Pittsburgh one of the best cities for young homebuyers, study finds

For young people looking to purchase their first place, Pittsburgh is one of the most accessible metro areas to buy a home.

A new report from ConsumerAffairs ranked Pittsburgh among the top 10 metro areas for homeowners under 35. For the 2026 report, a research team examined 2024 data on homeownership rates and mortgage lending activity in 100 of the most populous metro areas in the U.S. to track access to homeownership for young people. They also considered factors such as median home sale price from Zillow, median household income for householders under 44 from the U.S. Census Bureau, home-price-to-income ratio, trends in homeownership rates across several years and loan type distribution.

Here's what to know about buying a home in Pittsburgh and what makes it so attractive for young homeowners.

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Pittsburgh ranks among top 10 cities for young homebuyers

Pittsburgh ranked at No. 7 on ConsumerAffairs' list of most accessible cities for young homeowners. The homeownership rate among people under 35 in the Steel City in 2024 was 15.5%, and the share of home purchase loans taken out by applicants below the age of 35 in 2024 was 44.9%, the fourth highest among ranked cities.

Overall, the ratio of median home sale price to median young household income is the lowest in the country at 3.5, which means it's easier to qualify for a loan.

Pittsburgh ranked significantly higher than other Pennsylvania metro areas, with Philadelphia ranking at No. 40, Montgomery County-Bucks County-Chester County ranking at No. 60 and Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton ranking at No. 67.

Where are the best cities for young homeowners?

ConsumerAffairs ranked these cities as the top metro areas for young homeowners:

1. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
2. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas
3. Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, Michigan
4. El Paso, Texas
5. Salt Lake City-Murray, Utah
6. Buffalo-Cheektowaga, New York
7. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
8. Cincinnati, Ohio
9. Colorado Springs, Colorado
10. Bakersfield-Delano, California

Where are the worst cities for young homeowners?

The top 10 worst cities were scattered throughout Florida and California, with one location in Connecticut:

1. North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida
2. Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, California
3. Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Sunrise, Florida
4. West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Delray Beach, Florida
5. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, California
6. Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida
7. Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, Connecticut
8. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, California
9. Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley, California
10. Stockton-Lodi, California

Finch Walker is the Pittsburgh Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Walker at [email protected]. Instagram: @finchwalker_. X: @_finchwalker.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pittsburgh one of the best cities for young homebuyers, study finds