Midwest Markets Dominate Zillow’s 2025 “Most Popular” Housing Rankings

Zillow has released its annual ranking of the markets that drew the most shopper interest on the platform in 2025, based on a combination of page-view traffic, home value growth, and how quickly homes sell. Zillow Research’s “Most Popular Markets on Zillow in 2025” report places Midwest and Northeast cities at the center of buyer attention, with Rockford, Illinois, taking the No. 1 spot overall.

For real estate professionals, the rankings provide insight into where online demand is concentrated, and which markets are attracting out-of-area interest even as conditions vary by region.

How Zillow ranked the most popular markets

To compile the list, Zillow analyzed cities across the U.S. using housing metrics intended to reflect consumer demand, including page-view traffic, home value growth, and how quickly homes sell. The report focuses on cities with a population of at least 100,000 people (using 2023 American Community Survey data). Also, it publishes separate rankings for large cities (250,000+), coastal cities, small towns, and other categories.

See Zillow’s full methodology and definitions for details on the thresholds and category definitions.

Top 10 most popular housing markets of 2025

Zillow’s top 10 list includes one West Coast market (Berkeley, California) and nine markets in the Midwest, Northeast and Texas:

1. Rockford, Illinois
2. Berkeley, California
3. Albany, New York
4. Dearborn, Michigan
5. Toledo, Ohio
6. Carmel, Indiana
7. South Bend, Indiana
8. Abilene, Texas
9. Springfield, Illinois
10. Allentown, Pennsylvania

What the list signals for the real estate industry

Zillow’s report points to a set of market traits that show up repeatedly in the highest-ranked cities. Most of the top 10 have typical home values under $350,000, and many sit near major job centers or commuter corridors – conditions that can expand the pool of shoppers while keeping price points within reach for a broader range of buyers.

Rockford illustrates the dynamic Zillow is measuring: the city is about 90 minutes northwest of Chicago, and Zillow reports that more than three out of five page views came from shoppers outside the area. At the same time, homes typically went under contract in five days. Zillow’s analysis also names Toledo, Ohio, as the most popular large city (250,000+), citing a typical home value of $126,000 and continued interest among shoppers seeking relative affordability.

Zillow notes that many top-ranked markets are not only drawing clicks but also seeing quick movement into pending status, an indicator that buyer activity is translating into faster timelines for desirable listings.

Operational implications for agents and brokerages

• Out-of-area demand may be a larger share of the lead mix. Zillow reports that several top markets drew a high share of page views from shoppers outside their metros, which can increase the value of virtual tours, rapid follow-up, and clear neighborhood-level marketing.
• Faster decision cycles can raise the cost of delays. Zillow reports that homes in many top markets went pending in days rather than weeks, emphasizing the importance of listing prep, pricing discipline, and buyer readiness (pre-approval, proof of funds, inspection strategy).
• Lifestyle features are increasingly central to search behavior. Zillow’s 2025 “Zeitgeist” review of on-platform search activity found rising interest in outdoor and experience-driven terms such as pool, patio, view, lake, and waterfront, alongside declining interest in luxury-oriented terms like “mansion” and “acreage.”
• Flexible living space is a growing theme in buyer searches. Zillow reported increased searches for ADUs and guest-house-type spaces in 2025, aligning with interest in multigenerational living and potential rental income.

What to watch next

Zillow’s popularity rankings reflect online demand, not closed transactions. Still, they can help real estate professionals benchmark where attention is moving and which market attributes are resonating with shoppers. Teams operating in these markets may want to track whether elevated interest is accompanied by sustained fewer days on market and tighter competition for well-positioned listings into early 2026.