County Real Estate Data
Housing market conditions at the county level — median home values, rent prices, inventory, price appreciation, and how to interpret them.
What Is County Real Estate Data?
County real estate data captures housing market conditions at the county level — including median home values, rent prices, inventory levels, sales volume, price appreciation, and foreclosure rates. It reveals whether a market is heating up, cooling down, or stable.
Key Metrics
- Median Home Value: The midpoint price of all homes in the county.
- Median Rent: The midpoint monthly rent for rental properties.
- Price-to-Income Ratio: Median home value divided by median household income; measures affordability.
- Days on Market: Average number of days a listing sits before going under contract.
- Inventory Months: How many months it would take to sell all active listings at the current pace.
- Home Price Index (HPI): A measure of price appreciation over time, tracked by the FHFA.
Primary Data Sources
County real estate data is sourced from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index, which tracks repeat sales and refinancings on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgages. Additional sources include the Census Bureau for housing unit counts and vacancy rates, Realtor.com and Zillow for listing-level data, and local Multiple Listing Services (MLS) for sales volume and days on market. CountyFlow synthesizes these sources to present a unified market picture.
How to Use It
Investors compare median home values and HPI growth across counties to find undervalued or appreciating markets. A low price-to-income ratio signals affordability; a high ratio signals demand pressure. Days on market and inventory months indicate whether it's a buyer's or seller's market. Home buyers use these metrics to time purchases, while sellers use them to price competitively.
Methodology Notes
The FHFA HPI uses a repeat-transactions methodology, comparing the sale prices of the same properties over time to isolate price changes from changes in housing quality. CountyFlow uses the most recent quarterly HPI release and annual ACS housing values. Listing-level data (days on market, inventory) is sourced from aggregated MLS feeds and may lag by 30 to 60 days in smaller markets.
Related Terms
Public Safety Index
A composite score measuring crime levels and safety conditions in a county — how it's calculated, its FBI data sources, and what it means for property values.
County Demographics Data
Population, age, race, income, and household data at the county level — what each metric means, its source, and how investors use it.