Research

Original data on what U.S. real estate actually costs.

Beginner questions deserve real numbers, not ranges and shrugs. Every study here is computed from primary sources (Zillow research data, the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, and the Federal Reserve's FRED), publishes its full methodology and limitations, and is refreshed quarterly.

Cheapest metro entry: $19,145; Pittsburgh, PA, FHA house hack
Renter households: 45.0 million; The demand side of every U.S. rental
Typical U.S. asking rent: $1,962; Up 2.4% year over year
30-year fixed rate: 6.67%; Freddie Mac weekly average

Data studies

Built from the raw tables, not from an article

Each one carries a ready made citation and a downloadable CSV, and states what it cannot tell you.

Data studyUpdated 2026-08-16The cash you actually need to buy your first rental, in all 50 largest U.S. metros$19,145 to $126,837Range across the 50 largest metrosDown payment, closing costs, and the lender-required reserves nobody mentions, computed metro by metro from Zillow values, Census tax data, and the current Freddie Mac rate. Includes a searchable explorer, regional medians, and a CSV download.

Statistics pages

Reference pages, rebuilt each quarter

Each figure carries its own source table, and each page includes a state-by-state breakdown and multi-year trends.

A quiet street of plain rental houses in late afternoon light

U.S. rental property statisticsRenter households, median rent, cost burden, vacancy, a median-rent table for all 50 states and DC, and a decade of national rent trends.

A modest triplex with three front doors, lit by a low sun

House hacking statisticsHow many two-to-four-unit homes exist, where they are concentrated by state, and how rents have moved against prices over five years.

A small starter home with a bicycle by the steps at golden hour

First-time investor statisticsPrices, down payments, and affordability, with state-level values and property taxes plus 26 years of price and mortgage-rate history.

Using this research

Take it. Just link back.

Everything here is free to quote, chart, or republish, in whole or in part, for any purpose including commercial, with attribution and a link back to the page you took it from. Each study carries a ready-made citation and a downloadable CSV.

Methodology is published, not implied. Every page states its sources, its assumptions, and what it cannot tell you. Where a finding is unflattering, it is reported as found: national medians do not cashflow, and rents are falling in a meaningful share of large metros right now.

Refresh cadence. Datasets are rebuilt quarterly from the same primary sources, and the generation date appears on every page. Journalists and researchers who want the underlying data, a specific cut, or a comment for a story can get in touch.

Free calculators built on the same math live in the tools section, and two of them can be embedded on your own site free.

What happens next

The data says where. The course says how.

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