With 14% more people becoming first-time homeowners last year compared to the previous year, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2021’s Best & Worst Cities for First-Time Home Buyers.
To determine the most favorable housing markets for first-time buyers, the site took the pulse of real estate in 300 cities of varying sizes using 22 key metrics. The data set ranges from housing affordability to real-estate tax rate to property-crime rate.
Charlotte ranked 6th and Raleigh ranked 3rd among the top 65 largest cities in the nation.
Best Places for First-Time Home Buyers
| Rank (1=Best) | Large Cities (Score) | Rank (1=Best) | Midsize Cities (Score) | Rank (1=Best) | Small Cities (Score) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia Beach, VA (59.47) |
1 | Chesapeake, VA (65.15) |
1 | Hampton, VA (60.66) |
| 2 | Tampa, FL (58.12) |
2 | Gilbert, AZ (61.91) |
2 | Surprise, AZ (58.87) |
| 3 | Raleigh, NC (57.55) |
3 | Lincoln, NE (61.29) |
3 | Cedar Rapids, IA (58.28) |
| 4 | Lexington, KY (55.37) |
4 | Cape Coral, FL (61.01) |
4 | Broken Arrow, OK (57.78) |
| 5 | Henderson, NV (55.35) |
5 | Boise, ID (60.68) |
5 | Kenosha, WI (57.37) |
| 6 | Charlotte, NC (55.29) |
6 | Peoria, AZ (59.76) |
6 | Palm Bay, FL (57.16) |
| 7 | Jacksonville, FL (55.09) |
7 | Norfolk, VA (58.97) |
7 | Elgin, IL (56.98) |
| 8 | Las Vegas, NV (54.70) |
8 | Orlando, FL (58.46) |
8 | Joliet, IL (56.90) |
| 9 | Colorado Springs, CO (54.68) |
9 | Chandler, AZ (58.30) |
9 | Murfreesboro, TN (56.48) |
| 10 | Louisville, KY (54.40) |
10 | Scottsdale, AZ (57.40) |
10 | Waukegan, IL (56.23) |
| 11 | Mesa, AZ (53.91) |
11 | Frisco, TX (56.87) |
11 | Thornton, CO (56.18) |
| 12 | Nashville, TN (53.43) |
12 | Newport News, VA (56.60) |
12 | Naperville, IL (55.89) |
| 13 | Columbus, OH (53.19) |
13 | Huntsville, AL (56.54) |
13 | Boca Raton, FL (55.85) |
| 14 | Phoenix, AZ (52.86) |
14 | Cary, NC (55.46) |
14 | Springfield, IL (55.67) |
| 15 | Oklahoma City, OK (52.49) |
15 | Toledo, OH (55.45) |
15 | Charleston, SC (55.63) |
| 16 | Milwaukee, WI (52.06) |
16 | Madison, WI (55.37) |
16 | Davenport, IA (55.16) |
| 17 | Aurora, CO (51.99) |
17 | Aurora, IL (55.07) |
17 | Peoria, IL (55.11) |
| 18 | Atlanta, GA (51.61) |
18 | Overland Park, KS (54.92) |
18 | Greeley, CO (55.02) |
| 19 | Tucson, AZ (51.50) |
19 | Fort Wayne, IN (54.70) |
19 | Green Bay, WI (54.70) |
| 20 | Indianapolis, IN (51.28) |
20 | Salt Lake City, UT (54.66) |
20 | Portsmouth, VA (54.46) |
| 21 | Omaha, NE (50.82) |
21 | Des Moines, IA (54.46) |
21 | Sterling Heights, MI (54.30) |
| 22 | Pittsburgh, PA (50.61) |
22 | Vancouver, WA (54.25) |
22 | Longmont, CO (54.27) |
| 23 | Fort Worth, TX (50.24) |
23 | North Las Vegas, NV (54.01) |
23 | Centennial, CO (54.27) |
| 24 | Cincinnati, OH (50.14) |
24 | Reno, NV (53.92) |
24 | Roseville, CA (54.17) |
| 25 | Denver, CO (49.78) |
25 | Fort Collins, CO (53.27) |
25 | Manchester, NH (54.08) |
| 26 | Cleveland, OH (49.38) |
26 | Port St. Lucie, FL (53.15) |
26 | Arvada, CO (54.06) |
| 27 | Austin, TX (49.27) |
27 | Glendale, AZ (53.13) |
27 | Yuma, AZ (53.94) |
| 28 | Minneapolis, MN (49.21) |
28 | Richmond, VA (53.10) |
28 | Sunrise, FL (53.77) |
| 29 | Tulsa, OK (48.83) |
29 | McKinney, TX (53.02) |
29 | Miramar, FL (53.75) |
| 30 | St. Paul, MN (48.42) |
30 | Augusta, GA (52.96) |
30 | Roanoke, VA (53.63) |
