Gen-Z homebuyers are flocking to these 3 cities the most - and avoiding California and New York

Gen Z is shaking up the workplace. Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images

• Salt Lake City has become the most popular city for Gen Z homebuyers, a LendingTree report found.
• Oklahoma City and Birmingham, Alabama, are the next two most popular. 
• Expensive cities like San Francisco, New York, and San Jose, California, were the least popular among Gen Z.

Gen Z is becoming old enough to buy houses, and that generation is flocking to more affordable cities and avoiding the expensive coasts. 

Americans face a housing market characterized by low inventory and high mortgage rates. At the same time, adult Gen Zers have come of age in a remote-friendly professional landscape, altering beliefs about housing and location.

This group, born between 1997 and 2012, accounted for an average of 14.91% of potential homebuyers in the 50 largest US metro areas in the 12 months through December 31, 2022, according to a LendingTree report. 

Salt Lake City had the largest share of mortgage requests from Gen Zers at 22.59%, the analysis found. A strong local jobs market and a blend of urban and rural amenities make it a hot spot. 

The next two most popular cities included the relatively inexpensive Oklahoma City and Birmingham, Alabama, with mortgage requests hovering at 22.36% and 20.79%, respectively. 

Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and St. Louis were among other popular choices for Gen Z homebuyers. 

LendingTree

Meanwhile, San Francisco saw the smallest proportion of mortgage requests by Gen Zers at 7.76%, LendingTree said. 

The second and third least popular cities, per the report, were New York and San Jose, California, at 8.88% and 9.70%, respectively. Six of the least popular 10 metros for Gen Z buyers are in California. 

Average down payments among potential Gen Z buyers varied widely based on city. The average in San Jose, for example, was $77,786, whereas a down payment Oklahoma City was $18,752.

To be sure, owning a home in the current market may not offer the value it did in years past. CoreLogic data shows that the average US homeowner with a mortgage had less home equity in the first quarter, with the measure slipping 1.9% from a year ago in the first annual decline since 2012.