: 57.7%)
> Homeownership rate: 100.0% (Kentucky: 67.2%)
> Median household income: $190,313 (Kentucky: $50,589)
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Louisiana: Oak Hills Place
> Median home value: $340,000 (Louisiana: $163,100)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $1,716 (Louisiana: $1,295)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 66.1% (Louisiana: 52.3%)
> Homeownership rate: 71.6% (Louisiana: 65.6%)
> Median household income: $85,959 (Louisiana: $49,469)
Maine: Falmouth
> Median home value: $428,700 (Maine: $190,400)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $2,041 (Maine: $1,398)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 54.2% (Maine: 61.7%)
> Homeownership rate: 73.4% (Maine: 72.3%)
> Median household income: $99,861 (Maine: $57,918)
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Maryland: Chevy Chase
> Median home value: $1,290,200 (Maryland: $314,800)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $4,000+ (Maryland: $2,017)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 70.9% (Maryland: 72.9%)
> Homeownership rate: 94.5% (Maryland: 66.9%)
> Median household income: $250,000+ (Maryland: $84,805)
Massachusetts: Nantucket
> Median home value: $1,001,700 (Massachusetts: $381,600)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $3,572 (Massachusetts: $2,225)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 71.0% (Massachusetts: 69.2%)
> Homeownership rate: 67.8% (Massachusetts: 62.4%)
> Median household income: $110,473 (Massachusetts: $81,215)
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Michigan: Bloomfield Hills
> Median home value: $860,800 (Michigan: $154,900)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $3,855 (Michigan: $1,298)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 55.8% (Michigan: 60.1%)
> Homeownership rate: 91.8% (Michigan: 71.2%)
> Median household income: $178,894 (Michigan: $57,144)
Minnesota: Orono
> Median home value: $680,100 (Minnesota: $223,900)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $3,043 (Minnesota: $1,580)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 74.1% (Minnesota: 66.3%)
> Homeownership rate: 92.3% (Minnesota: 71.6%)
> Median household income: $159,028 (Minnesota: $71,306)
Mississippi: Hernando
> Median home value: $197,100 (Mississippi: $119,000)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $1,390 (Mississippi: $1,147)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 75.6% (Mississippi: 49.4%)
> Homeownership rate: 82.5% (Mississippi: 68.2%)
> Median household income: $79,195 (Mississippi: $45,081)
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Missouri: Ladue
> Median home value: $831,800 (Missouri: $157,200)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $3,787 (Missouri: $1,277)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 64.9% (Missouri: 61.5%)
> Homeownership rate: 98.8% (Missouri: 66.8%)
> Median household income: $214,875 (Missouri: $55,461)
Montana: Big Sky
> Median home value: $564,000 (Montana: $230,600)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $2,192 (Montana: $1,429)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 78.0% (Montana: 56.7%)
> Homeownership rate: 60.5% (Montana: 68.1%)
> Median household income: $75,586 (Montana: $54,970)
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.jpg "Douglas County Court House, Omaha, Nebraska (43349453600) by Tony Webster")
Nebraska: Valley
> Median home value: $248,200 (Nebraska: $155,800)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $1,903 (Nebraska: $1,386)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 61.2% (Nebraska: 60.5%)
> Homeownership rate: 74.4% (Nebraska: 66.1%)
> Median household income: $72,500 (Nebraska: $61,439)
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Nevada: Incline Village
> Median home value: $869,900 (Nevada: $267,900)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $2,741 (Nevada: $1,524)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 65.3% (Nevada: 68.0%)
> Homeownership rate: 71.9% (Nevada: 56.3%)
> Median household income: $99,006 (Nevada: $60,365)
New Hampshire: Hanover
> Median home value: $603,700 (New Hampshire: $261,700)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $3,193 (New Hampshire: $1,948)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 55.9% (New Hampshire: 65.8%)
> Homeownership rate: 56.6% (New Hampshire: 71.1%)
> Median household income: $109,514 (New Hampshire: $76,768)
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New Jersey: Spring Lake
> Median home value: $1,818,500 (New Jersey: $335,600)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $3,645 (New Jersey: $2,465)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 36.2% (New Jersey: 66.8%)
> Homeownership rate: 78.9% (New Jersey: 63.9%)
