Market rankings · Real estate
Top markets for real estate businesses
Every U.S. metro area, small-town market and county, ranked by the Groundwork market score for real estate businesses. The score weighs household spending per office, households per business, population growth and spending power.
- Listings in the U.S.
- 496,973
- 29,979 chain locations (6%)
- Official establishments
- 312,164
- +15.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.2T
- On rent and homeowner costs
- Listings per 10k households
- 38.5
A site report maps the real estate businesses on map listings around the address by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
The U.S. has 496,973 real estate businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 6% of them. That is 38.5 per 10,000 households.
Households in the U.S. spend about $2.2T a year on rent and homeowner costs, or $16,661 per household. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in the U.S. was 312,164 in 2023, up 15.8% from 2019. They employ 1,539,214 people, with $119.6B in annual payroll. Official counts list 1,704,073 one-person businesses without payroll.
The Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area has the highest market score for real estate businesses among 387 scored metro areas, at 90. In the 10 highest-scoring metro areas, the median housing spending per office is 74% above the U.S. figure, and the median rate of listings per household is 37% below the U.S. rate.
Top markets
These tables (CSV)Ranked by the Groundwork market score, which weighs household spending per competitor, households per business with payroll, population growth and spending power against every other market of the same kind. How the score works.
Top metro areas of 1 million people or more
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 75 | 1,496 | 32.2 | 141 | +3.0% |
| 31Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | 72 | 1,017 | 20.3 | 198 | −0.8% |
| 37Pittsburgh, PA | 69 | 2,388 | 22.5 | 183 | −1.3% |
| 51Rochester, NY | 67 | 1,118 | 25.1 | 163 | −0.7% |
| 62Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 64 | 2,193 | 32.5 | 133 | +2.1% |
| 69Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 63 | 8,311 | 33.7 | 131 | +1.4% |
| 110Fresno, CA | 58 | 1,249 | 33.7 | 120 | +3.2% |
| 121Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 57 | 8,364 | 43.1 | 114 | +2.3% |
| 131New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 55 | 27,437 | 37.1 | 126 | +0.6% |
| 148Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 54 | 10,069 | 37.8 | 98 | +10.3% |
| 155Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 53 | 1,528 | 29.2 | 116 | −0.3% |
| 163Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 52 | 2,696 | 29.7 | 115 | +2.7% |
| 176San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 51 | 3,545 | 36.6 | 97 | +9.5% |
| 188Urban Honolulu, HI | 49 | 1,338 | 39.5 | 119 | −2.3% |
| 192Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 49 | 7,662 | 47.6 | 103 | +3.3% |
Top 50 metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Amherst Town-Northampton, MA | 90 | 161 | 25.9 | 167 | +10.4% |
| 2Gettysburg, PA | 87 | 50 | 12.2 | 343 | +3.6% |
| 3Reading, PA | 82 | 318 | 19.5 | 213 | +2.7% |
