Guide
Worst ZIP Codes for Home Appreciation
How to interpret weaker ZIP3 appreciation rankings responsibly.
Last updated 2026-09-30
Live data · FHFA HPI® through Q2 2026
Weakest 3-digit ZIP regions over the past year
64 of 882 regions had a lower index than a year earlier.
Weak growth is not a full market judgment
A weaker imported index change can reflect affordability limits, local economic shifts, prior overheating, data composition, or normal short-term volatility.
It does not mean every property in a broad region lost value or that a market is permanently unattractive.
Use weaker rankings for research
Open the region's full chart, compare multiple periods, and look for whether weakness is recent, persistent, or part of a longer cycle.
For tax, sale, or investment decisions, combine regional index data with local evidence.
Reading weak results
A negative one-year change means the region's index is lower than it was a year earlier. In smaller regions, a single year can swing because of a change in the mix of homes that sold. Check the five and ten-year columns before treating a weak year as a long-term decline.
Weak regional appreciation can matter for sellers, for homeowners counting on equity, and for anyone appealing a property assessment. In each case the regional index is context only; local sales evidence carries more weight for a specific property.