Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Construction Coverage.
Today’s real estate market is a challenging one for buyers. While home prices have relaxed since their peak in the COVID-19 pandemic, the typical cost of a home in the U.S. has risen by more than 23% from early 2020 through the end of 2025.
Compounding the housing affordability problem further, mortgage rates remain at elevated levels not seen since before the Great Recession. Additionally, the impacts of high rent and inflation have made it harder for many would-be buyers to save up for home purchases.
Underlying all of these conditions is the simple fact that America has been slow to add new homes to its housing supply.
Estimates of the national housing shortfall range between 1.5 and 7.3 million housing units relative to the needs of the current population. One of the primary reasons is that many construction firms downsized or went out of business entirely during the Great Recession, leading to a long stretch of underbuilding.
This prolonged underinvestment has led to an aging housing stock, leaving buyers to contend with homes that often require expensive repairs, costly renovations, and higher energy bills.
To better understand where these effects are most pronounced, researchers at Construction Coverage examined patterns in housing age using the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau. For more information, refer to the methodology at the end.
Here are the cities with the oldest homes.
15. St. Louis, MO-IL
- Median home age: 50
- Median year built: 1974
- Share of homes built before 1980: 57.5%
- Share of homes built before 1940: 15.1%
- Share of homes built since 2010: 9.6%
14. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
- Median home age: 52
- Median year built: 1972
- Share of homes built before 1980: 61.1%
- Share of homes built before 1940: 19.7%
- Share of homes built since 2010: 7.1%
13. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
- Median home age: 55
- Median year built: 1969
- Share of homes built before 1980: 66.2%
- Share of homes built before 1940: 11.6%
- Share of homes built since 2010: 7.8%
12. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
- Median home age: 56
- Median year built: 1968
- Share of homes built before 1980: 65.6%
- Share of homes built before 1940: 20.0%
- Share of homes built since 2010: 8.8%
11. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
- Median home age: 56
- Median year built: 1968
- Share of homes built before 1980: 65.6%
- Share of homes built before 1940: 13.3%
- Share of homes built since 2010: 6.3%
10. Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI
- Median home age: 56
- Median year built: 1968
- Share of homes built before 1980: 66.1%
- Share of homes built before 1940: 19.8%
- Share of homes built since 2010: 7.9%
9. Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT
- Median home age: 56
- Median year built: 1968
- Share of homes built before 1980: 67.8%
- Share of homes built before 1940: 18.7%
- Share of homes built since 2010: 5.4%
8. Rochester, NY
- Median home age: 57
- Median year built: 1967
- Share of homes built before 1980: 67.0%
- Share of homes built before 1940: 26.3%
- Share of homes built since 2010: 6.7%
7. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Median home age: 58
- Median year built: 1966
- Share of homes built before 1980: 65.3%
- Share of homes built before 1940: 21.6%
- Share of homes built since 2010: 8.4%
6. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
- Median home age: 59
- Median year built: 1965
- Share of homes built before 1980: 65.0%
- Share of homes built before 1940: 30.7%
- Share of homes built since 2010: 10.5%
5. Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
- Median home age: 60
- Median year built: 1964
- Share of homes built before 1980: 68.5%
- Share of homes built before 1940: 29.2%
- Share of homes built since 2010: 6.1%
4. Cleveland, OH
- Median home age: 61
- Median year built: 1963
- Share of homes built before 1980: 70.4%
- Share of homes built before 1940: 21.5%
- Share of homes built since 2010: 6.2%
3. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
- Median home age: 63
- Median year built: 1961
- Share of homes built before 1980: 71.7%
- Share of homes built before 1940: 27.1%
- Share of homes built since 2010: 8.0%
2. Pittsburgh, PA
- Median home age: 64
- Median year built: 1960
- Share of homes built before 1980: 72.3%
- Share of homes built before 1940: 25.3%
- Share of homes built since 2010: 6.8%
1. Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY
- Median home age: 66
- Median year built: 1958
- Share of homes built before 1980: 76.6%
- Share of homes built before 1940: 29.1%
- Share of homes built since 2010: 5.4%
Methodology
The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates.
To determine the locations with the oldest homes, researchers calculated the median age of residential housing units based on the year each unit was built. In the event of a tie, the location with the larger percentage of homes built before 1980 was ranked higher.
To improve relevance, metropolitan statistical areas were grouped into cohorts based on population size.
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