Statistics · 2026 · Real Estate
Price Per Square Foot Statistics (2026)
Realtor.com reports a median listing price of $223 per square foot for U.S. homes in September 2026, 1.7% below a year earlier. These are asking prices, not sale prices. Across 789 metros with 100 or more listings, the median metro sits at $186, and metro figures run from $75 to $2,341.
Key takeaways
- Realtor.com reports a median listing price of $223 per square foot in September 2026, −1.7% from a year earlier.
- The median metro with 100 or more listings asks $186 per square foot, with a median listing size of 1,822 square feet.
- Aspen, CO is the most expensive metro at $2,341 per square foot, and Macomb, IL the cheapest at $75.
- All figures are asking prices on listings, not sale prices.
What is the average price per square foot in the U.S.?
Realtor.com reports a national median listing price of $223 per square foot for September 2026, down 1.7% from a year earlier. The figure is a median, not an average, and it covers asking prices on active listings. In WealthyBud's data the median metro with 100 or more listings is $186.
1. Realtor.com: median listing price per square foot is $223, −1.7% year over year
The Realtor.com Research September 2026 housing report shows $223 against a median listing price of $419,250 (−1.4% year over year), and a month-over-month change of −0.6%.
2. Regional medians run from $180 in the Midwest to $317 in the West
The same report gives Northeast $293, Midwest $180, South $201, West $317. Only the Midwest rose year over year (+1.7%).
3. The report finds listing price per square foot falling in 37 of the 50 largest metros
Realtor.com says a greater share of smaller homes are for sale than a year ago, "implying that inventory composition plays a large role in the headline numbers".
4. Median metro: $186 per square foot
Across 789 metros with 100 or more active listings, the median metro's median listing price per square foot is $186, against a median listing price of $340,563. 244 metros sit above Realtor.com's national $223 and 192 are below $150; the national figure is Realtor.com's median for its national geography, so the comparison is a rough guide. 151 metros with fewer than 100 active listings are excluded (WealthyBud data · 789 metros · September 2026).
Which measure this is. Realtor.com defines it this way in its data dictionary: “The median listing price per square foot within the specified geography during the specified month.” It is the median of listings’ own price per foot. WealthyBud does not derive it from median price and median size; every price per foot here is Realtor.com’s figure.
Which metros cost the most per square foot?
Aspen, CO has the highest median listing price per square foot at $2,341, followed by Nantucket, MA at $1,912 and Malibu, CA at $1,643. The ranking covers 787 metros with 100 or more active listings. Of the ten, 8 have fewer than 500 active listings, so read the list with the listing counts in mind.
5. Aspen, CO leads at $2,341 per square foot
The top three are Aspen, CO, Nantucket, MA and Malibu, CA. The leader's asking price per foot is 31 times that of the cheapest metro, Macomb, IL ($75) (WealthyBud data · 787 metros · September 2026).
6. The top ten spans 5 states: CA (3), CO (2), HI (2), MA (2), NY (1)
The ten have a median listing size of 2,381 square feet, against 1,822 for the median metro. 2 records in the guarded pool repeat another record's figures under a second name (Edwards with Vail; Martha's Vineyard with Vineyard Haven); they stay in the medians and are shown once in ranked lists (WealthyBud data · 787 metros · September 2026).
| Metro | Median listing price per sq ft | Median size | Median listing price | Active listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Aspen, CO | $2,341 | 1,870 sq ft | $3,372,500 | 451 |
| 2. Nantucket, MA | $1,912 | 3,609 sq ft | $5,873,250 | 145 |
| 3. Malibu, CA | $1,643 | 3,388 sq ft | $5,890,000 | 321 |
| 4. Telluride, CO | $1,558 | 2,603 sq ft | $3,400,000 | 272 |
| 5. Newport Beach, CA | $1,379 | 3,137 sq ft | $4,483,500 | 116 |
| 6. Martha's Vineyard, MA (also listed as Vineyard Haven) | $1,130 | 2,304 sq ft | $2,495,000 | 260 |
| 7. The Hamptons, NY | $1,115 | 2,457 sq ft | $2,971,250 | 224 |
| 8. Kapaa, HI | $1,019 | 1,429 sq ft | $1,507,750 | 385 |
| 9. Kahului, HI | $894 | 1,025 sq ft | $995,000 | 1,367 |
| 10. Santa Barbara, CA | $861 | 2,052 sq ft | $1,720,750 | 718 |
7. Realtor.com: the largest per-square-foot gains among the 50 largest metros were Providence, Indianapolis and Hartford
The September 2026 report lists Providence (+8.4%), Indianapolis (+4.7%) and Hartford (+3.6%) as the largest year-over-year gains in median list price per square foot; Austin (−8.4%) had the largest decline.
Sort metros by price, size and yield
Which metros cost the least per square foot?
Macomb, IL has the lowest median listing price per square foot at $75, then Johnstown, PA at $78 and Canton, IL at $80. The ranking covers 787 metros with 100 or more active listings. The cheapest metros sit well below the $223 national median.
8. Macomb, IL is lowest at $75 per square foot
Illinois holds 4 of the ten lowest figures, and the ten have a median listing size of 1,590 square feet (WealthyBud data · 787 metros · September 2026).
- Macomb, IL : $75 per square foot, 112 active listings.
