Realtor.com®'s 2026 Hottest ZIP Codes in America: Peabody, Mass. Claims the Top Spot as Buyers Chase Space, Character Near Major Metros
Listings in the top 10 ZIPs got up to 5.3x more views and sold as much as 42 days faster than the national average
AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Peabody, Mass. (01960) joins the Hottest ZIPs for the third time since previously ranked No. 5 in 2018 and No.3 in 2021. For the fourth consecutive year, the Northeast and Midwest swept the rankings, with this year's list underscoring a clear shift in what today's buyers are willing to pay for: more square footage and established character, even if it means a longer commute or a smaller discount versus the surrounding metro.
"This year's hottest ZIP codes tell us that buyers aren't simply chasing the lowest price tag anymore — they're chasing space, character and a manageable commute to a major job center, and they're willing to pay a premium to get it," said Hannah Jones, senior economist at Realtor.com ®. "What's especially notable is how financially prepared these buyers are. Even in ZIP codes where typical local incomes aren't enough to cover today's home prices, buyers are showing up with larger down payments and stronger credit profiles than the national norm, which tells us this demand is real and well-capitalized."
The 2026 Hottest ZIP Codes in America, in rank order, are:
(Starred ZIPs are located in metros that were on last years' ranking)
Three of this year's ZIPs and seven of the associated metro areas have appeared on the Hottest ZIP Codes list before, though none of this year's ZIPs repeated directly from last year's ranking — the overlap traces back to 2017, 2021 and 2024. Three ZIPs are appearing for the first time in every sense: Lititz, Pa. (17543), North Haven, Conn. (06473) and New Berlin, Wis. (53151), a sign that demand is continuing to spread into smaller markets within the same Northeast and Midwest corridors that have dominated the rankings in recent years.
Regional Divergence Persists
For the fourth year running, the South and West failed to produce a single entry on the list, while the Northeast and Midwest dominated with ZIPs spanning Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan. Comparatively tight new-construction pipelines in these metros have kept a lid on supply, while more robust homebuilding and softer price growth across the South and West over the past two years have eased competition in those regions. Nationally, for-sale inventory remained 11.3% below pre-pandemic norms in June 2026 — but in the hottest ZIPs, that shortfall widened to 60.5%, more than five times the national gap, fueling the intense competition reflected in this year's rankings.
Listings in the top 10 ZIPs also significantly outpaced the broader market on engagement and pace, drawing 3.0 to 5.3 times more views per property than the U.S. norm and selling 30 to 42 days faster.
Homes in the Hottest ZIPs Are Selling Over Asking — the Rest of the Country Isn't
Nationally, the typical home sold for about 2.3% below list price in the first half of 2026. In the 10 hottest ZIPs, nine of 10 saw homes sell at or above asking, with an average sale-to-list ratio of roughly 103.8%. Montclair, N.J. and Fairport, N.Y. stood out sharply, with homes selling 16.7% and 14.4% over asking, respectively — a sign of competitive conditions and possibly multiple-offer scenarios while much of the country returns to balanced or even buyer-favoring conditions.
Buyers Pay Up for Space and a Commute Friendly Sweet Spot
Today's buyers aren't just chasing affordability — they want it all. Nine of the 10 hottest ZIPs are priced above their surrounding metro, and eight of the 10 feature homes that run notably larger than the typical listing in their metro. Across all 10 ZIPs, the median home for sale measured 2,000 square feet, compared with a metro median of 1,600 and a national median of 1,800. In Montclair, N.J. (07042), homes for sale averaged 2,625 square feet in the first half of 2026 — 85.6% larger than the surrounding New York metro norm.
These ZIPs also cluster in a similar commuting band, sitting roughly 10 to 20 miles from their metro's central business district — close enough to support a regular in-office schedule, far enough to offer the space and quiet of suburban living. The housing stock skews older, too, with a median year built across the 10 ZIPs averaging 1970, about a decade older than the all-ZIP average — a reminder that buyers are increasingly willing to pay a premium for well-located, established neighborhoods.
