Philadelphia made Zillow’s list of the most popular real estate markets of 2025 and was the only large city included among the predominantly midsize markets, writes Michaelle Bond for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The majority of locations on the list fall within a population range of roughly 100,000 to 300,000 residents, making No. 19 Philadelphia a notable outlier.
The City of Brotherly Love benefited from strong housing affordability, which remains the primary driver of its popularity. Philadelphia also gained momentum from its central East Coast location, which is positioned between major job hubs such as New York and Washington. In addition, the city has evolved into a desirable place to live thanks to its culture, vibrant restaurant scene, and an active music and art communities.
However, “that affordability can’t be overstated,” said Orphe Divounguy, senior economist at Zillow. “Relatively more affordable markets are really seeing more rapid home value appreciation and more traffic on Zillow.”
Many of the top ten most popular markets had median home values under $350,000 in November, compared with around $230,000 in Philadelphia during the same period.
Read more about Philadelphia’s housing market and how it compares to other popular housing markets in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on PHILADELPHIA.Today in December 2025.
