| # | Metro | Investor Score | Median list price | List price YoY | Gross yield | Momentum | Value | Supply stability | Heat | 12-mo outlook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peoria, IL | 82 | $179,300 | -0.4% | 6.95% | 46 | 86 | 99 | 91 | Rising (+4.0%) |
| 2 | Chicago, IL | 80 | $389,450 | +4.6% | 5.37% | 63 | 68 | 97 | 94 | Rising (+4.8%) |
| 3 | Erie, PA | 79 | $234,913 | +0.1% | 6.19% | 49 | 67 | 98 | 94 | Rising (+3.5%) |
| 4 | Reading, PA | 79 | $327,400 | 0.0% | 5.77% | 64 | 58 | 90 | 98 | Rising (+4.1%) |
| 5 | Rochester, NY | 78 | $298,350 | +4.7% | 6.33% | 60 | 52 | 89 | 100 | Rising (+3.4%) |
| 6 | Davenport, IA | 76 | $239,900 | +6.0% | 5.72% | 47 | 86 | 80 | 85 | Rising (+2.9%) |
| 7 | Hartford, CT | 76 | $449,900 | +1.2% | 4.97% | 60 | 50 | 100 | 99 | Rising (+4.0%) |
| 8 | Albany, NY | 74 | $419,975 | -3.9% | 4.86% | 48 | 69 | 96 | 89 | Rising (+3.3%) |
| 9 | Allentown, PA | 74 | $412,225 | +3.1% | 4.85% | 67 | 45 | 95 | 94 | Rising (+4.2%) |
| 10 | Norwich, CT | 74 | $469,974 | +4.4% | 4.76% | 74 | 32 | 99 | 96 | Rising (+4.6%) |
| 11 | Waterbury, CT | 74 | $404,450 | 0.0% | 5.30% | 59 | 42 | 96 | 96 | Rising (+3.3%) |
| 12 | Rockford, IL | 73 | $268,500 | +7.4% | 5.25% | 57 | 40 | 97 | 97 | Rising (+3.1%) |
| 13 | Beaumont, TX | 72 | $235,041 | 0.0% | 5.63% | 74 | 87 | 51 | 50 | Rising (+3.9%) |
| 14 | Cedar Rapids, IA | 72 | $320,875 | +21.1% | 3.92% | 67 | 76 | 87 | 90 | Rising (+5.0%) |
| 15 | Baltimore, MD | 71 | $375,000 | -2.6% | 5.94% | 34 | 87 | 68 | 82 | Flat (+1.0%) |
| 16 | Harrisburg, PA | 71 | $326,859 | -5.3% | 5.48% | 43 | 73 | 72 | 91 | Flat (+1.5%) |
| 17 | Lancaster, PA | 71 | $400,525 | -2.3% | 4.57% | 58 | 56 | 85 | 98 | Rising (+3.1%) |
| 18 | York, PA | 71 | $366,495 | +4.6% | 4.37% | 64 | 62 | 79 | 96 | Rising (+3.6%) |
| 19 | Detroit, MI | 70 | $274,950 | 0.0% | 6.17% | 42 | 85 | 67 | 70 | Flat (+1.6%) |
| 20 | Huntington, WV | 70 | $212,450 | -5.6% | 5.51% | 30 | 85 | 96 | 54 | Rising (+2.2%) |
| 21 | New Haven, CT | 70 | $425,000 | -10.1% | 5.56% | 38 | 47 | 95 | 94 | Flat (+1.4%) |
| 22 | Philadelphia, PA | 70 | $374,950 | -2.6% | 5.79% | 50 | 72 | 72 | 72 | Rising (+2.2%) |
| 23 | Shreveport, LA | 70 | $239,950 | -3.7% | 5.56% | 54 | 82 | 75 | 48 | Rising (+3.2%) |
| 24 | Syracuse, NY | 70 | $304,894 | +2.9% | 5.48% | 43 | 56 | 83 | 91 | Flat (+1.5%) |
| 25 | Scranton, PA | 69 | $271,500 | +3.6% | 5.53% | 47 | 62 | 87 | 66 | Rising (+2.4%) |
Investor ranking · September 2026 data
Where are the best places to invest in real estate in 2026?
