If spending too much time at home has got you thinking of actually buying a new, different, abode, this recently-released report by financial technology company SmartAsset might be of interest.
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In order to determine the best American cities for first-time homebuyers right now, the company analyzed data from 185 major towns across the country (for comparison: last year, the study included a relatively mere 66 cities), based on metrics involving four major categories: employment, home market favorability, affordability and livability.
Before listing the results of the study, a few notes: The Southwest seems to be the most up-and-coming area in the country, home to 11 of the top 40 cities. The Northeast actually doesn't even make an appearance—likely given the high unemployment rates associated with the region. Most interestingly, the list looks very different from its 2019 counterpart: only four of the towns that appear in the 2020 ranking made it to the top 25 last year.
Without further ado, here are the top 40 best cities in the U.S. for first-time homebuyers right now:
40. Overland Park, Kansas
39. El Paso, Texas
38. Spokane, Washington
37. Brownsville, Texas
36. Aurora, Colorado
35. Lexington, Kentucky
34. Scottsdale, Arizona
33. Amarillo, Texas
32. Nashville, Tennessee
31. Lincoln, Nevada
30. Denver, Colorado
29. Fort Collins, Colorado
28. Des Moines, Iowa
27. McKinney, Texas
26. Corpus Christi, Texas
25. Sunnyvale, California
24. Plano, Texas
23. Pasadena, Texas
22. Glendale, Arizona
21. Madison, Wisconsin
20. Lakewood, Colorado
19. Jackson, Mississippi
18. Arlington, Texas
17. Bellevue, Washington
16. Chandler, Arizona
15. Mesa, Arizona
14. Colorado Springs, Colorado
13. Peoria, Arizona
12. Irving, Texas
11. Frisco, Texas
10. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
9. Gilbert, Arizona
8. Garland, Texas
7. Omaha, Nebraska
6. St. Petersburg, Florida
5. Fort Wayne, Indiana
4. Boise, Idaho
3. Virginia Beach, Virginia
2. Henderson, Nevada
1. Grand Rapids, Michigan
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