> Median household income: $86,200 (New Jersey: $82,545)
New Mexico: Sandia Heights
> Median home value: $465,700 (New Mexico: $171,400)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $2,316 (New Mexico: $1,280)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 51.4% (New Mexico: 54.2%)
> Homeownership rate: 97.2% (New Mexico: 67.7%)
> Median household income: $107,104 (New Mexico: $49,754)
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New York: Sands Point
> Median home value: $2,000,000+ (New York: $313,700)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $4,000+ (New York: $2,155)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 53.3% (New York: 60.8%)
> Homeownership rate: 94.5% (New York: 53.9%)
> Median household income: $250,000+ (New York: $68,486)
North Carolina: Wrightsville Beach
> Median home value: $798,700 (North Carolina: $172,500)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $3,118 (North Carolina: $1,314)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 63.6% (North Carolina: 63.2%)
> Homeownership rate: 69.5% (North Carolina: 65.2%)
> Median household income: $109,013 (North Carolina: $54,602)
North Dakota: Horace
> Median home value: $297,800 (North Dakota: $193,900)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $1,933 (North Dakota: $1,426)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 69.7% (North Dakota: 53.5%)
> Homeownership rate: 97.1% (North Dakota: 62.4%)
> Median household income: $129,231 (North Dakota: $64,894)
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Ohio: The Village of Indian Hill
> Median home value: $955,500 (Ohio: $145,700)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $4,000+ (Ohio: $1,282)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 63.4% (Ohio: 62.9%)
> Homeownership rate: 98.7% (Ohio: 66.1%)
> Median household income: $207,174 (Ohio: $56,602)
Oklahoma: Nichols Hills
> Median home value: $799,900 (Oklahoma: $136,800)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $3,407 (Oklahoma: $1,234)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 62.1% (Oklahoma: 54.9%)
> Homeownership rate: 92.7% (Oklahoma: 65.6%)
> Median household income: $186,912 (Oklahoma: $52,919)
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Oregon: Raleigh Hills
> Median home value: $674,600 (Oregon: $312,200)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $2,720 (Oregon: $1,699)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 67.3% (Oregon: 66.2%)
> Homeownership rate: 53.0% (Oregon: 62.4%)
> Median household income: $82,745 (Oregon: $62,818)
Pennsylvania: Fox Chapel
> Median home value: $662,400 (Pennsylvania: $180,200)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $3,699 (Pennsylvania: $1,494)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 59.1% (Pennsylvania: 60.1%)
> Homeownership rate: 96.2% (Pennsylvania: 68.9%)
> Median household income: $205,987 (Pennsylvania: $61,744)
Rhode Island: Narragansett Pier
> Median home value: $542,200 (Rhode Island: $261,900)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $2,202 (Rhode Island: $1,860)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 58.3% (Rhode Island: 68.4%)
> Homeownership rate: 55.3% (Rhode Island: 60.8%)
> Median household income: $58,875 (Rhode Island: $67,167)
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South Carolina: Sullivan’s Island
> Median home value: $1,773,100 (South Carolina: $162,300)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $4,000+ (South Carolina: $1,246)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 60.8% (South Carolina: 58.3%)
> Homeownership rate: 82.7% (South Carolina: 69.4%)
> Median household income: $136,528 (South Carolina: $53,199)
South Dakota: Dakota Dunes
> Median home value: $326,500 (South Dakota: $167,100)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $2,148 (South Dakota: $1,340)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 68.1% (South Dakota: 55.6%)
> Homeownership rate: 65.9% (South Dakota: 67.8%)
> Median household income: $118,966 (South Dakota: $58,275)
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Tennessee: Forest Hills
> Median home value: $853,000 (Tennessee: $167,200)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $3,237 (Tennessee: $1,244)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 62.2% (Tennessee: 59.2%)
> Homeownership rate: 95.0% (Tennessee: 66.3%)
> Median household income: $203,056 (Tennessee: $53,320)
Texas: Piney Point Village
> Median home value: $1,912,000 (Texas: $172,500)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $4,000+ (Texas: $1,606)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 45.3% (Texas: 57.4%)
> Homeownership rate: 99.0% (Texas: 62.0%)
> Median household income: $250,000+ (Texas: $61,874)
Utah: Park City
