Home prices swung hardest in these 10 ZIPs over the last year

Home values swung by double digits in communities across the U.S. over the past year, with some ZIP codes seeing changes of more than 25%, according to HavenScore data tracking year-over-year shifts in Zillow's Home Value Index.

The most dramatic price drops hit Kentucky communities. Pineville (40977) and Cadiz (42211) both saw home values fall 25.2% over the 12-month period, per HavenScore's analysis of Zillow data. In Pineville, the typical home value dropped to $82,962, while Cadiz homes averaged $135,693.

Salyersville, Kentucky (41465) rounded out the state's representation among the biggest decliners, with home values falling 20.6% to $118,965.

On the opposite end, Childress, Texas (79201) led all communities with a 25.2% increase in home values to $140,292, according to the HavenScore data. Crystal City, Texas (78839) also posted strong gains, with home values rising 20.7% to $95,087.

The price swings weren't limited to smaller markets. San Francisco's Noe Valley area (94114) saw home values climb 19.5% to just over $2 million, making it the only major metropolitan ZIP code among the top 10 movers.

Louisiana contributed two ZIP codes to the gainers list. Homer (71040) bucked the state's trend with a 24% decline in home values to $100,145, while Mansfield (71052) posted a 19.8% increase to $138,186.

Pennsylvania's Ridgway (15853) saw home values rise 19.7% to $118,481, and Mississippi's Waynesboro (39367) rounded out the top 10 with a 19.2% gain to $148,940.

The analysis included only ZIP codes with populations of 5,000 or more residents, filtering out smaller communities that might show more volatile price movements due to limited housing stock.

Insights from HavenScore data

These extreme price movements stand in contrast to the affordability challenges facing many high-cost markets. Across the most price-burdened ZIP codes in HavenScore's dataset, the price-to-income ratio averages 34.6, according to the platform's affordability analysis.

That burden is most acute in places like Stanford, California (94305), where the price-to-income ratio reaches 43.5, and Aspen, Colorado (81611), with a ratio of 36.1. Even Atherton, California (94027) shows a 34.5 ratio, while parts of New York (10454) hit 30.1.

The double-digit price swings in this analysis highlight how local market conditions can create vastly different outcomes even as national housing trends point toward continued affordability pressures. While San Francisco's inclusion among the gainers reflects the ongoing premium for coastal California real estate, the mix of rural and small-city ZIP codes suggests that price volatility isn't confined to major metropolitan areas.

The Kentucky communities' steep declines may reflect broader economic shifts affecting smaller Appalachian markets, while the Texas gains could signal continued migration and development pressure in previously overlooked areas. However, these year-over-year snapshots capture just one moment in time for local housing markets that can shift based on employment, population changes, and regional economic conditions.