Home Buying

This New England city was the most popular market on Zillow in 2024

Markets in the Northeast dominated the list for the second year in a row, taking five of the top 10 spots.

Manchester, N.H., was the most popular city on Zillow in 2024."Manchester has garnered particular attention from potential buyers outside of its metro area, suggesting a strong interest in relocating there." Adobe Stock

By Eileen Woods

December 31, 2024

2 minutes to read

Manchester, N.H., was the most popular city for Zillow users in 2024.

“The majority of this year’s most popular cities were exurbs — smaller towns situated beyond the suburbs yet within commuting distance of a major metropolitan area,” Treh Manhertz, a writer for the online marketplace, reported on Dec. 17. “The increase in hybrid work models is likely contributing, leading more people to discover hidden gem cities that they may have previously overlooked when daily commutes were standard. These communities strike a balance of affordable living and lifestyle amenities.”

The median home value in Manchester, N.H., is $414,829, which reflects a 7.3 percent year-over-year jump, according to Zillow. Five years ago, the median home value was $249,145.

Despite its soaring home prices, Manchester “remains more affordable than nearby Boston,” Manhertz reported.

The median sale price for a single-family home in Massachusetts was $600,000 in November, according to The Warren Group, a real estate analytics firm. While in Greater Boston, it was $865,000, 9 percent higher than it was in November 2023, according to the Greater Boston Association of Realtors.

New England markets captured five of the top 10 most popular markets on the site in 2024:

Manchester, N.H.
Rockford, Ill.
Stamford, Conn.
Columbia, Md.
Bridgeport, Conn.
Allentown, Pa.
Peoria, Ill.
New Haven
Waterbury, Conn.
Sunnyvale, Calif.

To determine the most popular markets among home shoppers, Zillow analyzed housing metrics in cities across the United States that reflect consumer demand, including page-view traffic, home value growth, and how quickly homes sell.

Here a few more Zillow superlatives:

Most popular large city Toledo, Ohio, followed by San Jose, Calif., and Wichita, Kan.

Most popular small town Elizabethtown, Pa., followed by Vermilion, Ohio; Roscoe, Ill.; and Twinsburg, Ohio.

Most popular coastal city Milford, Conn., followed by South Portland, Maine; Santa Cruz, Calif.; and Barnstable.

Most popular vacation town Portland, Maine, followed by East Haven, Conn.; Newport, R.I.; Monterey, Calif; and Santa Barbara, Calif.

Most popular retirement city Pahrump, Nev., followed by Pinehurst, N.C.

Most popular college town: Normal, Ill., home to the Illinois State University Redbirds. This was followed by Kent, Ohio, the location of Kent State University; San Luis Obispo, where California Polytechnic State University is; Charlottesville, Va., which has the University of Virginia; and La Crosse, Wis., where you’ll find a campus of the University of Wisconsin.

These were the most popular cities by geographic region:

Northeast: Manchester, N.H.

West: Sunnyvale, Calif.

Midwest: Rockford, Ill.

Southwest: Rio Rancho, N.M.

Mountain Region: Fort Collins, Colo.