Local Incomes Mostly Keep Pace — But Not Everywhere
Seven of the 10 hottest ZIPs show local median household income running ahead of what's needed to afford the typical home there, assuming a 20% down payment and a 6.55% mortgage rate. Livonia, Mich. (48154) leads the group, with income running 64.2% above the threshold, followed by Sewell, N.J. (08080) at 39.6% and Fairport, N.Y. (14450) at 31.4%. Three ZIPs break from that pattern, most notably Montclair, N.J. (07042), where income runs 31.1% behind what's needed — a signal less about whether today's buyers can afford these homes and more about how much home values have outpaced the earnings of long-tenured residents.
Today's Buyers Are Bringing More to the Table
Buyer financial profiles across the hottest ZIPs run well ahead of the national norm. The average down payment across the list is 17.1%, compared with roughly 13.1% nationally, and the average median credit score is 766, versus about 747 nationally. Montclair, N.J. buyers posted the strongest profile in the sample, averaging a 22.1% down payment (more than $318,000) alongside a median FICO score of 783. Even the ZIPs at the lower end of the range, Westfield, Mass., and Peabody, Mass., still landed near the national FICO average while putting down $30,000 and $89,000, respectively — well above the national dollar norm of $25,300.
Big-City ZIPs Draw Local Buyers, Smaller Markets Pull From Regional Hubs
ZIP codes within the largest metros are largely sustained by their own residents. Wheaton, Ill. (60187) drew 77.0% of its listing viewership from within the Chicago metro, Montclair, N.J. (07042) pulled 74.6% from New York, and Peabody, Mass. (01960) drew 70.0% from Boston. Smaller-metro ZIPs told a different story: Sewell, N.J. (08080) pulled 48.4% of its views from Philadelphia but another 26.8% from New York, while New Berlin, Wis. (53151) split its demand between Milwaukee (49.6%) and Chicago (24.5%) — evidence that these markets are functioning partly as release valves for buyers priced out of a larger, pricier neighboring metro.
Spotlight on Peabody, Mass., The Hottest Zip in America
Peabody, Mass. (01960) joins the Hottest ZIPs for the third time it has joined the top ten hottest zips including No. 5 in 2018 and No.3 in 2021. Located about 20 miles north of downtown Boston, Peabody offers buyers highway access to the city, a North Shore setting and a blend of small-town character with proximity to a major job center. Homes there spent a median of just 20 days on the market in the first half of 2026 and sold modestly over asking, even as the typical U.S. home sold under list price. Demand is largely homegrown — 70.0% of Peabody's listing views came from within the Boston metro itself — and buyer financials there look close to the national norm, with a 14.0% average down payment and 747 median credit score, suggesting the math works for most buyers without requiring an outsized financial cushion.
