The Most "Up and Coming" U.S. City Might Surprise You
Ahead of the new year, the Real Estate Witch, a real estate transparency website, just released a new study of the emerging cities in the United States that everyone will want to move to in 2025. If you’re considering moving, 2025’s most “up and coming” city might seem like an unexpected winner at first glance, but it actually has so many factors going for it.
The real estate company looked at 150 midsize U.S. cities (those that ranked 51st through 200th in terms of population across America) to determine the up-and-comers who were most likely to attract people. They looked at factors like median income, income-to-home-price ratio, the affordability (and long-term value) of the real estate market, the average age of the population, and unemployment rates using data taken from the U.S. Census, Zillow, Redfin, the American Community Survey, WalkScore, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
After calculating their findings, putting the most weight on the unemployment rate, Real Estate Witch named Madison, Wisconsin, as the most attractive emerging city due to its attractive job market, high walking and biking scores, and high return on real estate investments.
In addition to citing a low unemployment rate of just 2.1% (the lowest out of 50 cities), the survey also found that Madison had a highly educated population, with 49% of adults over 25 having a bachelor’s degree.
The city also has myriad cultural attractions, a diverse food scene, and outdoor activities as a draw for potential new residents.
There is one caveat: Housing costs are a little bit higher than some other midsize cities, as investing in the Madison real estate market comes with good returns. The report found that home values in the city have increased by 5.5% just in the last year.
While living in a college town can feel weird if you’re out of school, Apartment Therapy writer Shelby Deering said she benefited from access to great food options, lots of art and culture, and a fun sports scene when she moved to Madison for graduate school.
Deering also said that proximity to a youthful community had positively impacted the general city. “The students undoubtedly inject life and youthfulness into our fair city, something that lends itself to a more lively culture, increased open-mindedness, and attracting on-trend eateries and shops to the area,” she wrote.
Following Madison, Real Estate Witch named two other Midwest cities — Fargo, North Dakota, and Lincoln, Nebraska — followed by Provo, Utah, which had the youngest average population on the list. Fargo was lauded for its low cost of housing and thriving opportunities in the tech, agriculture, and health care industries, while Lincoln scored highly for its thriving bar and culture scene, young population, and local job market.
Provo, which has drawn many newcomers due to its natural beauty, had high bikeability and walkability scores, as well as high median salaries and a highly educated population.
Including these four star destinations, here are the top 10 up-and-coming cities that’ll be attracting newcomers in 2025.
Madison, Wisconsin
Fargo, North Dakota
Lincoln, Nebraska
Provo, Utah
New Haven, Connecticut
Omaha, Nebraska
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Portland, Maine
Hartford, Connecticut
See the full list here.
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