A new study ranks Louisiana the No. 2 coldest real estate market in America in 2026, even as remote work and inflation pushes households out of big market hotspots like California and New York.
Nationally, the cost to rent a one-bedroom apartment has surged to $1,301 per month—up from $1,042 in 2021—while high mortgage rates keep homeownership out of reach for millions of Americans. Even post-pandemic hot spots like Florida and Texas are cooling as Americans’ quest for affordability creates new up-and-coming markets.
Becker Law today released a study on the Hottest and Coldest States for Real Estate in 2026 after analyzing eight metrics of federal data in all 50 states and D.C. including home price and rent growth, new home purchases, construction permits, and population relocation.
Among the key findings, Louisiana has among the country’s highest rental vacancy rates (9.4%, No. 45), and the weakest home-buying activity (7.7 purchases per 1,000 people, No. 44).
Here is how Louisiana ranked in each category:
- Annual home price change, as an index score: 2.64 (#29)
- Annual rent increase: 4.3% (#35)
- New home construction permits: 32 per 10k people (#30)
- Rental vacancy: 9.4% (#45)
- Cost-burdened renters: 47.2% (#33)
- Home purchases: 7.7 per 1k people (#44)
- Population who moved within the past year: 10.6% (#40)
- Annual employment growth: 1% (#18)
The 10 hottest states are Idaho, South Carolina, Delaware, North Carolina, Utah, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Ohio, South Dakota, and Nebraska.
California is the No. 1 coldest state, while New York, Florida and Massachusetts also ranked in the bottom 10.
