The 10 best cities for first-time homebuyers — and 10 that are the worst

Orlando, Florida.JillianCain/Getty ImagesWalletHub ranked 300 US cities to reveal the best and worst places for first-time homebuyers.Cities were scored on 22 factors, from housing costs and weather to crime rates and school quality.Most top cities for first-time buyers are in Florida, while most of the worst are in California.Whether it's older generations holding onto large homes or the overall slowing of the housing market amid economic uncertainty, first-time homebuyers are facing an uphill battle when they enter the housing market.Data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows there are fewer first-time homebuyers than ever in the market. The market share of first-time homebuyers decreased from 32% in 2023 to 24% in 2024 — the lowest share since NAR began tracking in 1981.It's also taking longer for Americans to secure their first home. The median age of a first-time homebuyer increased from 35 in 2023 to 38 in 2024.Still, it's not impossible to buy for the first time, and some cities have better conditions than others.The personal-finance website WalletHub analyzed 300 US cities of all sizes across 22 metrics, grouped into three key categories: affordability, the local real estate market, and quality of life. Factoring in elements like housing costs, weather, crime rates, and school quality, the cities were ranked based on how well they support first-time homebuyers."Buying a home for the first time is a very stressful and difficult process, especially when housing prices are through the roof and interest rates have risen sharply in the past few years," WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo said. "The best cities for first-time home buyers not only are affordable both in terms of buying a house and living there afterward, but they also have a lot of housing choices as well as low crime rates and good schools."According to WalletHub, six of the best 10 cities for first-time homebuyers are in Florida, while all but one are in the South. California garnered the most cities at the bottom of the list.Here are the 10 best cities for first-time homebuyers and the 10 worst, according to WalletHub.The best cities for first-time homebuyersTampa, Florida.littlenySTOCK/Shutterstock10. Sunrise, FloridaSunrise, Florida.felix Mizioznikov/Getty ImagesPopulation: 100,128Median household income: $72,107Median home-sale price: $422,500Real estate market rank: 22Affordability rank: 153Quality of life rank: 139. Lakeland, FloridaLakeland, Florida.Sean Pavone/Getty ImagesPopulation: 124,990Median household income: $60,947Median home-sale price: $315,000Real estate market rank: 9Affordability rank: 139Quality of life rank: 158. OrlandoOrlando, Florida.George Dodd/Getty ImagesPopulation: 334,854Median household income: $69,268Median home-sale price: $403,500Real estate market rank: 7Affordability rank: 159Quality of life rank: 177. Cape Coral, FloridaCape Coral, Florida.Jeffrey Greenberg/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesPopulation: 233,025Median household income: $76,062Median home-sale price: $368,800Real estate market rank: 4Affordability rank: 145Quality of life rank: 206. Gilbert, ArizonaGilbert, Arizona.Manuela Durson/ShutterstockPopulation: 288,790Median household income: $121,351Median home-sale price: 593,500Real estate market rank: 17Affordability rank: 34Quality of life rank: 855. Huntsville, AlabamaHuntsville, Alabama.Chris Boswell/Getty ImagesPopulation: 230,402Median household income: $70,778Median home-sale price: $343,000Real estate market rank: 35Affordability rank: 36Quality of life rank: 434. Surprise, ArizonaSurprise, Arizona.Matt Gush/ShutterstockPopulation: 167,564Median household income: $93,371Median home-sale price: $435,000Real estate market rank:Affordability rank: 1Quality of life rank: 2073. Tampa, FloridaTampa, Florida.RudyBalasko/Getty ImagesPopulation: 414,547Median household income: $71,302Median home-sale price: $435,000Real estate market rank: 5Affordability rank: 170Quality of life rank: 62. Boise, IdahoBoise, Idaho.CSNafzger/ShutterstockPopulation: 237,963Median household income: $81,308Median home-sale price: $511,250Real estate market rank: 8Affordability rank: 61Quality of life rank: 271. Palm Bay, FloridaPalm Bay, Florida.Chellane Carvalho / 500px/Getty Images/500pxPopulation: 142,023Median household income: $67,521Median home-sale price: $327,000Real estate market rank: 2Affordability rank: 118Quality of life rank: 3The worst cities for first-time homebuyersOakland, California.Jonathan Clark/Getty Images10. San Mateo, CaliforniaFoster City in San Mateo County, California.Andrew Holt/Getty ImagesPopulation: 103,006Median household income: $152,669Median home-sale price: $1,725,000Real estate market rank: 261Affordability rank: 287Quality of life rank: 2459. New OrleansNew Orleans.travelview/ShutterstockPopulation: 362,701Median household income: $55,339Median home-sale price: $385,000Real estate market rank: 195Affordability rank: 213Quality of life rank: 2958. Anchorage, AlaskaAnchorage, Alaska.Bruce Yuanyue Bi/Getty ImagesPopulation: 289,600Median household income: $98,152Median home-sale price: $425,000Real estate market rank: 259Affordability rank: 152Quality of life rank: 2987. Costa Mesa, CaliforniaCosta Mesa, California.MCCAIG/Getty Images/iStockphotoPopulation: 109,131Median household income: $110,073Median home-sale price: $1,640,000Real estate market rank: 230Affordability rank: 297Quality of life rank: 1886. Los AngelesLos Angeles.Michael Lee/Getty ImagesPopulation: 3,878,704Median household income: $80,366Median home-sale price: $1,124,000Real estate market rank: 255Affordability rank: 294Quality of life rank: 2465. Santa Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara, California.Max Angell/ShutterstockPopulation: 87,291Median household income: $101,672Median home-sale price: $1,632,500Real estate market rank: 227Affordability rank: 299Quality of life rank: 1304. San FranciscoSan Francisco.Alexander Spatari/Getty ImagesPopulation: 827,526Median household income: $141,446Median home-sale price: $1,500,000Real estate market rank: 273Affordability rank: 280Quality of life rank: 2813. Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, California.Thomas Winz/Getty ImagesPopulation: 443,554Median household income: $97,369Median home-sale price: $868,000Real estate market rank: 275Affordability rank: 231Quality of life rank: 3002. Santa Monica, CaliforniaThe Santa Monica Pier.Alexander Spatari/Getty ImagesPopulation: 90,729Median household income: $109,739Median home-sale price: $1,605,000Real estate market rank: 252Affordability rank: 300Quality of life rank: 2311. Berkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley, California.Dee Liu/Getty ImagesPopulation: 121,749Median household income: $108,558Median-priced home: $1,350,000Real estate market rank: 291Affordability rank: 296Quality of life rank: 296Read the original article on Business Insider

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