The era of remote work has faded as employers across the nation summon their employees back to the office.
Similar to how remote work influenced home buying trends, the shift back to the office is also having an impact. Previously thriving hotspots for homebuyers — like Austin, Boise, and Phoenix — are now losing their appeal. Stepping in are budget-friendly suburban cities in the Midwest and Northeast that offer residents greater housing affordability, as well as convenient commutes to their workplaces.
Realtor.com reported America's hottest ZIP codes as of June 2023. Using internal listing data from from January to June 2023, the brokerage ranked homebuying demand.in all 29,000 US ZIP codes. The calculation was based on an algorithm with two distinct inputs: (1) market demand, measured by pageviews per listing and (2) the pace of the market, based on how long listings stayed active.
Topping Realtor.com's list of 2023's hottest US ZIP codes is 43230, belonging to Gahanna,, a central Ohio city of 35,127 residents. Gahanna, also known as the "Herb Capital of Ohio," is only eight miles east of Downtown Columbus and five minutes away from the Columbus International Airport.
The city's popularity is rooted in its proximity to the state capital, as well as its affordable real estate market. According to the brokerage, homes in this ZIP code were priced 12.7% below the national median home price of $445,000, as of June.
"Ohio has gotten more popular this year due to affordability, however Columbus has been popular for a long time," Hannah Jones, a senior economic research analyst at Realtor.com, told Insider. "Those living in Gahanna are close to everything that Columbus has to offer, including its music, art and restaurant scene." Residents of Gahanna enjoy those amenities at a much lower price point than they would in other bustling cities, she said.
If Ohio isn't your vibe, Realtor.com has identified other popular ZIP codes in states like Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania. Read on below.