With its low unemployment rate, highly educated population, modest home prices, and vibrant cultural scene, Madison surprises as the top emerging city for 2025.

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Madison, WI, is the No. 1 up-and-coming city for 2025, followed by Fargo, ND, and Lincoln, NE, according to new research from Real Estate Witch, an online publication owned by Clever Real Estate that connects readers with expert real estate advice.

As 2024 draws to a close, once-overlooked cities are emerging as bustling destinations, attracting Americans in search of more affordable living amid rising costs.

A new study analyzed 150 midsized U.S. metros (ranked 51st through 200th in population) on metrics including housing prices, population age, education, and unemployment rates to identify the top emerging metros.

The 10 best up-and-coming cities for 2025 are:

1. Madison, WI
2. Fargo, ND
3. Lincoln, NE
4. Provo, UT
5. New Haven, CT
6. Omaha, NE
7. Ann Arbor, MI
8. Fayetteville, AR
9. Portland, ME
10. Hartford, CT

Madison boasts an unemployment rate of just 2.1% — the lowest among the top 50 cities and less than half the national rate of 4.4%. Nearly half of adults (49%) over 25 years old in Madison have a bachelor's degree, the sixth-highest percentage in the study.

Home values in Madison have increased about 5.5% in the past year, double the national increase of 2.7%. The city also ranks ninth in bikeability with a score of 66 out of 100, compared to 45 among all cities studied.

Fargo, ND, earned the runner-up spot primarily due to its affordable housing costs and low unemployment rate. The home-price-to-income ratio there is 4.1, below the national average of 4.6, while its unemployment rate is just 2.3% — the third-lowest in the study.

Among the top 25 cities, Lansing, MI, has the most affordable homes at $231,338, 36% lower than the national average ($359,892).

Bridgeport, CT, tops the list in median salary, with households earning $111,000 annually, 43% higher than the average of $77,719.

Provo, UT, has the youngest population with an average age of just 26, while Boulder, CO, leads in education, with 65% of residents aged 25 and older holding at least a bachelor's degree.

Read the full report at:

About Real Estate Witch
Real Estate Witch is a web property of Clever Real Estate, an online platform that connects home buyers and sellers with top-rated agents at a discounted rate.

Clever Real Estate is a technology company that produces educational real estate content reaching over 10 million readers annually, and its nationwide agent matching service has a 5.0-star Trustpilot rating across 3,200+ customer reviews. Since launching in 2017, Clever has reached $11.8 billion in real estate sold, matched 144,000+ customers with realtors, and saved consumers over $170 million on commission fees. Clever's network spans 15,000 agents across all 50 states.

Please contact Alyssa Evans at [email protected] with any questions or to arrange an interview.

CONTACT:
Alyssa Evans
Clever Real Estate
[email protected]
315-690-1518

SOURCE Real Estate Witch