Peoria, IL is the best place to invest in real estate among large U.S. metros, scoring 82 of 100 on the WealthyBud Investor Score as of September 2026. Chicago, IL (80) and Erie, PA (79) follow. We scored 198 metros with at least 250,000 residents on price momentum, value, rental yield, supply and market heat.
How does WealthyBud rank the best places to invest in real estate?
The Investor Score blends five public-data subscores, each a 0–100 percentile: momentum 25%, value 20%, rental yield 20%, supply stability 20% and market heat 15%. A higher score means a metro ranks well on more of them at once. It is a screening signal built from September 2026 data, not a forecast or advice.
Supply stability is 100 minus the supply-risk subscore, which compares active listings with the same month of 2019. Yield uses HUD two-bedroom fair market rents against the median list price. The full definitions, including how momentum folds in BLS job growth, are on the methodology page.
Which metros score highest for real estate investors?
Peoria, IL leads the 198 large metros at 82, ahead of Chicago, IL at 80 and Erie, PA at 79. Only 24 of the 198 score 70 or higher, and the median large metro scores 52. The top 25 skew toward PA, CT, IL.
What puts the top five on top:
- Peoria, IL (82): momentum 46, value 86, yield 98, supply stability 99, heat 91; median list price $179,300.
- Chicago, IL (80): momentum 63, value 68, yield 87, supply stability 97, heat 94; median list price $389,450.
- Erie, PA (79): momentum 49, value 67, yield 96, supply stability 98, heat 94; median list price $234,913.
- Reading, PA (79): momentum 64, value 58, yield 92, supply stability 90, heat 98; median list price $327,400.
- Rochester, NY (78): momentum 60, value 52, yield 97, supply stability 89, heat 100; median list price $298,350.
What are the best large cities for real estate investing?
Among the 60 metros with at least one million residents, Chicago, IL scores highest at 80, followed by Rochester, NY at 78 and Hartford, CT at 76. Big metros rarely top the overall list because their prices cut into value and yield.
| # | Metro | Investor Score | Population | Median list price | Gross yield | Inventory vs 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago, IL | 80 | 9,359,555 | $389,450 | 5.37% | 40% |
| 2 | Rochester, NY | 78 | 1,058,875 | $298,350 | 6.33% | 55% |
| 3 | Hartford, CT | 76 | 1,144,012 | $449,900 | 4.97% | 30% |
| 4 | Baltimore, MD | 71 | 2,839,409 | $375,000 | 5.94% | 75% |
| 5 | Detroit, MI | 70 | 4,367,620 | $274,950 | 6.17% | 76% |
| 6 | Philadelphia, PA | 70 | 6,241,882 | $374,950 | 5.79% | 72% |
| 7 | Cleveland, OH | 68 | 2,171,978 | $259,900 | 5.86% | 65% |
| 8 | Buffalo, NY | 67 | 1,161,385 | $267,450 | 6.03% | 89% |
| 9 | St. Louis, MO | 65 | 2,809,414 | $285,950 | 5.08% | 78% |
| 10 | Pittsburgh, PA | 64 | 2,443,921 | $245,000 | 6.28% | 84% |
Are the top-ranked markets cheaper and higher-yielding?
Top-ranked markets are cheaper than average. The median list price across the top 25 is $326,859, against $389,474 for all 198 large metros. Where HUD rents exist, the top 25 have a median gross yield of 5.51%, compared with 4.53% overall.
11 of the top 25 have a lower median list price than a year earlier, so a high score can coexist with soft prices when value and yield are strong. For pure yield, see the best places to buy rental property; for low prices alone, see the cheapest places to buy a house.
Which large metros score lowest for investors?
