Affordable Midwest Commuter Towns Dominate the Hottest Markets List in August

The Midwest came in hot this summer, claiming 11 spots in the Realtor.com August 2026 Hottest Housing Markets ranking. The top spot went to Rockford, IL, which has sat at No. 1 only once before, in December 2024. As an affordable alternative to the neighboring hubs of Chicago and Madison, Rockford has access to big-city amenities with far lower costs.Nicknamed “The Forest City” due to its lush trees and surrounding parks and forest preserves, Rockford has a population of roughly 147,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.The second-place slot went to nearby Kenosha, WI, just over the Illinois-Wisconsin border and a commuter option for Milwaukee. Kenosha has ranked among the top markets for the past several months. Slightly north, Wausau, WI, jumped into fifth place. Racine, WI, Peoria, IL, Monroe, MI, and Akron, OH, also appeared in the 20 hottest markets.Aside from the Midwest, the other nine slots of the top 20 went to Northeastern markets such as Erie, PA, Hartford, CT, Rochester, NY, and Lancaster, PA.Realtor.com determines the market hotness rankings by the level of demand in a given area, measured by unique views per property on Realtor.com, combined with the pace of the ma...