#United States #Irvine #Home Prices #ATTOM #Opportunity Zones

Opportunity Zones See Home Price Changes

Recent findings from ATTOM, a prominent provider of property data, indicate interesting trends in half of the Opportunity Zones across the United States. While nearly 49% of these census tracts witnessed an uptick in median home prices year-over-year, they still fall short compared to the 51.6% increase seen in properties outside these designated areas.

The report, released on November 5, 2026, focuses on Opportunity Zones recognized by Congress as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, with the aim of economically revitalizing lower-income areas. ATTOM’s analysis spanned 3,805 census tracts with sufficient sales data, indicating at least five home transactions in the third quarter of 2026.

In the third quarter of 2026, 48.1% of the 3,431 examined Opportunity Zone tracts showed a rise in median prices compared to the previous quarter. This trend highlights a modest but significant movement in the housing market within these zones, although growth remains less pronounced than in non-opportunity areas.

Looking at year-over-year figures, home prices climbed in 48.9% of the 3,265 Opportunity Zone tracts analyzed over the same period in 2025 and 2026. By contrast, homes outside these zones performed better, with 51.6% of the 54,704 examined tracts increasing in median price.

Interestingly, 9.4% of the Opportunity Zones identified a peak in median property values that hadn’t been reached since before the 2008 Great Recession. Additionally, 27.1% noted double-digit increases in home values year-over-year.

Rob Barber, CEO of ATTOM, remarked, "Opportunity Zones remain a notably lower-cost segment of the housing market, with nearly 80% exhibiting median home prices below the national average. However, it's encouraging that home values in these areas are starting to align with broader market trends."

In the third quarter, the national median home price stood at $368,000. Within Opportunity Zones, an impressive 79.5% of analyzed tracts reported home prices below this national figure, contrasting sharply with the 50.4% of comparable tracts outside the zones that reported lower prices.

The volatility of home prices in Opportunity Zone tracts is also notable. In many areas, the median sales price fluctuated by more than 5% from the second to the third quarter in 79.1% of the 3,431 tracts, highlighting the dynamic nature of these markets.

Key Findings

• - 48.1% of tracts in Opportunity Zones observed median home price growth quarter-over-quarter.
• - Out of 3,265 Opportunity Zone tracts, 48.9% had rising home prices year-over-year.
• - Increases in median home prices in non-opportunity areas were observed in 51.6% of tracts.
• - Nearly a third of analyzed Opportunity Zone tracts saw at least a 10% increase in median prices over last year.
• - Maine emerged as a standout state, with 64% of its Opportunity Zone tracts experiencing annual home price growth, followed by South Carolina at 61.3%.

Moreover, ATTOM's analysis incorporated ResiScores, an AI-driven assessment that forecasts neighborhood performance concerning home price appreciation. Within the Opportunity Zones examined, 76 tracts achieved a perfect ResiScore of 100, indicating their market's potential for substantial growth compared to other metro areas.

Conclusion

While the third-quarter report from ATTOM on Opportunity Zones indicates that home price growth is occurring, it distinctly reveals that growth in areas outside these zones is outperforming it. The findings underline the ongoing challenges and opportunities within these socio-economically targeted neighborhoods. More in-depth assessments will be necessary to continue monitoring these trends in future quarters.