Interstate migration
State house price pressure and what it means for move timing
Every state posted a house price gain over the year ending 2026 Q1. The median state rose 3.79 percent, led by Alaska at 7.37 percent, while Colorado rose just 0.78 percent. Price direction shapes how much slack you have between closing and load day.
Key takeaways
- All 51 state-level series, including the District of Columbia, posted a year over year house price gain through 2026 Q1.
- The median state gained 3.79 percent.
- Alaska led at 7.37 percent, followed by Connecticut at 6.55 percent and New York at 6.11 percent.
- Colorado was flattest at 0.78 percent, with the District of Columbia at 0.86 percent and Texas at 1.24 percent.
House price change by state, year ending 2026 Q1
+3.79%
Median state
Midpoint of the 51 state-level year over year changes.
+7.37%
Fastest, Alaska
Largest 12-month gain among state series.
+0.78%
Flattest, Colorado
Smallest 12-month gain among state series.
0
States with a decline
No state series fell over the 12 months ending 2026 Q1.
Fastest and flattest states
| State | 12-month change | Index level |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | +7.37% | - |
| Connecticut | +6.55% | - |
| New York | +6.11% | - |
| Illinois | +5.75% | - |
| California | +1.77% | 976.8 |
| Florida | +1.94% | 827.9 |
| Texas | +1.24% | 529.3 |
| Colorado | +0.78% | - |
Why price direction changes move planning
House prices set how much slack sits between a closing date and a load date. In a market where prices are still climbing, sellers close quickly and buyers compete, which compresses the window between signing and moving out.
Where prices are flat, listings sit longer and closings slip. That usually means a wider window to book, but it also raises the odds of a date change after a move is already scheduled, which is the single most common reason an interstate move gets rescheduled.
How we built this
Figures come from the Federal Housing Finance Agency all-transactions house price index, state level, quarterly series, downloaded in full and reduced to the most recent quarter per state.
- 01Download the complete FHFA state quarterly series, 10,455 observations.
- 02Take the most recent quarter available for each state, 2026 Q1.
- 03Compute 12-month change from the same quarter one year earlier.
- 04Store each state index level and each computed change as a separate record.
Limitations
- The all-transactions index blends sales and appraisal values, so it does not equal a local median sale price.
- State-level readings hide wide variation between metros inside the same state.
- Index levels use a 1980 Q1 base of 100 and are not comparable across states as dollar values.
Frequently asked questions
- Which state has the fastest rising home prices right now?
- Alaska, at 7.37 percent over the 12 months ending 2026 Q1, based on the Federal Housing Finance Agency all-transactions house price index. Connecticut followed at 6.55 percent and New York at 6.11 percent.
- Are home prices falling anywhere?
- Not at the state level. All 51 state-level series, including the District of Columbia, posted a gain over the year ending 2026 Q1. The flattest was Colorado at 0.78 percent. Individual metros inside a state can still be down.
- What was the typical state gain?
- The median state gained 3.79 percent over the 12 months ending 2026 Q1.
- How does this affect scheduling an interstate move?
- Price direction is a proxy for how fast closings happen. Fast-rising markets compress the gap between closing and load day, so booking early matters more. Flat markets slip dates more often, so confirm your load window closer in.
- Is the index the same as a median home price?
- No. It measures repeat transactions and appraisals against a 1980 Q1 base of 100, so it shows change over time rather than a dollar price, and levels are not comparable between states.
Revision history
- August 1, 2026 · v1 · Initial publication from snapshot v1 (Initial build)
- August 1, 2026 · Page created from the FHFA state house price index, snapshot v1. (Initial build)