FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — A recent study from LendingTree placed Fort Wayne among the best “hidden gem metros” for homeownership in the country.
The study looked at metros that have populations of at least 250,000 but are too small to be among the nation’s 50 largest and placed Fort Wayne third on its list.
Only Charleston, West Virginia, and Huntsville, Alabama, ranked higher, according to the study.
The study used data from the U.S. Census Bureau and ranked metros based on six categories:
- Median home value
- Homeownership rate
- Median household income of owner-occupied homes with a mortgage
- Median monthly housing costs of owner-occupied homes with a mortgage
- Share of owner-occupied homes with a mortgage that spend less than 30% of their monthly income on housing costs
- Median annual property taxes for homes with a mortgage
LendingTree said in the study that hidden gem metros can provide homeowners with a good blend of affordability and opportunity.
South Bend and Evansville also cracked the top ten in LendingTree’s list at fifth and ninth respectively.
