Since 2005, Zonda‘s BUILDER has revealed the largest U.S. new-home markets through its Local Leaders list, which includes the top 10 builders within each. BUILDER‘s 50 hottest home building markets in 2025 went live. This year the list is dominated by Texas, Arizona, Georgia, and Florida in the top eight spots. The Sunbelt continues to have a strong presence on Local Leaders over last year, as more home buyers are choosing new homes and also finding deals.
2025 Top 10 Hottest New-Home Markets
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
- San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
- Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
- Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
Millennials have now reached a level of nearly 50% homeowners and 50% renters nationally. Looking to the next five years, Ali Wolf, chief economist for Zonda and NewHomeSource, is keeping a close eye on the “cusp” of Millennials and Gen Z (born 1996-2001), whose coming-of-age years were shaped by a pandemic, surging inflation, and labor market volatility.
“Overall, nearly two-thirds of our top markets had a higher share of cuspers than the national average, pointing to important pockets of future housing demand,” said Ali Wolf. “This cohort has the highest likelihood of influencing short- to medium-term housing trends.” (like making suburbs cool)
“BUILDER’s Local Leaders list continues to be the bellwether of U.S. housing, with the only data available worldwide of visually verified U.S. housing starts, to the subdivision level,” said Steve Ladurantaye, Senior Vice President, Content, and Editor in Chief, BUILDER and NewHomeSource. “Home buyers benefit from this deep expertise on NewHomeSource, where they can customize their searches within markets based on their lifestyle needs.”