| 4Lebanon, PA | 81 | 111 | 19.6 | 209 | +2.2% |
| 5Odessa, TX | 81 | 121 | 18.7 | 183 | +5.0% |
| 6Waterbury-Shelton, CT | 81 | 490 | 27.2 | 159 | +3.2% |
| 7York-Hanover, PA | 81 | 482 | 26.5 | 159 | +3.6% |
| 8Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | 80 | 276 | 23.8 | 181 | +2.0% |
| 9Chambersburg, PA | 80 | 156 | 24.6 | 166 | +3.0% |
| 10Worcester, MA | 79 | 924 | 27.5 | 164 | +3.7% |
| 11Merced, CA | 79 | 210 | 24.4 | 157 | +5.1% |
| 12Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA | 77 | 381 | 16.3 | 237 | +1.4% |
| 13Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 77 | 907 | 26.7 | 160 | +3.0% |
| 14Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 77 | 706 | 28.7 | 146 | +4.2% |
| 15Dalton, GA | 76 | 73 | 14.0 | 235 | +3.5% |
| 16Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 76 | 1,038 | 27.1 | 160 | +1.9% |
| 17Vineland, NJ | 76 | 143 | 26.6 | 147 | +2.2% |
| 18Binghamton, NY | 75 | 157 | 15.3 | 251 | −1.3% |
| 19Greeley, CO | 75 | 329 | 26.5 | 166 | +14.2% |
| 20Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 75 | 1,496 | 32.2 | 141 | +3.0% |
| 21Utica-Rome, NY | 74 | 192 | 15.9 | 245 | −2.0% |
| 22Decatur, AL | 74 | 119 | 19.0 | 176 | +2.5% |
| 23Trenton-Princeton, NJ | 74 | 491 | 34.1 | 137 | +3.3% |
| 24New Haven, CT | 74 | 754 | 32.7 | 135 | +2.5% |
| 25Johnstown, PA | 73 | 65 | 11.6 | 316 | −3.2% |
| 26Erie, PA | 73 | 174 | 15.7 | 243 | −1.8% |
| 27Kingston, NY | 73 | 206 | 27.7 | 156 | +1.1% |
| 28Altoona, PA | 72 | 75 | 14.8 | 253 | −2.5% |
| 29Elmira, NY | 72 | 57 | 16.2 | 235 | −3.9% |
| 30Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 72 | 85 | 19.3 | 203 | +1.0% |
| 31Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | 72 | 1,017 | 20.3 | 198 | −0.8% |
| 32Morristown, TN | 72 | 108 | 22.5 | 142 | +7.9% |
| 33Ithaca, NY | 71 | 103 | 23.8 | 173 | −1.4% |
| 34Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | 71 | 769 | 30.2 | 151 | +3.0% |
| 35Yuba City, CA | 71 | 178 | 28.7 | 143 | +3.3% |
| 36Williamsport, PA | 70 | 84 | 17.9 | 211 | −1.3% |
| 37Pittsburgh, PA | 69 | 2,388 | 22.5 | 183 | −1.3% |
| 38Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | 69 | 239 | 18.3 | 174 | +2.3% |
| 39Syracuse, NY | 69 | 645 | 23.8 | 171 | −1.3% |
| 40Yakima, WA | 69 | 201 | 22.9 | 169 | +1.0% |
| 41Lancaster, PA | 69 | 653 | 30.7 | 140 | +1.9% |
| 42Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 69 | 328 | 27.8 | 127 | +7.1% |
| 43Rocky Mount, NC | 68 | 101 | 17.3 | 185 | +2.8% |
| 44Wildwood-The Villages, FL | 68 | 145 | 20.6 | 169 | +21.1% |
| 45Visalia, CA | 68 | 347 | 24.2 | 163 | +2.4% |
| 46Monroe, MI | 68 | 128 | 20.3 | 161 | +0.7% |
| 47Lewiston-Auburn, ME | 68 | 122 | 26.0 | 148 | +4.8% |
| 48Las Cruces, NM | 68 | 231 | 27.2 | 133 | +4.1% |
| 49Warner Robins, GA | 68 | 208 | 27.9 | 125 | +8.2% |
| 50State College, PA | 67 | 140 | 23.7 | 172 | −0.4% |
Top 25 small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pottsville, PA | 85 | 78 | 13.5 | 285 | +1.5% |
| 2Duncan, OK | 82 | 20 | 11.4 | 283 | +3.4% |
| 3Seneca Falls, NY | 81 | 11 | 8.1 | 475 | −1.7% |
| 4Batavia, NY | 81 | 22 | 8.8 | 444 | +0.2% |
| 5Greenfield, MA | 81 | 44 | 13.9 | 288 | −0.3% |
| 6Putnam, CT | 81 | 77 | 19.5 | 224 | +3.0% |
| 7Shelbyville, TN | 81 | 31 | 15.9 | 209 | +9.7% |
| 8Lewistown, PA | 80 | 15 | 8.1 | 455 | 0.0% |
| 9Indiana, PA | 80 | 28 | 8.6 | 427 | −0.3% |
| 10Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA | 80 | 46 | 17.5 | 216 | +2.3% |
| 11Bonham, TX | 80 | 23 | 18.0 | 192 | +9.2% |
| 12Selinsgrove, PA | 79 | 13 | 8.9 | 434 | −0.2% |
| 13Lock Haven, PA | 79 | 20 | 13.0 | 288 | +1.3% |
| 14Blackfoot, ID | 79 | 23 | 14.3 | 281 | +6.4% |
| 15St. Marys, PA | 78 | 8 | 6.0 | 625 | −3.3% |
| 16Sunbury, PA | 78 | 40 | 8.7 | 434 | −1.7% |
| 17Corning, NY | 78 | 47 | 12.0 | 321 | −1.6% |
| 18Fallon, NV | 78 | 17 | 17.9 | 226 | +1.1% |
| 19Sayre, PA | 77 | 34 | 13.8 | 276 | −0.6% |
| 20Amsterdam, NY | 77 | 30 | 15.3 | 249 | +1.1% |
| 21Dumas, TX | 77 | 10 | 14.0 | 228 | +3.0% |
| 22Española, NM | 76 | 10 | 6.4 | 575 | −1.0% |
| 23Huntingdon, PA | 76 | 14 | 8.6 | 444 | −2.4% |
| 24Massena-Ogdensburg, NY | 76 | 49 | 11.8 | 319 | −2.5% |
| 25Auburn, NY | 76 | 43 | 13.6 | 284 | −2.3% |
Top 25 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Perry County, PA | 88 | 10 | 5.5 | 747 | +2.1% |
| 2Lincoln County, WA | 87 | 6 | 12.4 | 314 | +9.7% |
| 3Warren County, NJ | 87 | 70 | 15.4 | 291 | +3.2% |
| 4Liberty County, TX | 86 | 41 | 13.1 | 258 | +31.3% |
| 5West Baton Rouge Parish, LA | 85 | 7 | 6.4 | 553 | +5.5% |
| 6Torrance County, NM | 85 | 6 | 9.9 | 363 | +6.9% |
| 7Yuba County, CA | 85 | 32 | 11.2 | 359 | +8.2% |
| 8Millard County, UT | 85 | 6 | 13.8 | 280 | +7.7% |
| 9Caroline County, VA | 85 | 16 | 13.3 | 275 | +11.3% |
| 10Orange County, VT | 83 | 9 | 7.1 | 588 | +2.4% |
| 11San Jacinto County, TX | 83 | 11 | 10.1 | 321 | +7.1% |
| 12Chambers County, TX | 83 | 29 | 16.8 | 237 | +22.6% |
| 13Schoharie County, NY | 82 | 14 | 10.9 | 362 | +1.4% |
| 14Wyoming County, PA | 81 | 5 | 4.6 | 861 | −0.9% |
| 15Adams County, PA | 81 | 50 | 12.2 | 343 | +3.6% |
| 16Schenectady County, NY | 81 | 99 | 14.8 | 281 | +3.0% |
| 17Jerome County, ID | 81 | 14 | 16.9 | 233 | +8.6% |
| 18Hickman County, TN | 80 | 5 | 5.3 | 620 | +5.0% |
| 19Hawkins County, TN | 80 | 17 | 7.2 | 430 | +5.0% |
| 20Union County, TN | 80 | 6 | 7.6 | 421 | +8.1% |
| 21Allegany County, NY | 80 | 19 | 10.7 | 345 | +0.9% |
| 22Minidoka County, ID | 80 | 10 | 12.3 | 309 | +5.7% |
| 23Madison County, GA | 80 | 12 | 10.7 | 302 | +8.8% |
| 24Harrison County, KY | 80 | 8 | 11.0 | 300 | +4.9% |
| 25Fayette County, TN | 80 | 21 | 12.2 | 297 | +7.7% |
Scored: 387 metro areas, 536 small-town markets and 2,229 counties, each with at least 5 real estate businesses on map listings (counties: 10,000 people or more). Housing spending per listing is all rent and homeowner costs over the listings, as an index where 100 is the U.S. Each market has its own page, reached from its state below.
Excel · free with an account
Every market in one Excel file
Real estate figures for all 387 metro areas, 538 small-town markets, 3,144 counties and 51 states: the Groundwork market score and rank, map listings and chains, household spending, businesses with payroll, employees and payroll, one-person businesses, SBA-backed loans, population, income and home value, each linked to its page. Sorted, filterable and ready to screen.
Real estate by state
Every market in each state ranked, with the state’s highest-scoring metro area.
- AlabamaTop metro area: Decatur metro area · 74
- AlaskaTop metro area: Fairbanks-College metro area · 48
- ArizonaTop metro area: Yuma metro area · 64
- ArkansasTop metro area: Fort Smith metro area · 50
- CaliforniaTop metro area: Merced metro area · 79
- ColoradoTop metro area: Greeley metro area · 75
- ConnecticutTop metro area: Waterbury-Shelton metro area · 81
- DelawareTop metro area: Dover metro area · 55
- District of ColumbiaTop metro area: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area · 47
- FloridaTop metro area: Wildwood-The Villages metro area · 68
- GeorgiaTop metro area: Dalton metro area · 76
- HawaiiTop metro area: Urban Honolulu metro area · 49
- IdahoTop metro area: Lewiston metro area · 60
- IllinoisTop metro area: Decatur metro area · 58
- IndianaTop metro area: Terre Haute metro area · 62
- IowaTop metro area: Davenport-Moline-Rock Island metro area · 56
- KansasTop metro area: Topeka metro area · 44
- KentuckyTop metro area: Bowling Green metro area · 59
- LouisianaTop metro area: Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux metro area · 63
- MaineTop metro area: Lewiston-Auburn metro area · 68
- MarylandTop metro area: Hagerstown-Martinsburg metro area · 69
- MassachusettsTop metro area: Amherst Town-Northampton metro area · 90
- MichiganTop metro area: Monroe metro area · 68
- MinnesotaTop metro area: Duluth metro area · 51
- MississippiTop metro area: Gulfport-Biloxi metro area · 48
- MissouriTop metro area: Jefferson City metro area · 59
- MontanaTop metro area: Great Falls metro area · 46
- NebraskaTop metro area: Grand Island metro area · 53
- NevadaTop metro area: Reno metro area · 39
- New HampshireTop metro area: Manchester-Nashua metro area · 61
- New JerseyTop metro area: Vineland metro area · 76
- New MexicoTop metro area: Las Cruces metro area · 68
- New YorkTop metro area: Albany-Schenectady-Troy metro area · 76
- North CarolinaTop metro area: Rocky Mount metro area · 68
- North DakotaTop metro area: Grand Forks metro area · 50
- OhioTop metro area: Springfield metro area · 61
- OklahomaTop metro area: Tulsa metro area · 48
- OregonTop metro area: Albany metro area · 62
- PennsylvaniaTop metro area: Gettysburg metro area · 87
- Rhode IslandTop metro area: Providence-Warwick metro area · 64
- South CarolinaTop metro area: Spartanburg metro area · 65
- South DakotaTop metro area: Sioux Falls metro area · 38
- TennesseeTop metro area: Morristown metro area · 72
- TexasTop metro area: Odessa metro area · 81
- UtahTop metro area: Provo-Orem-Lehi metro area · 56
- VermontTop metro area: Burlington-South Burlington metro area · 60
- VirginiaTop metro area: Harrisonburg metro area · 57
- WashingtonTop metro area: Yakima metro area · 69
- West VirginiaTop metro area: Huntington-Ashland metro area · 62
- WisconsinTop metro area: Fond du Lac metro area · 63
- WyomingTop metro area: Cheyenne metro area · 36
Related business types
- Real estate agents and brokers394,854 listings
- Property management38,749 listings
- Mortgage brokers and lenders55,169 listings
- Home inspectors8,200 listings
Questions
Which metro areas have the highest market score for real estate businesses?
The top 5 are Amherst Town-Northampton, MA (90); Gettysburg, PA (87); Reading, PA (82); Lebanon, PA (81); and Odessa, TX (81). The score compares each of 387 scored metro areas with the others for real estate businesses.
How many real estate businesses are in the U.S.?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 496,973 real estate businesses in the U.S. 29,979 of them (6%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 312,164 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023, up 15.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,704,073 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do U.S. households spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $2.2T a year, or $16,661 per household. For the 496,973 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is in line with the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses take in. It is estimated from the incomes of the 129,209,336 households in the U.S. and national spending patterns by income.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Markets with fewer than 5 map listings of the type, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address anywhere in the U.S. It maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
All business types and every U.S. market · How we measure
Screening a site or an acquisition?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.