Best Cities for Young Home Buyers

With mountains of student debt, a slowly recovering job market and minimal wage growth, many twenty- and thirtysomethings may not even be pondering the idea of owning a home. Plus, rising home prices and strict credit standards can make homeownership seem unattainable.

See Also: Find the Best Mortgage Rates in Your Area

All of this financial strain has created some serious hesitation among younger would-be homeowners. According to the National Association of Realtors, the under-35 crowd made up 43% of all homeowners in 2005. By the start of this year, that share of the homeowning crowd had dropped to just 36%.

Despite the discouraging landscape, you shouldn't automatically assume that buying a home is out of your reach. While many popular cities, such as San Francisco and Boston, are seeing home prices rising beyond most young people's budgets, plenty of other locations offer unique characteristics that make them perfect prospects for young home shoppers. If you're expecting to buy your first home in the years ahead, consider this list of great cities for first-time home buyers:

Austin, Tex.
Dallas
Denver
Des Moines
Grand Rapids
Minneapolis
New Orleans
Ogden, Utah
Salt Lake City
Seattle

Each boasts a significant population of millennials, promising job growth, affordable home prices and plentiful inventory.