- Buying a home varies in price from state to state.
- We teamed up with Zillow to find out the average home value in each of the 50 states (plus Washington, DC).
- We also included example listings from both Zillow and Trulia; these properties can help give a better idea of what a home will look like for the average cost in the state it resides.
- Overall, the United States' median home value dropped from nearly $280,000 to $227,000, despite rising costs in the housing market, especially in major cities.
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The average cost of a home varies greatly from state to state.
We teamed up with Zillow to find the median home value of each of the 50 states in the US, including Washington, DC. While there was some fluctuation from last year's numbers, the highest and lowest state medians are the same: West Virginia - the only state with a sub-$100,000 median - remains the cheapest, while Hawaii holds its position as the most expensive.
For some states, this median value is heavily impacted by the typical cost of a starter home. Additionally, many states include notoriously-expensive metro areas that contribute to higher averages, including California's many coastal cities and Washington's unaffordable Seattle neighborhoods due to the tech boom.
Previous reporting from Business Insider's Hillary Hoffower shows Zillow's median home values from last August. Hoffower reported that the median home listing price in the US was $279,500. The most recent numbers, from April 2019, show a median home listing price of $226,800.
Looking at the top ten most expensive averages, all states remain the same - with the notable exception of New York. Ranked No. 7 last year, the Empire State dropped to No. 11, despite rising costs in Manhattan. Alaska swooped in to replace New York, jumping from No. 20 to No. 10 in a single year. Its average rose from around $288,000 to almost $310,000.
Using data from Zillow, we sorted states from lowest to highest average home value. We also noted each state's region size ranking, which represents how big it is population-wise; California is ranked No. 1 with the largest population of all states, while Wyoming is ranked No. 51 (the ranking includes Washington, DC). It's important to remember that these are the average home prices in each state, but what you get for that amount of money varies greatly from city to city, and even neighborhood to neighborhood. Example listings cited from both Zillow and Trulia can help give a better idea of what a home will look like for the average cost in the state it resides.
Keep reading for a complete look at the average home value for listings across the United States.