| 31 | Kansas City, MO (48.39) |
31 | Elk Grove, CA (52.81) |
31 | Wilmington, NC (53.62) |
| 32 | Sacramento, CA (47.84) |
32 | Greensboro, NC (52.72) |
32 | Westminster, CO (53.49) |
| 33 | Detroit, MI (47.27) |
33 | Tempe, AZ (52.47) |
33 | Spokane Valley, WA (52.98) |
| 34 | El Paso, TX (46.84) |
34 | Winston-Salem, NC (52.34) |
34 | Allen, TX (52.64) |
| 35 | Bakersfield, CA (46.45) |
35 | Tacoma, WA (51.98) |
35 | Tuscaloosa, AL (52.53) |
| 36 | Arlington, TX (46.35) |
36 | Grand Rapids, MI (51.77) |
36 | Norman, OK (52.46) |
| 37 | Philadelphia, PA (45.85) |
37 | Pembroke Pines, FL (51.56) |
37 | Roswell, GA (52.40) |
| 38 | Riverside, CA (45.12) |
38 | Spokane, WA (51.47) |
38 | Visalia, CA (52.33) |
| 39 | Baltimore, MD (45.05) |
39 | Plano, TX (51.42) |
39 | Lakeland, FL (51.96) |
| 40 | Seattle, WA (45.00) |
40 | Knoxville, TN (51.31) |
40 | Davie, FL (51.85) |
| 41 | Fresno, CA (44.97) |
41 | Rochester, NY (51.28) |
41 | Denton, TX (51.84) |
| 42 | Chicago, IL (44.77) |
42 | Tallahassee, FL (50.69) |
42 | High Point, NC (51.63) |
| 43 | San Antonio, TX (44.56) |
43 | Durham, NC (50.58) |
43 | Fort Smith, AR (51.62) |
| 44 | Portland, OR (44.26) |
44 | Laredo, TX (50.21) |
44 | Livonia, MI (51.60) |
| 45 | Wichita, KS (43.96) |
45 | Columbus, GA (50.09) |
45 | Clovis, CA (51.48) |
| 46 | Corpus Christi, TX (43.25) |
46 | Grand Prairie, TX (50.02) |
46 | Dearborn, MI (51.38) |
| 47 | Memphis, TN (43.14) |
47 | Lakewood, CO (49.90) |
47 | North Charleston, SC (51.36) |
| 48 | Houston, TX (42.42) |
48 | St. Petersburg, FL (49.55) |
48 | Temecula, CA (51.32) |
| 49 | St. Louis, MO (42.12) |
49 | Alexandria, VA (49.55) |
49 | Yakima, WA (51.23) |
| 50 | Dallas, TX (41.71) |
50 | Garland, TX (49.24) |
50 | Warren, MI (51.23) |
| 51 | Miami, FL (41.24) |
51 | Buffalo, NY (49.22) |
51 | Vacaville, CA (51.10) |
| 52 | Albuquerque, NM (40.04) |
52 | Akron, OH (48.76) |
52 | Pueblo, CO (51.08) |
| 53 | Santa Ana, CA (39.80) |
53 | Salem, OR (48.71) |
53 | Plantation, FL (51.03) |
| 54 | Anaheim, CA (39.69) |
54 | Hollywood, FL (48.43) |
54 | Sandy Springs, GA (50.80) |
| 55 | Stockton, CA (39.49) |
55 | Modesto, CA (48.15) |
55 | Hillsboro, OR (50.74) |
| 56 | San Diego, CA (38.99) |
56 | Fayetteville, NC (48.13) |
56 | Rockford, IL (50.71) |
| 57 | Honolulu, HI (38.72) |
57 | Moreno Valley, CA (48.01) |
57 | Victorville, CA (50.67) |
| 58 | San Jose, CA (37.29) |
58 | Fontana, CA (47.83) |
58 | Clearwater, FL (50.60) |
| 59 | Washington, DC (36.36) |
59 | Corona, CA (47.05) |
59 | Federal Way, WA (50.44) |
| 60 | New Orleans, LA (35.50) |
60 | Palmdale, CA (46.90) |
60 | Savannah, GA (50.00) |
| 61 | Long Beach, CA (35.14) |
61 | Birmingham, AL (46.63) |
61 | Miami Gardens, FL (49.92) |
| 62 | New York, NY (34.81) |
62 | Lancaster, CA (46.63) |
62 | West Palm Beach, FL (49.78) |
| 63 | Boston, MA (34.20) |
63 | Irvine, CA (46.62) |
63 | Kent, WA (49.60) |
| 64 | Los Angeles, CA (31.77) |
64 | Ontario, CA (46.61) |
64 | Coral Springs, FL (49.47) |
| 65 | San Francisco, CA (29.38) |
65 | Amarillo, TX (46.51) |
65 | Flint, MI (49.22) |
Charlotte Stories is continually partnering with the best real estate agents in every part of the Charlotte region.
If you’re thinking about moving in or around Charlotte, let us connect you with a top agent in your area by filling out the form below: