America’s Hottest ZIP Codes Start with Gahanna, Ohio–Again!

For the first time since 2016, when Realtor.com® published its first Hottest ZIP Codes Report, one zip code topped the list for the second year in a row. 

That zip code, 43230, belongs to Gahanna, Ohio, situated in the popular Columbus metro area. 

The 10 hottest ZIP codes of 2024 are all Northeast and Midwest metros, as each of them attract homebuyers looking for an irresistible combo of value and desirability. 

While we’ve seen big changes in the housing market, such as a growing number of homes for sale, this year’s hottest ZIP codes in America show common factors are driving interest in these highly competitive areas. Although mortgage rate relief is starting to materialize, this year’s hottest ZIPs reflect the focus on affordability that home shoppers have had over the last few years in the face of high housing costs. Concentrated in larger metros across the Northeast and Midwest, these top 10 ZIPs attracted highly qualified home buyers seeking more space without relinquishing proximity to urban amenities.

Danielle Hale

Realtor.com® Chief Economist

10 Hottest ZIP Codes in America for 2024

Here are this year’s 10 hottest ZIP codes in America: 

1. 43230 — Gahanna, OH
2. 63021 — Ballwin, MO
3. 01970 — Salem, MA
4. 07920 — Basking Ridge, NJ
5. 14609 — Rochester, NY
6. 08054 — Mount Laurel, NJ
7. 01453 — Leominster, MA
8. 01085 — Westfield, MA
9. 46322 — Highland, IN
10. 18062 — Macungie, Pa.

No popular metros in the West or South made the list this year. Buyer interest has either thinned out or shifted away from markets in these regions that are generally unaffordable or that have grown less affordable since the pandemic. 

Southern markets in particular have seen a significant increase in for-sale housing supply, which has cooled buyer competition on a per-property basis, slowing down the region’s housing market. 

As for the seven Northeast metros that made the list: 

• Massachusetts has three (Salem, Leominster, and Westfield)
• New Jersey has two (Basking Ridge and Mount Laurel)
• New York has one (Rochester)
• Pennsylvania has one (Macungie) 

Philadelphia, PA (Macungie) and Springfield, MA (Westfield) are represented on the top 10 for the first time in the history of the Hottest ZIPs list. 

 The three Midwest metros on the list for 2024 were also in last year’s list. 

1. Gahanna, OH, ZIP 43230 (Columbus, OH)
2. Highland, IN, ZIP 46322 (Chicago, IL)
3. Ballwin, MO, ZIP 63021 (St. Louis, MO)

The Columbus metro area (which includes Gahanna), has been represented on the list every year dating back to 2017. This is the second consecutive year—and only the second time in the history of Hottest ZIPs—that only two regions are represented in the top 10.

Prime location plus value at a lower price point

Gahanna has taken the number one spot for two years in a row for good reason. The Columbus metro area offers homebuyers some of the advantages of living in a larger town (amenities and quality of life) but at a lower price point. 

Homes in the hottest ZIP code of 2024 are priced 11.0% lower than the Columbus metro’s average and 19.4% lower than the national median in the first half of the year.

Gahanna’s affordability and lifestyle have caught the attention of home shoppers in the New York metro area. But almost half its listing viewers come from within the metro. 

Each of the 10 of the ZIP codes on this year’s list have a lower median list price and a lower median listing price per square foot compared to the larger U.S. housing market and even the greater metro area surrounding it. 

Median list prices in all three of the Midwest ZIP codes (Gahanna, Highland, and Ballwin) on this year’s list were an average 24.6% lower than the national median in June. 

Three of the Northeast ZIPs (Rochester,NY; Mount Laurel, NJ; and Westfield, MA) had median list prices an average 28.8% lower than the U.S. median in June. 

Even the most expensive market on the list—Basking Ridge, NJ, ZIP 07920—with a median listing price of $995,000 in June, was more affordable compared to the larger New York City housing market. Median listing price per square foot in this ZIP code was 33.6% less than the metro’s average in June. 

Read the full report for more information, including metro-level data and methodology.