Holden, Missouri is Among the US Cities Where Home Values are Falling Fastest

In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. home sales slumped. Since then, however, the market has come roaring back — and rising demand, in conjunction with a relatively low supply of housing, has caused home values to surge.…

Published May 7, 2021, 5:30am ET · 2 min read

A red and white 'PRICE REDUCED' sign, shaped like an explosion or starburst, stands in the right foreground on a metal stake. In the background, a white house with black shutters sits on a green, grassy hill under a bright blue sky. Bare trees are visible behind the house and in the distance.
A 'Price Reduced' sign stands in front of a home, illustrating the current real estate market where a significant percentage of homes are seeing price cuts. This trend is notable, as highlighted by Compass CEO Robert Reffkin. © Photo by Mark Wilson / Getty Images

In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. home sales slumped. Since then, however, the market has come roaring back — and rising demand, in conjunction with a relatively low supply of housing, has caused home values to surge.

Between March 2020 and March 2021, the typical single-family American home appreciated in value from $250,179 to $276,717, a 10.6% increase. Of course, housing markets also respond more to local forces, and not all parts of the country followed the national pattern.

In Holden, a city of about 2,400 residents in Missouri’s Johnson County, home values have actually declined in recent months. The typical single family home in Holden was worth $104,290 as of March 2021, 5.7% less than what it was worth one year ago.

One factor that can contribute to falling home prices at a local level is reduced demand. And lower demand for housing is often precipitated by population decline. According to the most recent available Census data, over the last one-year period, Holden’s population decreased by 2.2%.

Nationwide, the typical home value is about 4.4 times higher than the median household income of $62,843. In Holden, housing is generally more affordable. The typical single-family home value is about 2.2 times higher than the local median household income of $46,667.

Here are the four communities with populations of at least 2,000 in Missouri where home values fell the most in the last year.

This is How Much Home You Can Buy For 200K in Every State

Place 1-yr. decrease in typical home value Current typical home value 1-yr. pop. change Median household income
Castle Point -12.6% $41,078 8.8% $30,616
Warrensburg -6.6% $188,124 0.6% $46,315
Knob Noster -5.8% $175,123 -0.1% $41,908
Holden -5.7% $104,290 -2.2% $46,667
Steven M. Peters
All articles →