It’s beaches and water (and sometimes snow), according to a study that analyzed median list prices in every state.
For years, celebrities and tech titans have flocked to Atherton, Calif., a suburb in the heart of Silicon Valley. Given the town’s ultrawealthy residents, it may come as no surprise that Atherton is where one finds the most expensive ZIP code in the United States based on home prices, according to a study by RealtyHop.
To arrive at its annual ranking of the country’s most expensive ZIP codes, researchers found the three with the highest median prices in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., based on more than three million properties listed for sale between Jan. 1 and Oct. 15. (The median list price of the most expensive ZIP codes in every state was $1.55 million.)
For the fifth consecutive year, the 94027 ZIP code (primarily Atherton) led the nation with a median list price of $7.75 million. Two more California ZIPs — both picturesque, coastal communities — made the top 10: 92657 (mostly Newport Coast), at $4.965 million, and 93108 (primarily Santa Barbara), at $4.85 million.
New York State had two ZIP codes in the top 10 nationally, both in the Hamptons, famous for its high-end beachfront properties. The most expensive ZIP in the state was 11962 (primarily the village of Sagaponack), with a median of $5.995 million, followed by 11976 (mainly Water Mill), a few miles from Sagaponack, with a median of $5.295 million, and 11932 (Bridgehampton), with a median of $3.995 million.
Several of the ZIP codes on RealtyHop’s list had something in common: water. The three priciest areas in the country sit along a coast or near beaches. Even frozen water is expensive: The ski towns of Teton Village, Wyo., and Wilson, Wyo., both made the top 10.
What was the least expensive of the 153 ZIP codes? 72758 (Benton County, Ark.), with a median price of $408,403. The area includes Rogers, a growing metro and home to the first Walmart store.
Expensive ZIP Codes
A study found the three most expensive ZIP codes in every state and Washington, D.C. Below, the most expensive areas from among that pool of 153 ZIP codes.
Most Expensive
Median
list price
Place
ZIP code
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Atherton, Calif.
Miami Beach
Sagaponack, N.Y.
Sea Island, Ga.
Water Mill, N.Y.
Teton Village, Wyo.
Newport Coast, Calif.
Santa Barbara, Calif.
Wilson, Wyo.
Medina, Wash.
Alpine, N.J.
Bridgehampton, N.Y.
Prudential (Boston)
Aspen, N.J.
Snowmass, Colo.
Nantucket, Mass.
Telluride, Colo.
Glenbrook, Nev.
Gibson Island, Md.
Deal, N.J.
94027
33109
11962
31561
11976
83025
92657
93108
83014
98039
07620
11932
02199
81611
81654
02554
81435
89413
21056
07723
$7,750,000
$6,100,000
$5,995,000
$5,499,000
$5,295,000
$4,995,000
$4,965,000
$4,850,000
$4,370,000
$4,195,000
$4,147,000
$3,995,000
$3,850,000
$3,675,000
$3,495,000
$3,472,500
$3,395,000
$3,395,000
$3,390,000
$3,300,000
Most Expensive
Median
list price
Median
list price
ZIP code
Place
Place
ZIP code
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Alpine, N.J.
Bridgehampton, N.Y.
Prudential (Boston)
Aspen, N.J.
Snowmass, Colo.
Nantucket, Mass.
Telluride, Colo.
Glenbrook, Nev.
Gibson Island, Md.
Deal, N.J.
07620
11932
02199
81611
81654
02554
81435
89413
21056
07723
$4,147,000
$3,995,000
$3,850,000
$3,675,000
$3,495,000
$3,472,500
$3,395,000
$3,395,000
$3,390,000
$3,300,000
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Atherton, Calif.
Miami Beach
Sagaponack, N.Y.
Sea Island, Ga.
Water Mill, N.Y.
Teton Village, Wyo.
Newport Coast, Calif.
Santa Barbara, Calif.
Wilson, Wyo.
Medina, Wash.
94027
33109
11962
31561
11976
83025
92657
93108
83014
98039
$7,750,000
$6,100,000
$5,995,000
$5,499,000
$5,295,000
$4,995,000
$4,965,000
$4,850,000
$4,370,000
$4,195,000
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