Omaha, Nebraska Named Hottest U.S. Housing Market

U.S. News Housing Market Index ranking compares demand, supply and financial health

LONG BEACH, CA, UNITED STATES, April 4, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A recently updated ranking published by U.S. News & World Report in collaboration with MetroIntelligence Principal Patrick S. Duffy has cited the Omaha, Nebraska Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) as the hottest housing market in the United States for the first time.

Omaha was followed by two markets in Texas and one each in South Carolina and Colorado. Ranking from sixth to 10th place (with a tie for eighth place) were more MSAs in Texas and South Carolina, as well as in Missouri and Michigan.

The ranking was compiled using the U.S. News Housing Market Index for January 2025, an interactive data set that aggregates a large variety of public and private data points categorized by their impacts on housing demand, supply and financing. Index values range on a scale of 1-100 with 100 being the hottest. The index is also cited in two other recent updates by Duffy on the most overvalued and undervalued U.S. housing markets based on local incomes.

“Although I was a bit surprised to see Omaha taking the top spot for the first time, the local experts with whom I spoke certainly didn’t think so,” says Duffy, who frequently contributes to U.S. News & World Report as a Senior Real Estate Economist. “From robust economic development efforts by the Chamber of Commerce and an extremely active president of the Omaha Area Board of Realtors, to a home builder of semi-custom homes who is grateful for the camaraderie offered by his competitors at the Metro Omaha Builders Association, it was easy to get a sense of why this ‘big small town where handshakes mean something’ is becoming more than a sleeper hit.”

The report also includes several other rankings, including “Markets to Watch” and “Most Resilient Markets” as well as how top-ranking MSAs performed in terms of specific demand, supply and financing variables. The Markets to Watch list is led by Orlando and St. Louis, reporting the largest positive rising Housing Market Index between last June and January. Coming in first and second on the Most Resilient Markets list are Columbia, South Carolina and Kansas City, Missouri, with their index scores rising the most year-over-year through January.

The Demand HMI, which looks at data on employment, unemployment, household growth, consumer sentiment, median home sales prices and rental prices, was led by Greeley, Colorado, Austin, Texas and Boise City, Oklahoma.

The Supply HMI, which compiles data on housing supply, rental vacancy rates, construction costs, construction jobs, builder sentiment and architectural billings, ranked the Philadelphia area in first place and was followed by New York, Charleston and Orlando.

The Financial HMI, which analyzes government data on housing supply, rental vacancy rates, construction costs, construction jobs, builder sentiment from the National Association of Home Builders and architectural billings from the American Institute of Architects, saw Omaha jump to first place, which was partly why it also led the overall HMI list for January. Tying for second place on the Financial HMI were Minneapolis, Detroit and St. Louis.

“It seems pretty clear that if you’re looking for an enjoyable place to call home with relatively affordable housing, you should generally head to the Midwest or South,” adds Duffy. “What Omaha seems to provide is the type of stability that lends itself to economic resilience and an ability to plan for the future.”

About MetroIntelligence:
MetroIntelligence is an economics consulting firm focused on land use, and also provides public relations and corporate communications services to clients working in homebuilding, real estate development, finance and sales. Company founder and real estate economist Patrick S. Duffy began contributing to U.S. News & World Report in 2022, initially focusing on economics and other trends related to the housing market as well as analyzing their Housing Market Index. In late 2023, Duffy was promoted to U.S. News Senior Real Estate Economist to expand his portfolio to include multifamily housing as well as other commercial real estate sectors. For more information on MetroIntelligence, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/metrointelligence/.

Sean McNerney
MetroIntelligence
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