In Less Than a Decade, You Won’t Be Able To Afford Homes in These ZIP Codes

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Predicting housing prices and waiting for a coveted area to become affordable can feel frustrating for the average new home buyer.

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Prices tend to creep up before they ever come down. According to Zillow, the median home value is $361,282, with a one-year growth projection of 2.9% at the time of reporting. While many ZIP codes across the country still have houses available well under the national median, they likely won’t stay that way for long.

Several once-affordable areas are projected to have soaring housing prices, becoming unaffordable within the decade. If you were thinking about waiting to move, you might want to consider buying in your desired community now before prices skyrocket. 

GOBankingRates looked at cities nationwide to find communities that currently have home values below the national median but are expected to become too expensive over the next 10 years. Here are 15 ZIP codes where you won’t be able to afford homes in less than a decade.

If you’re looking for your next home, consider these affordable small towns that offer a great quality of life.

ZIP Code: 08330 (Mays Landing, New Jersey)

• August home value: $301,570
• Year it will become too expensive: 2027
• 2031 projected home value: $404,928
• 2034 projected home value: $459,442

May’s Landing, New Jersey, is located in Atlantic County. While the city currently has houses that are about $60,000 below the national average, a one-year growth projection of 4.3% means those home values will be creeping up.

It will take until 2031 for them to become unaffordable, so jump sooner than later.

ZIP Code: 72762 (Springdale, Arkansas)

• August home value: $356,499
• Year it will become too expensive: 2026
• 2026 projected home value: $491,285
• 2034 projected home value: $460,820

The ZIP code of 72762 in Springdale, Arkansas currently has homes valued under the U.S. median, and its one year growth rate is only 2.6%.

However, it’s only going to take two years before it climbs above the projected average home value.

ZIP Code: 37716 (Clinton, Tennessee) 

• August home value: $334,446
• Year it will become too expensive: 2030
• 2030 projected home value: $396,451
• 2034 projected home value: $462,011

Many people have considered relocating to Tennessee, seeking beautiful landscapes and lower-priced real estate. Unfortunately, homes throughout the Volunteer State are projected to climb rapidly within the decade.

With a 3.9% one-year growth rate, houses in projected to become unaffordable by 2030.

ZIP Code: 31322(Pooler, Georgia)

• August home value: $354,353
• Year it will become too expensive: 2026
• 2026 projected home value: $373,746
• 2034 projected home value: $462,530

Georgia’s Pooler ZIP code area of 31322 only has a couple of years before it becomes unaffordable. While its one year growth rate of 2.7% doesn’t seem high, it won’t take long before prices rise above the national average.

ZIP Code: 02907 (Providence, Rhode Island)

• August home value: $358,855
• Year it will become too expensive: 2025
• 2025 projected home value: $368,544
• 2034 projected home value: $468,407

If you were thinking of relocating to the 02907 ZIP code of Providence, you should consider doing it now, literally. By 2025, houses in the ZIP code are expected to exceed the national median by 2025 and will be nearly $50,000 more than the median by 2034. 

ZIP Code: 18360 (Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania)

• August home value: $341,920
• Year it will become too expensive: 2029
• 2028 projected home value: $387,832
• 2033 projected home value: $468,513

The Stroudsburg suburb of Pennsylvania has homes that are priced almost $20,000 under the national median. These low prices, however, aren’t expected to continue.

By 2028, it is projected that the median home value will exceed the projected U.S. median of $387,832. With a one-year growth projection of 3.2%, the home values are anticipated to be just under $470,000 within the next 10 years. 

ZIP Code: 06340 (Groton, Connecticut)

• August home value: $352,937
• Year it will become too expensive: 2026
• 2026 projected home value: $373,704
• 2034 projected home value: $469,733

Groton is a town in New London County, Connecticut, a part of the country not known for affordable housing. While currently you can still find homes that are less than $10,000 below the national median, by 2026 that will change.

ZIP Code: 02909 (Providence-Warwick, Rhode Island)

• August home value: $356,824
• Year it will become too expensive: 2025
• 2025 projected home value: $367,172
• 2033 projected home value: $474,906

Another Providence, Rhode Island suburb, the 02909 ZIP code is still just below the national median. However, don’t wait to move here if it’s in your sights.

