PropertyShark has been tracking the most expensive U.S. zip codes for years, analyzing nationwide residential transactions to provide the most accurate snapshot of the nation’s most expensive markets. In order to create the most accurate benchmark, year-to-date residential sales were analyzed to determine the median sale price of each zip code. Due to a large number of ties in medians, 125 zip codes made the list as the 100 most expensive.
Calculating medians based on sale prices rather than asking prices more accurately reflects the reality on the ground in the country’s most cutthroat markets – where low supply pairs with high demand, often pushing sale prices above the initial asking figures. It also ensures that ultra-luxury properties – which generally spend extended periods of time on the market and often sell with notable price cuts – don’t skew the numbers away from what the market is actually willing to pay.

As has increasingly been the case throughout the years, California was once again the uncontested leader of pricey zip codes. Hitting an all-time high in 2019, California claimed a jaw-dropping 91 zip codes of the 125 zips featuring the 100 most expensive medians, including 6 of 10 priciest. And, although New York State is far from a true rival of California’s sky-high residential prices, it remained the East Coast’s most expensive market, ranking 18 zips in our top 100 – the second-highest number and just one zip less than last year.