This Affordable Heartland State Has the Most In-Demand Housing Markets in the Country

Best known as the heart of the domestic cheese industry and the home of the Green Bay Packers, Wisconsin is now drawing attention for having some of the nation's hottest housing markets.

For the fifth consecutive month, Springfield, MA, took the crown as the nation's most in-demand city, according to the Realtor.com® September 2025 Hottest Housing Markets. 

But overall, Wisconsin dominates in the latest ranking, with seven of the 20 hottest markets located in the Badger State. 

A market's hotness is determined by the level of demand in a given area, as measured by unique views per property on Realtor.com, combined with the pace of the market as measured by the number of days a listing remains active online.

"These hot Wisconsin markets attracted an average 2.8 times the number of listing views compared to the typical U.S. listings in September, and sold an average 27 days faster," says Realtor.com senior economic research analyst Hannah Jones.

As in the past two years, the relatively undersupplied Northeast and Midwest were once again the only two regions represented on the September list, with 13 and seven markets, respectively.

Kenosha, WI, notched the highest spot among the Heartland state's markets, coming in third. The median list price in the city was $370,000 in September, $55,000 below the national median.

Meanwhile, views per property in Kenosha were 2.7 times the national average, reflecting a heightened buyer appeal.

The typical for-sale home in Kenosha spent 34 days on the market last month, three days longer than a year ago. For comparison, the national median time on the market in September was 62 days. 

Appleton and Wausau, WI, shared the fifth spot, attracting more than three times the viewers per property compared to the national norm.

The median list price was $400,000 in Appleton and $373,000 in Wausau, and the typical for-sale home waited for a buyer for 37 and 38 days, respectively.  

At the same time, Appleton experienced the biggest annual inventory decline among the hottest markets in September, at nearly 16%.

Racine, WI, ranked seventh in market hotness, with a median price of $356,000 and just 33 days on the market—three fewer days than a year ago. The metro's inventory plunged 3.5% year over year, resulting in a double-digit annual price growth.

"Today's buyers are looking for moderately priced homes in attractive areas, which is driving up demand for homes in Wisconsin," says Jones.

Janesville, WI, ranked ninth in September, having raked in 2.6 times the listing views per property as the typical U.S. for-sale property. 

Green Bay, WI, the home of the NFL’s Packers, rounded out the top 10, climbing 55 spots year over year, despite having a median list price of $487,000—more than $60,000 above the national figure.  

The final Wisconsin metro on the list, the state's most populous city of Milwaukee, ranked No. 19 in market hotness, recording more than twice the viewers per property than the national level, 33 days on the market, and a median list price of $399,000. 

The data coming out of Wisconsin suggests that now is a good time to purchase property in the state, according to Jones.

"High buyer demand, tight inventory levels, and solid price growth mean that sellers are in a good position to sell their home quickly and for a tidy profit," adds the analyst.

As for buyers, Jones says they should come to the Heartland market prepared and move quickly because of Wisconsin's supply and demand dynamics.

Big Apple is the most improved

The New York City metro area saw the biggest surge in hotness ranking among large U.S. metros compared to last year, climbing 44 spots to claim the 158th spot in September.

Within the sprawling metro, which encompasses New Jersey, the hotness varied substantially by county.
Garden State’s Morris County and parts of neighboring Passaic County were red-hot in September, while New York County, which includes Manhattan, and Queens County were ice-cold. 

"Understanding this local variation is key to navigating large markets like New York City. Though the overall metro is heating up, it is being driven by outlying counties, not central New York City," notes Jones.

Kansas City, MO, experienced the second-biggest increase in hotness rank, rising 33 spots since last year to become the 113th hottest market in the U.S. 

The Philadelphia metro was the third-most improved year over year, having its hotness rank jump 22 places to claim the 75th spot on the list. 

Buyers looking to become homeowners this fall will likely encounter more favorable conditions than in the summer, with easing mortgage rates, more inventory, and slowing price growth. However, Jones says affordability challenges persist.

Many of the Northeast and Midwest markets featured on September's hottest markets list are priced lower than the national norm or are more affordable compared to nearby business hubs such as Boston or Chicago.

Fueled by strong buyer demand, suburban markets in Wisconsin and Illinois have seen prices remain firm, while inventory growth has lagged compared with other parts of the country.