That affordability will change by 2025, when home values are projected to rise just above the national median. And in ten years, they’ll be over $120,000 more.

ZIP Code: 37920 (Knoxville, Tennessee)

• August home value: $308,123
• Year it will become too expensive: 2030
• 2030 projected home value: $401,256
• 2034 projected home value: $478,506

Another Tennessee ZIP code to make the list, Knoxville’s 37920 neighborhood has relatively decent home affordability now and for a bit longer.

Currently, the median home value is over $50,000 less than the national median. But by 2030 that will change, with a growth rate of 4.5%.

ZIP Code: 08610 (Trenton, New Jersey)

• August home value: $338,145
• Year it will become too expensive: 2028
• 2028 projected home value: $389,531
• 2034 projected home value: $481,616

Trenton, New Jersey’s 08610 ZIP code still offers housing below the national median. However, with a one-year growth rate of 3.6%, the projection is that homes will be more than $140,000 higher in price by 2034.

ZIP Code: 03431 (Keene, New Hampshire)

• August home value: $328,622
• Year it will become too expensive: 2028
• 2028 projected home value: $384,441
• 2034 projected home value: $486,441

The 03431 ZIP code located in Keene, New Hampshire currently has an average home value significantly under the median home value in the United States.

Within the next four years, that is expected to change. By 2028, homes are projected to become unaffordable, exceeding the national median. 

ZIP Code: 37918 (Knoxville, Tennessee)

• August home value: $325,901
• Year it will become too expensive: 2028
• 2028 projected home value: $385,676
• 2034 projected home value: $496,511

Another Tennessee neighborhood to make the list includes the 37918 neighborhood of Knoxville. Home values in the area are still a pretty good deal as compared to the median in the U.S.

But with a one-year growth projection of 4.3%, they are expected to outpace the median home values by 2028 and be much more expensive by 2034. 

ZIP Code: 08205 (Galloway, New Jersey)

• August home value: $326,582
• Year it will become too expensive: 2028
• 2028 projected home value: $387,966
• 2034 projected home value: $502,339

Another New Jersey neighborhood to appear on this list, the 08205 ZIP code of Galloway is a great place to buy for the next four years.

While the August home values are decently lower than the national median, a one-year growth projection of 4.4% means they will be over the median value in 2028. Within the next 10 years, the home values are projected to exceed $502,000.

ZIP Code: 37804 (Maryville, Tennessee)

• August home value: $340,323
• Year it will become too expensive: 2027
• 2027 projected home value: $382,817
• 2034 projected home value: $503,762

The 37804 ZIP code, located in Maryville, still has homes valued at around $21,000 below the national median.

However, it won’t be long — just until 2027 when these homes slip above the median. By 2034, you’re looking at homes over $500,000.

ZIP Code: 37849 (Powell, Tennessee)

• August home value: $347,195
• Year it will become too expensive: 2026
• 2026 projected home value: $376,972
• 2034 projected home value: $523,903

While Tennessee has many ZIP codes that are still affordable, Powell’s 37489 won’t be for long.

With a one-year projected growth rate of 4.2% it will only take until 2026 for home values to rise above the national median. And by 20234, they’ll be above $523,000.

Methodology: GOBankingRates took the overall U.S. median home value and projected its growth and/or decline over 10 years using Zillow’s August 2024-25 one-year forecast. This projection was then compared to the projections of the 5,000 largest ZIP codes in the U.S. and the ZIP codes in the top 5,000 that currently have home prices below the national median, with those rising above the national average in the next 10 years (plus its projected growth rate over the same period) being deemed “a place you could no longer afford.” For each ZIP code over the next decade, GOBankingRates found the following factors: year the ZIP code will become a “place you could no longer afford,” projected home value for that year and U.S. average projected home value for that year. NOTE: GOBankingRates does not expect growth in home value to stay stagnant for the next decade, but using these constant figures gives us an idea where certain markets are heading without unforeseen market disruptors in the future. All data used to conduct this study was compiled and verified on Sept. 16, 2024.

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