Top 50 Hottest ZIP Codes
Rank
ZIP
Code
ZIP Name
Metro Area
Views per
Property
Vs US
Median
Days on
Market
Median
Listing
Price
1
01960
Peabody
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
4.09
20
$600,000
2
07042
Montclair
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
3.3
18
$1,050,000
3
08080
Sewell
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
3.8
25
$426,000
4
14450
Fairport
Rochester, NY
5.25
23
$429,000
5
01085
Westfield
Springfield, MA
5.21
27
$381,000
6
48154
Livonia
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
3.39
25
$338,000
7
17543
Lititz
Lancaster, PA
3.84
28
$598,000
8
06473
North Haven
New Haven, CT
5.34
30
$562,000
9
53151
New Berlin
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI
4.48
29
$445,000
10
60187
Wheaton
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
3.03
25
$575,000
11
06905
Stamford
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT
3.2
27
$691,000
12
61611
East Peoria
Peoria, IL
4.01
31
$212,000
13
53140
Kenosha
Kenosha, WI
3.13
28
$267,000
14
17402
York
York-Hanover, PA
2.78
25
$394,000
15
03051
Hudson
Manchester-Nashua, NH
3.13
27
$608,000
16
63011
Ballwin
St. Louis, MO-IL
3.49
31
$455,000
17
19607
Reading
Reading, PA
2.76
24
$301,000
18
44281
Wadsworth
Cleveland, OH
4.16
32
$355,000
19
07840
Hackettstown
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ
2.55
25
$511,000
20
06040
Manchester
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT
3.84
32
$392,000
21
54911
Appleton
Appleton, WI
3.17
30
$280,000
22
23229
Henrico
Richmond, VA
2.6
28
$515,000
23
48182
Temperance
Monroe, MI
4.31
33
$311,000
24
03301
Concord
Concord, NH
3.59
32
$437,000
25
61108
Rockford
Rockford, IL
3.01
30
$212,000
26
17011
Camp Hill
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA
3.41
31
$366,000
27
66212
Overland Park
Kansas City, MO-KS
2.66
26
$385,000
28
02886
Warwick
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
2.55
29
$457,000
29
44641
Louisville
Canton-Massillon, OH
3.66
34
$269,000
30
35213
Birmingham
Birmingham, AL
2.6
28
$526,000
31
06795
Watertown
Waterbury-Shelton, CT
4.21
35
$505,000
32
43614
Toledo
Toledo, OH
2.77
32
$222,000
33
43209
Columbus
Columbus, OH
2.8
32
$448,000
34
21771
Mount Airy
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
2.16
24
$734,000
35
55811
Duluth
Duluth, MN-WI
4.32
36
$552,000
36
65109
Jefferson City
Jefferson City, MO
2.75
33
$344,000
37
55110
Saint Paul
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
2.7
33
$381,000
38
44266
Ravenna
Akron, OH
3.79
36
$254,000
39
62704
Springfield
Springfield, IL
3.05
35
$192,000
40
13760
Endicott
Binghamton, NY
3.6
35
$231,000
41
53405
Racine
Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI
2.45
31
$241,000
42
68144
Omaha
Omaha, NE-IA
2.2
27
$333,000
43
54303
Green Bay
Green Bay, WI
2.48
32
$261,000
44
01007
Belchertown
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA
2.6
33
$626,000
45
54401
Wausau
Wausau, WI
4.91
38
$297,000
46
48813
Charlotte
Lansing-East Lansing, MI
3.04
36
$284,000
47
51106
Sioux City
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
2.51
35
$248,000
48
25526
Hurricane
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
4.2
38
$350,000
49
61761
Normal
Bloomington, IL
2.55
34
$343,000
50
01569
Uxbridge
Worcester, MA
2.92
32
$622,000
To see the full list of State-Level Hottest ZIP codes, https://www.realtor.com/research/hottest-ZIP-codes-2026
Methodology:
Realtor.com®'s Hottest ZIP Code rankings are based on an algorithm that takes into account two aspects of the housing market: 1) market demand, as measured by unique viewers per property on Realtor.com®, and 2) the pace of the market as measured by the number of days a listing remains active on Realtor.com®. The hottest areas are those that have high demand from buyers, in other words, lots of unique viewers per each property, and fast-selling homes, an indicator of limited supply. Market Hotness rankings based on Realtor.com® listing data from January to June 2026. The list of top ZIP codes is limited to one ZIP code per metropolitan area. Descriptive statistics in this write-up refer to June 2026 data unless otherwise noted.
About Realtor.com ®
For over 30 years, Realtor.com ® has connected buyers, sellers, and renters with trusted insights, professional guidance and powerful tools to help them find their perfect home. Recognized as the No. 1 real estate site REALTOR® agents recommend, Realtor.com® delivers consumer connections and a robust suite of marketing tools to support business growth. Realtor.com ® is operated by News Corp [Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc.
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SOURCE Realtor.com