Dunedin Named Most Popular Retirement Town In U.S.

DUNEDIN, FL — In Zillow's most popular market of 2022 rankings, Dunedin earned the title of Most Popular Retirement Town in the U.S.

Using Zillow page-view traffic, available housing inventory, price appreciation, sales data and other housing metrics that indicate consumer demand, Zillow analyzed thousands of ZIP codes within the nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas to create a ranking of the site's most popular U.S. cities.

"The most popular places on Zillow showcase a few trends we've noticed over the course of the year — most notably that affordability has become the chief driver of the market. The Midwest and most Northeastern markets saw relatively small run-ups in home values over the course of the pandemic, and now are still affordable enough for residents to shop in," said Anushna Prakash, economic data analyst at Zillow.

A shift from fully remote to hybrid working situations may be a factor. While the percentage of employees working remotely all or most of the time is lower than in the early pandemic, the share working from home at least some of the time is now much higher, according to Pew Research. This may explain the higher popularity in 2022 of vacation spots and small towns within a somewhat reasonable, occasional commute to downtown employment centers.

However, Zillow analysts said, when it comes to retirement, the Midwest and Northeast have nothing on Florida's west coast. Florida is home to the top three cities in the category, with Dunedin ranking first, Sarasota placing second and St. Pete Beach in third.

Zillow analysts said demand for homes surged in Florida throughout the pandemic due to its scenic sandy beaches, warm weather and lifestyle catering to retirees. While western U.S. markets cooled in 2022, Florida's west coast remained a prime retirement destination while staying relatively affordable.

Dunedin earned extra points for its access to waterfront parks and country clubs, two desirable features retirees are seeking.

In other findings:

• Prairie Village, Kansas, was the most popular market of 2022.
• Grand Rapids, Michigan, won out for most popular large city.
• Tempe, Arizona, retained its title as the top college town.
• Beverly, Massachusetts, was the most popular seaside town.
• Windham, New Hampshire, was the most popular small town.
• Lavallette, New Jersey, was the most popular vacation town, followed by Indian Rocks Beach.