1. Jefferson County, Ky. (Louisville, KY)
Pct. change from 2007-2008:63.1%
> Average March price: $160,000
> Change in foreclosures: -33.0%
> Unemployment rate: 8.1%
The average home price in Jefferson County, which merged with the city of Louisville in 2003, was just $73,879 in 2009, among the lower average home prices nationwide. Since then, however, home values have increased dramatically, rising every year to reach $160,000 on average in 2014. As a result, the area’s home prices are up 63% from Jefferson County’s 2007 average home price of $92,133. Foreclosures, too, are on the decline, having fallen 33% between the first quarter of 2013 and the first quarter of 2014. A report from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis last year profiled Louisville as an example of a metro area that had successfully transitioned from an industrial to a service-based economy.
2. Delaware County, Pa.
Pct. change from 2007-2008:54.9%
> Average price 2014: $295,000
> Change in foreclosures: 6.1%
> Unemployment rate: 6.1%
3. Buchanan County, Mo.
Pct. change from 2007-2008:41.1%
> Average March price: $139,450
> Change in foreclosures: N/A
> Unemployment rate: N/A
4. Marion County, Ind.
Pct. change from 2007-2008:39.4%
> Average March price: $116,000
> Change in foreclosures: -35.1%
> Unemployment rate: 6.2%
5. Henderson County, Texas
Pct. change from 2007-2008:30.2%
> Average March price: $192,500
> Change in foreclosures: N/A
> Unemployment rate: 5.7%
6. Johnson County, Iowa
Pct. change from 2007-2008:25.5%
> Average March price: $192,000
> Change in foreclosures: 5.4%
> Unemployment rate: 3.2%
7. San Francisco County, Calif.
Pct. change from 2007-2008:15.3%
> Average March price: $945,000
> Change in foreclosures: -75.0%
> Unemployment rate: 5.2%
8. Weld County, Colo.
Pct. change from 2007-2008:11.1%
> Average March price: $197,488
> Change in foreclosures: -45.8%
> Unemployment rate: 6.5%