Over 2,000 industry experts weighed in on America’s hottest real estate markets for development and investment. Let’s look at why the consensus puts DFW at the top of PriceWaterhouseCoopers’ annual Emerging Trends in Real Estate forecast.

High Return on Investment

According to the report, the DFW area “has seen solid annualized five- and ten-year returns” on real estate, at 7.9% and 8.8%, respectively. This steady return on investment has been the case for years, and it’s a big reason DFW has made it into the Emerging Trends’ top 10 for the last six years.

Employment is on the Rise

Since February 2020, employment in the DFW area has grown by 11.2%. Unemployment in DFW is historically low, holding steady at 3.9%. The DFW job market has added about 200,000 new jobs every month in 2024.

To fill these jobs, people are coming in droves. DFW is America’s fourth-fastest growing city, with a population increase of 6.1% between 2020 and 2023. This population growth is part of a Sunbelt trend, with DFW hot on the heels of its fast-growing peers Raleigh, Charleston, and Austin.

Living is Affordable

Despite DFW’s rising popularity and continual influx of new residents, the report says, “DFW has nevertheless remained relatively affordable.” It cites real estate affordability, saying, “Though median home prices in Dallas have increased almost 38% since Q1 2020 to $382,000, they are still roughly in line with Redfin’s national median sale price of just under $400,000.”

Notably, DFW does not make Forbes’ list of most expensive cities in the U.S. San Jose, California has the dubious honor of topping that list, followed by New York City, Boston, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Seattle.

Diversity Drives Success

The report cites DFW’s economic diversity as one key to its financial success. Home to 23 Fortune 500 companies, the area has thriving banking, technology, telecommunications, energy, healthcare, and logistics sectors.

The cultural diversity of DFW’s population matches this economic diversity; a recent study by WalletHub ranks Dallas as one of the Most Diverse Cities in the U.S.

The Emerging Trends in Real Estate forecast closes its evaluation of DFW by saying, “This combination of affordability, growth, and economic diversity should continue to attract new residents and businesses to DFW.”

Will you be part of that ever-growing DFW community? To talk about buying your dream home here, connect with a member of the First United team by calling us at (972) 591-3097 or contacting us online.