Top 50: The Best U.S. Cities for Mid-Century Real Estate
Are you obsessed with all things mid-century modern? Do Eames chairs make your heart skip a beat? Does Danish teak furniture make you weak in the knees? If so, you're in for a treat! We've combed through the U.S. and ranked 50 cities based on key factors to uncover the best places for mid-century modern home buyers. These cities are bursting with MCM charm and architectural gems from Memphis to Palm Springs.
Curious to see where your city lands? Check out the rankings below and discover where you will most likely find your dream mid-mod home!
Key Findings: The Best Cities for Mid-Century Modern Home Buyers
Mid-century modern design, a defining movement of 20th-century architecture, is loved for its clean lines, functional layouts, and seamless connection to nature. If you’re on the hunt for the perfect MCM home, you’ll find plenty of U.S. cities packed with architectural gems, vintage finds, and expert designers ready to help bring your vision to life.
Here’s how the top cities stack up:
#1 — New York
New York City takes the #1 spot for mid-century modern home buyers, earning a city score of 40.11 out of 50. With 5,937 mid-century modern buildings, it surpasses any other U.S. city in MCM architecture. From residential gems to world-famous landmarks like the Seagram Building by Mies van der Rohe and the Guggenheim Museum by Frank Lloyd Wright, NYC is as close to a modern-day MCM utopia as it gets.
#2 — Houston
#3 — Chicago
#10 — Austin
#6 — Palm Springs
#35 — Portland (Maine)
Where to Find Your Dream Mid-Century Home
If you’re searching for the perfect MCM city, here are some top contenders:
Memphis is an affordable haven for MCM lovers. With 11% of listings priced below the state’s median home value, buyers can snag a stylish mid-mod home without stretching their budget—leaving extra room for vintage furniture shopping.
Birmingham is a goldmine for vintage furniture enthusiasts, boasting over two dozen stores stocked with retro sofas, atomic lamps, and classic teak pieces to bring your MCM home to life.
Ready for More?
Curious about which cities have the most mid-century modern homes or how your city ranks? You're almost there. We’ve crunched the numbers—check out our full data study below to see where you’re most likely to find your dream mid-century modern home!
The Top 50 Picks for Mid-Century Modern Capitals of the U.S.
To identify the best cities for mid-century modern homebuyers, this study began by compiling a list of 54 U.S. cities known for their strong mid-century modern (MCM) presence, using sources such as Architectural Homes and Insider. Next, data was gathered from Zillow, the U.S. Census Bureau, Yelp, Thumbtack, and the Mid-Century Preservation Society to analyze key factors influencing the accessibility and affordability of MCM homes. Each city was assigned a score between 0 and 5 across multiple weighted categories, culminating in an overall city score ranging from 0 to 50, with 50 being the highest possible score.
The study considered several factors to determine each city's MCM appeal. The number of mid-century modern homes for sale and the percentage of total listings that are MCM builds were both heavily weighted at 2.00, sourced from Zillow. Additionally, the percentage of MCM homes priced below the city's median home value, weighted at 1.75, provided insight into affordability, with data pulled from Zillow and the U.S. Census Bureau. The number of member businesses in the Mid-Century Preservation Society, though given a lighter weight of 0.25, was included to assess the local commitment to MCM preservation.
To capture the availability of MCM-inspired interior design and furnishings, the study factored in the number of vintage furniture stores (1.50 weight, sourced from Yelp), as well as the number of interior designers specializing in MCM (1.50 weight, sourced from Thumbtack). Lastly, the average hourly service fee for MCM interior designers, also weighted at 1.50, provided an additional measure of affordability and accessibility for homeowners looking to preserve or enhance their mid-century spaces.
By combining these metrics, this study offers a data-driven ranking of the top U.S. cities for MCM homebuyers, highlighting locations where buyers can find not only a strong selection of mid-century properties but also a thriving design and preservation community to support their investment.