18 states represented in this shortlist.
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Ranking
Best Places to Buy a House Research Shortlist
A buyer-oriented shortlist using ACS owner-occupied home value where available, affordability labels, population momentum, and city scale while mortgage, property-tax, insurance, and live listing layers remain queued. Rankings are transparent research aids. Verify rent, wages, school programs, crime, commute, taxes, and neighborhood details before making a relocation decision.
Oak Grove, Missouri is first under this page's stated ordering.
Median transparent recent-grad fit score across the displayed cities.
$1,274 median rent among covered rows.
How to use this shortlist
A buyer-oriented shortlist using ACS owner-occupied home value where available, affordability labels, population momentum, and city scale while mortgage, property-tax, insurance, and live listing layers remain queued. The order is a research screen, not a promise that the first city fits every household. Open a city profile, run the affordability calculator, and verify current housing, salary, neighborhood safety, school boundaries, taxes, insurance, and commute details before deciding.
| City | Catalog | Grad fit | Median rent | Median income | 2025 population | City unemployment | Growth | Jobs | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Grove, Missouri | 2025 population #3360 | 76/100 | $1,044 | $75,102 | 9,370 | 6.5% | +14.88% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Bridgeport, Pennsylvania | 2025 population #4530 | 81/100 | $1,242 | $82,705 | 5,758 | 3.1% | +14.79% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Eureka, Missouri | 2025 population #2609 | 83/100 | $1,252 | $108,394 | 13,422 | 3.4% | +14.74% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Bluffdale, Utah | 2025 population #1989 | 84/100 | $1,915 | $129,531 | 19,506 | 2.6% | +14.65% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Spanish Fork, Utah | 2025 population #847 | 85/100 | $1,489 | $104,844 | 48,837 | 2.3% | +14.59% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Castle Rock, Colorado | 2025 population #437 | 84/100 | $2,000 | $145,197 | 83,815 | 4.4% | +14.56% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| North Branch, Minnesota | 2025 population #2772 | 73/100 | $1,308 | $90,456 | 12,398 | 4.1% | +14.51% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Elburn, Illinois | 2025 population #4042 | 78/100 | $1,708 | $127,731 | 7,084 | 0.5% | +14.48% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Nixa, Missouri | 2025 population #1516 | 80/100 | $1,083 | $83,385 | 26,597 | 3.2% | +14.39% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Lake St. Louis, Missouri | 2025 population #2015 | 84/100 | $1,588 | $125,693 | 19,129 | 4.7% | +14.39% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Ankeny, Iowa | Iowa coverage | 85/100 | $1,319 | $108,198 | 77,833 | 1.9% | +14.29% | strong | rent-friendly |
| Nolensville, Tennessee | 2025 population #2334 | 80/100 | $2,454 | $177,148 | 15,789 | 2.4% | +14.27% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Rigby, Idaho | 2025 population #4531 | 85/100 | $1,180 | $85,056 | 5,757 | 2.2% | +14.25% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Hobart, Wisconsin | 2025 population #2884 | 85/100 | $1,278 | $103,440 | 11,674 | 0.5% | +14.18% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Columbiana, Alabama | 2025 population #4835 | 75/100 | $940 | $80,546 | 5,106 | 5.0% | +14.15% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Pickerington, Ohio | 2025 population #1537 | 81/100 | $1,605 | $111,833 | 26,333 | 3.5% | +14.14% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Taneytown, Maryland | 2025 population #3671 | 74/100 | $1,059 | $87,621 | 8,259 | 4.0% | +14.14% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Addis, Louisiana | 2025 population #3846 | 76/100 | $1,273 | $108,041 | 7,679 | 1.8% | +14.08% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Lakeville, Minnesota | Minnesota coverage | 81/100 | $1,806 | $139,041 | 79,270 | 2.0% | +14.06% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Bixby, Oklahoma | 2025 population #1260 | 79/100 | $1,393 | $104,404 | 32,766 | 3.7% | +14.03% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Clover, South Carolina | 2025 population #3850 | 76/100 | $841 | $85,450 | 7,659 | 4.8% | +13.97% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Fruitland Park, Florida | 2025 population #3311 | 76/100 | $1,221 | $82,656 | 9,543 | 3.8% | +13.88% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Ephraim, Utah | 2025 population #4284 | 85/100 | $928 | $66,541 | 6,393 | 10.5% | +13.77% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Kanab, Utah | 2025 population #4719 | 83/100 | $986 | $85,486 | 5,332 | 4.7% | +13.66% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Peculiar, Missouri | 2025 population #4294 | 76/100 | $1,275 | $94,519 | 6,365 | 4.1% | +13.60% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Blanchard, Oklahoma | 2025 population #3223 | 76/100 | $962 | $91,473 | 10,013 | 10.1% | +13.54% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Holmen, Wisconsin | 2025 population #2819 | 80/100 | $1,175 | $79,899 | 12,105 | 0.3% | +13.42% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Medina, Tennessee | 2025 population #4504 | 81/100 | $1,206 | $107,807 | 5,813 | 3.3% | +13.42% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Battle Ground, Washington | 2025 population #1696 | 74/100 | $1,576 | $104,977 | 23,513 | 3.7% | +13.24% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Tega Cay, South Carolina | 2025 population #2470 | 81/100 | $1,408 | $142,000 | 14,457 | 2.2% | +13.11% | competitive | rent-friendly |