> Median home value: $1,035,300 (Utah: $279,100)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $2,418 (Utah: $1,551)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 59.5% (Utah: 70.5%)
> Homeownership rate: 63.0% (Utah: 70.2%)
> Median household income: $111,000 (Utah: $71,621)
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Vermont: South Burlington
> Median home value: $307,500 (Vermont: $227,700)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $1,858 (Vermont: $1,621)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 71.8% (Vermont: 62.6%)
> Homeownership rate: 60.0% (Vermont: 70.8%)
> Median household income: $73,065 (Vermont: $61,973)
Virginia: Great Falls
> Median home value: $1,142,000 (Virginia: $273,100)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $4,000+ (Virginia: $1,799)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 73.2% (Virginia: 68.7%)
> Homeownership rate: 96.1% (Virginia: 66.3%)
> Median household income: $238,125 (Virginia: $74,222)
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Washington: Clyde Hill
> Median home value: $2,000,000+ (Washington: $339,000)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $4,000+ (Washington: $1,886)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 60.2% (Washington: 68.5%)
> Homeownership rate: 89.2% (Washington: 63.0%)
> Median household income: $238,958 (Washington: $73,775)
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West Virginia: Cheat Lake
> Median home value: $298,900 (West Virginia: $119,600)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $1,627 (West Virginia: $1,050)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 61.3% (West Virginia: 46.6%)
> Homeownership rate: 80.0% (West Virginia: 73.2%)
> Median household income: $89,310 (West Virginia: $46,711)
Wisconsin: Merton
> Median home value: $448,600 (Wisconsin: $180,600)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $2,538 (Wisconsin: $1,430)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 77.8% (Wisconsin: 63.9%)
> Homeownership rate: 93.8% (Wisconsin: 67.0%)
> Median household income: $154,464 (Wisconsin: $61,747)
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.jpg "CheyenneWyoming by Vasiliymeshko")
Wyoming: Ranchettes
> Median home value: $379,200 (Wyoming: $220,500)
> Median monthly housing costs with a mortgage: $2,043 (Wyoming: $1,459)
> Share of housing units with a mortgage: 57.6% (Wyoming: 58.3%)
> Homeownership rate: 92.7% (Wyoming: 70.4%)
> Median household income: $99,403 (Wyoming: $64,049)
Methodology
To determine the most expensive town to buy a home in every state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed five-year estimates of median owner-occupied home values from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey.
We used census “place” geographies — a category that includes 29,573 incorporated legal entities and census-designated statistical entities. Of those, 29,319 had boundaries that fell within one of the 50 states, while the rest were in the District of Columbia or Puerto Rico.
We defined towns based on population thresholds — having at least 1,000 people and less than 25,000 people — and 13,332 of the places fell within these thresholds.
Towns were excluded if owner-occupied median home values were not available in the 2019 ACS, if there were fewer than 1,000 housing units, or if the sampling error associated with a town’s data was deemed too high.
The sampling error was defined as too high if the coefficient of variation — a statistical assessment of how reliable an estimate is — for a town’s owner-occupied median home value was above 15% and greater than two standard deviations above the mean CV for all towns’ owner-occupied median home values. We similarly excluded towns that had a sampling error too high for their population, using the same definition.
The remaining 8,488 places were ranked within their state based on their owner-occupied median home values. To break ties, we used median monthly housing costs with a mortgage.
In a few cases, median home values were above the upper boundary for which the U.S. Census publishes more precise estimates and instead publishes the boundary ($2,000,000+). To break ties for these areas, we used two additional proxies: median household income, as areas with higher incomes are correlated with higher home values, and total housing units, as a lower number of housing units implies a smaller supply of homes available if a purchaser wished to live within a given town.
Additional information on median monthly housing costs with a mortgage, the share of owner-occupied housing units that have a mortgage, rates of homeownership, and median household income are also five-year estimates from the 2019 ACS.
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