- Johnstown, PA : $78 per square foot, 245 active listings.
- Canton, IL : $80 per square foot, 117 active listings (tied with Danville, IL).
- Danville, IL : $80 per square foot, 150 active listings (tied with Canton, IL).
- Greenville, MS : $81 per square foot, 105 active listings.
How big is the typical home for sale?
The median metro's median listing is 1,822 square feet. Realtor.com's data dictionary defines the measure as the median square footage of listed homes. Census Bureau data puts the median new single-family home completed in 2025 at 2,142 square feet, a separate measure for new construction.
9. Median metro listing size: 1,822 square feet
Realtor.com defines it as “The median listing square feet within the specified geography during the specified month.” Across 789 metros with 100 or more listings, metro medians run from 912 to 3,609 square feet. 15 metros are at 2,500 or more and 38 are under 1,500 (WealthyBud data · 789 metros · September 2026).
10. Largest listings: Nantucket, MA at 3,609 square feet
The largest are Nantucket, MA (3,609), Malibu, CA (3,388) and Newport Beach, CA (3,137). The smallest are Honolulu, HI (912), Kahului, HI (1,025) and Ottumwa, IA (1,284) (WealthyBud data · 787 metros · September 2026).
11. New single-family homes completed in 2025: median 2,142 square feet
The Census Bureau Characteristics of New Housing reports: “The median size of a completed single-family home was 2,142 square feet.” It covers 1,005,000 new homes completed in 2025, not homes listed in September 2026, so this page does not rank the two measures against each other.
12. Size and price per foot: Spearman correlation 0.24 (weak)
Across 789 metros, the rank correlation between median listing size and price per square foot is 0.24. This describes a pattern, not a cause (WealthyBud data · 789 metros · September 2026).
How does price per square foot vary by state?
Hawaii has the highest state median at $800 per square foot, followed by Massachusetts and California. Illinois is lowest at $117. Each state figure is the median of its metros, and only 47 states with at least three qualifying metros are ranked.
13. Hawaii leads states at $800 per square foot
The top three are Hawaii ($800, 4 metros), Massachusetts ($381, 10 metros) and California ($333, 36 metros). Each figure is the median of a state's metro medians, not a state-wide figure. 4 states or districts with fewer than three qualifying metros are left out, and a metro in two states counts under its principal city's state (WealthyBud data · 783 metros · September 2026).
14. Illinois is lowest at $117
The three lowest are Illinois ($117, 18 metros), West Virginia ($119, 9 metros) and Oklahoma ($131, 17 metros). 18 of the 47 ranked states have a median above Realtor.com's national $223; with only a few metros behind some states, treat small gaps as noise (WealthyBud data · 783 metros · September 2026).
Does price per square foot track incomes?
In part. Metros in the highest-income fifth have a median listing price of $264 per square foot, against $149 in the lowest-income fifth. The rank correlation across 775 metros is 0.61. This compares September 2026 asking prices with 2019–2023 survey incomes.
15. Median price per foot rises from $149 to $264 across income fifths
Metros are ranked on Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year median household income (2019–2023) and split into five groups of 155. Each higher group has a higher median price per square foot. The top fifth is 1.8 times the bottom fifth (WealthyBud data · 775 metros · September 2026).
| Income fifth | Median household income range | Metros | Median price per sq ft | Median size | Median listing price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fifth 1 (lowest income) | $38,182 to $56,658 | 155 | $149 | 1,781 sq ft | $269,975 |
| Fifth 2 | $56,673 to $63,115 | 155 | $159 | 1,768 sq ft | $281,000 |
| Fifth 3 | $63,152 to $69,311 | 155 | $178 | 1,821 sq ft | $317,798 |
| Fifth 4 | $69,378 to $77,884 | 155 | $206 | 1,850 sq ft | $385,398 |
| Fifth 5 (highest income) | $77,979 to $157,444 | 155 | $264 | 1,947 sq ft | $507,950 |
16. Rank correlation between income and price per foot: 0.61 (strong)
Incomes are a five-year survey average ending in 2023; prices are September 2026 asking prices. The correlation between income and listing size is 0.29 (weak). These figures describe association only. 14 guarded metros have no ACS income field and are excluded (WealthyBud data · 775 metros · September 2026).
What this means for buyers, sellers and investors
For buyers, compare homes on price per square foot only within one market and one size range. Metro figures run from $75 to $2,341, so a national number says little about your search.
For sellers, an asking price per foot is a claim, not a result. Check closed sales and home price appreciation statistics before you price.
For investors, price per foot compares markets with different home sizes; pair it with rents and yields in the market screener. For the state view, see housing market by state statistics.
More Real Estate statistics
Housing Affordability Statistics (2026)
Price-to-income ratios for U.S. metros in 2026 — the least and most affordable housing markets, computed from public income and price data.
View ResearchHome Price Appreciation Statistics (2026)
How fast U.S. home prices have grown over one, five and ten years across hundreds of metros, from FHFA and listing data.
View ResearchU.S. Housing Market Statistics (2026)
Key U.S. housing-market numbers for 2026 — prices, inventory, mortgage rates and yields across 950 metros, from public data.
View HubAll U.S. Housing Markets
950 metros scored, mapped and forecast from public data.
View