Median age of housing by zip

Age of housing isn't everything, but you can't build old houses.  Because of new home construction costs, existing homes are tidally less expensive.  The exception is popular cities with a lot of in-migration.

Map:  The age of housing in every zip code in the U.S.

Washington Post, June 24, 2014  By Christopher Graham

Depending on where you live, you may feel that the rent - or the mortgage - is too damn high. One reason for this? We aren't building enough new housing stock, particularly in city centers where demand is high and supply is low. 

One way to illustrate this is to look at the median age of housing stock across the country. I took American Community Survey data on this and mapped it nationally, at the zip code level. A small version of the map is [on website] but you'll want to click it [link below] for the full version - trust me, it's worth it.  

Lighter areas contain newer construction, while darker areas are older. What stands out immediately is the difference between the Sunbelt--areas in the Southeast and Southwest where growth has been booming--and the Rustbelt--an arc stretching around the Great Lakes from North Dakota to New York. Nebraska and Kansas haven't seen much in the way of new construction either. This tracks pretty well with the overall population change in these areas. Over the past 10 years people have migrated to the Sunbelt and away from the Rustbelt.

Link to webpage:
www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wp/2014/06/24/map-the-age-of-housing-in-every-zip-code-in-the-us