A house for sale in Harrisburg
Harrisburg has made the list of top markets for new homebuyers.
Realtor.com announced that the Harrisburg region ranked second in the country for first-time homebuyers in 2026, the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors (GHAR) shared on Wednesday.
“This ranking highlights the strength of the Harrisburg region as Pennsylvania’s capital— a place where opportunity, affordability, and community come together,” said Tracee Carter, president of GHAR.
The report identified areas based on affordability, abundant for-sale inventory, local amenities and positive metro-level housing forecasts and economic outlooks.
The full list is as follows:
1. Rochester, NY
2. Harrisburg, PA
3. Granite City, IL
4. Birmingham, AL
5. North Little Rock, AR
6. Syracuse, NY
7. Baltimore, MD
8. St. Louis Park, MN
9. Pittsburgh, PA
10. Garfield Heights, OH
According to Realtor.com, in Harrisburg, and the other listed regions, a typical 25- to 34-year-old could buy a median-priced home and spend less than 30% of their income on the monthly mortgage, which the release said is the standard benchmark for affordability.
The company forecasts that, for 2026 in Harrisburg, 25- to 34-year-old homeowners will make up 19.90% of households, and that the average commute to work will take 23 minutes.
For the 12-month period ending in November 2025, the inventory was 37.9 per 1,000 households and the median listing price was $151,999.
For 2025, Harrisburg’s first-time homebuyer location score was 9.3 out of 10.
Wendell Hoover, an agent with Iron Valley Real Estate of Central PA, was pleased to hear of the ranking, but noted that Harrisburg has been a great place for first-time buyers for a while.
“I think it has just slowly increased over the years,” he said. “We are one of the few cities that are very affordable, especially compared to bigger cities.”
Not only does he see people moving into the region to purchase homes, but he also believes that people are buying homes here sooner in life. In other cities, they may have had to rent for much longer to save up money.
Hoover said he believes the positive trend will only continue.
“We should celebrate that,” he said.
For more information, visit Realtor.com.
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