San Juan, PR scores lowest of the 198 large metros at 23, then Bend, OR at 30 and Hickory, NC at 30. Low scores usually combine rising inventory, falling list prices and thin rental yield. A low score flags risk to research, not a market to avoid.
- San Juan, PR scores 23, with inventory at n/a of its 2019 level and a -2.9% year-over-year list-price change.
- Bend, OR scores 30, with inventory at 136% of its 2019 level and a -4.9% year-over-year list-price change.
- Hickory, NC scores 30, with inventory at 169% of its 2019 level and a -1.4% year-over-year list-price change.
- Fayetteville, AR scores 32, with inventory at 154% of its 2019 level and a -0.9% year-over-year list-price change.
- Asheville, NC scores 33, with inventory at 122% of its 2019 level and a 0.0% year-over-year list-price change.
- Crestview, FL scores 34, with inventory at 132% of its 2019 level and a -1.6% year-over-year list-price change.
Check local conditions on the buyer’s vs seller’s market page and the inventory above 2019 list before reading a low score as a warning.
How is this ranking calculated?
Universe: 198 metros with at least 250,000 Census ACS residents, 300 active listings and an Investor Score, out of 933 scored markets. Ranked by score, ties broken alphabetically. Each subscore is a percentile rank across all scored metros; the full formula is on the methodology page.
- Start with every metro that has a published Investor Score (933 markets).
- Keep metros with at least 250,000 residents in the Census ACS and at least 300 active listings.
- Sort by Investor Score, highest first; break ties by metro name.
- Show the top 25, a top 10 for metros with 1,000,000+ residents, and the lowest scorers.
Every metro links to its market page with price history, a rate-scenario payment table and the 12-month outlook. To compare two markets side by side, use compare two metros; to filter all 933 scored markets, use the market screener.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the best place to invest in real estate in 2026?
Among U.S. metros with at least 250,000 residents, Peoria, IL has the highest WealthyBud Investor Score at 82 of 100 as of September 2026. Chicago, IL and Erie, PA rank second and third. The score blends momentum, value, rental yield, supply and market heat.
What is the best large city for real estate investing?
Of the 60 metros with one million or more residents, Chicago, IL scores highest at 80. Rochester, NY (78) and Hartford, CT (76) follow. Large metros tend to score lower on value and yield because prices are higher See the tables and sources on this page.
How is the WealthyBud Investor Score calculated?
It is a weighted average of five percentile subscores: momentum 25%, value 20%, rental yield 20%, supply stability 20% and market heat 15%. Inputs include Realtor.com listings, FHFA prices, HUD rents, Census income and BLS jobs. Weights are renormalized when a subscore is missing.
Is the Investor Score a forecast?
No. It ranks how a metro looks today on public data, as of September 2026. WealthyBud also publishes a separate 12-month outlook, shown in the table, which is labeled model output. Neither predicts what a specific property will earn, and neither is investment advice.
Do the best markets for investing have cheap homes?
Mostly. The median list price of the top 25 large metros is $326,859, below the $389,474 median for all 198. Cheaper prices lift the value and yield subscores. 11 of the top 25 still show a year-over-year list-price decline See the tables and sources on this page.
Can rental properties cash flow in the top-ranked markets?
Sometimes, but check each deal. Where HUD fair market rents exist, the top 25 have a median gross yield of 5.51%. With 30-year mortgage rates at 7.28%, many deals still need a large down payment to cover costs. Run numbers in the deal analyzer.
Key takeaways
- Peoria, IL is the top-scoring large U.S. metro for real estate investors at 82/100 (September 2026).
- Chicago, IL leads the 60 metros with one million or more residents at 80.
- Only 24 of 198 large metros score 70 or higher; the median is 52.
- The top 25 have a median list price of $326,859, below the $389,474 large-metro median.
- The score is a screen built from public data, not a forecast or investment advice.
For education only, not real-estate or investment advice. Scores are data-derived opinions; asking prices are not closed-sale prices.