Opportunity Zone Values Align Closer With Broader Housing Market
Home values in federally designated Opportunity Zones are increasingly moving in step with the broader U.S. housing market, according to new data from ATTOM.
An ATTOM first-quarter 2026 report found that median home prices rose annually in nearly 45% of designated Opportunity Zone census tracts around the country. About 31% posted double-digit year-over-year gains.
The findings point to continued momentum in many lower-income communities that were originally targeted for long-term economic redevelopment under the federal Opportunity Zone program established in 2017.
"In recent quarters, home values inside these targeted investment zones have been growing at roughly the same rate as the rest of the country," Rob Barber, CEO of ATTOM, said.
"That's a good sign, since these areas, which have historically been under-invested in, can be bellwethers for changes in the broader housing market's trajectory."
At the same time, home values in many Opportunity Zones remain well below broader market averages, preserving some of the affordability advantage that has attracted investors to the sectors in recent years. Only about 21% of Opportunity Zone tracts analyzed by ATTOM had median home prices above the national median value of $360,000, compared to 49% of tracts outside the zones.
The report also found regional variation in performance. Opportunity Zones in the South continued to account for a large share of areas posting annual price increases, while some Midwest and Northeast markets showed more mixed results. Among states with at least 25 Opportunity Zone census tracts with sufficient data to analyze, Arkansas and Minnesota had the greatest share that experienced year-over-year price growth (59% of Opportunity Zone census tracts each), followed by Ohio (56%), Michigan (54%) and Missouri (53%).
ATTOM cautioned that Opportunity Zone data can be volatile because many census tracts have relatively low transaction volumes. In some markets, a limited number of sales can significantly influence quarterly median price calculations.
The broader housing market backdrop remains somewhat uncertain as elevated mortgage rates and affordability constraints continue to weigh on transaction activity nationally. But ATTOM's findings indicate many Opportunity Zones have remained resilient despite those pressures.
Source: GlobeSt/ALM