U.S. Cities with the Lowest Median Home Values

What the data show

Flint city, Michigan leads the eligible exact-value table at $53,500 . The ranking contains 1,926 places. Among the first 100 rows, Ohio has 21; Illinois has 13; Michigan has 11. These counts describe ranked places, not the share of all residents living in those states.

Applying a larger-city threshold of 100,000 residents changes the leading examples to Detroit city, MI ($83,900); Dayton city, OH ($100,600); Cleveland city, OH ($102,000) . This sensitivity check uses the same metric and precision rules, and shows why a population cutoff must accompany any headline about the “top” city.

Places with open-ended median owner-occupied home value estimates

16 places meeting the population threshold have source medians expressed as a range. They are excluded from the numbered exact-value table. Their order here is alphabetical, not a rank.

• Belmont city, California : At least $2,000,000
• Beverly Hills city, California : At least $2,000,000
• Burlingame city, California : At least $2,000,000
• Coronado city, California : At least $2,000,000
• Cupertino city, California : At least $2,000,000
• Lafayette city, California : At least $2,000,000
• Laguna Beach city, California : At least $2,000,000
• Los Altos city, California : At least $2,000,000
• Los Gatos town, California : At least $2,000,000
• Manhattan Beach city, California : At least $2,000,000
• Menlo Park city, California : At least $2,000,000
• Mercer Island city, Washington : At least $2,000,000
• Newport Beach city, California : At least $2,000,000
• Palo Alto city, California : At least $2,000,000
• San Carlos city, California : At least $2,000,000
• Saratoga city, California : At least $2,000,000

Median owner-occupied home value ranking and city comparison table

Filter the complete eligible set by name, state or a higher population threshold. The rank column keeps each place’s position in the original national eligible universe. Downloads contain all matching rows, including rows on later table pages.

Top 100 of 1,926 eligible places. National ranks use unrounded values.

Home value is different from a sale price

ACS home value asks owners to estimate what their property would sell for. Table B25077 reports the median for owner-occupied housing units. A city’s owner-occupied stock can differ from the homes currently listed for sale by condition, size, type and location. Neither an asking-price average nor a recent closed-sale median can be substituted without changing the measure.

The table covers a five-year survey window, expressed in 2024 dollars. It is not a real-time housing-market index. The July 2025 population estimate supplies the comparison-size threshold only; it does not turn the older home-value median into a July 2025 observation. Both periods are labeled throughout the ranking and downloads.

A low property value does not specify the cost of ownership

Buying costs depend on the actual property and financing arrangement. Taxes, insurance, utilities, association fees, maintenance and transaction costs can matter even when a purchase price is relatively low. Citywide home value does not price any of these for an individual address.

Our housing-cost profiles report median selected monthly owner costs separately for units with and without a mortgage. Those historical survey costs offer another perspective on the existing owner population. They are not a quotation for a new mortgage, and the no-mortgage median does not represent the cost of the same homes after their loans are paid off.

The table adds median household income as context. Home value divided by household income is sometimes used to compare cities, but dividing two medians does not describe one household’s financial circumstances. Owners, renters and household sizes vary across places. We avoid calling the ratio an approval standard or a minimum salary requirement.

Eligibility, uncertainty and interpretation

We rank exact positive home-value medians for places with at least 20,000 residents in July 2025. A published numerical margin of error must be no larger than 50% of the estimate. Open-ended medians, missing cells and estimates failing that precision screen are excluded and counted. The same rules are applied across all states.

The numbered positions sort point estimates and retain equal ranks for tied values. They are not a statistically tested ordering of underlying housing distributions. Read the visible margins of error before treating a small price difference as meaningful. The source record and its Census geography are available through each city profile.

A lower value cannot establish that a city is suitable for a particular buyer. Investigate the property, commuting needs, service access and costs that matter to your household. This ranking contains no neighborhood quality score, investment-return forecast or prediction of future appreciation.

Ranking criteria, exclusions and sources

Starting universe: 19,483 PEP place profiles. Population cutoff: 20,000 residents , applied to July 1, 2025. 1,946 places meet that cutoff; 1,926 enter the numbered ranking. 20 are excluded from numbered ranks , including 16 open-ended medians; other exclusions concern unavailable or nonpositive estimates, unavailable MOEs, precision, and the stated worker threshold where applicable .

Ties use competition ranking: two places tied for first share rank 1, and the next is rank 3. The numerical MOE must be at most half the positive point estimate. This is an editorial precision rule. An exact median means a published point estimate, not an error-free measurement. Missing records never become zeros.

Original source: ACS B25077_001 . Census statistical testing guidance explains how to evaluate differences. Our methodology documents transformations and geographic joins. Source releases and the update log identify publication dates. Submit a correction with a source and page address.

Questions about this city ranking

Which cities have the lowest home prices?

This page ranks median survey values of existing owner-occupied homes. Flint leads under the stated rules. Current sale prices and available listings may give a different ordering.

Does the median include rental properties?

B25077 covers owner-occupied housing units. A unit occupied by a renter is outside this median, even if its owner owns other housing in the city.