As prices rise and home building slows down, the housing shortage remains. Currently, the U.S. is still about 4 million homes short of meeting demand. A lack of supply is just one half of the battle, however. Affordability challenges are also keeping Americans out of homeownership.

The 2026 Top New-Construction Metros report from real estate marketing platform Realtor.com ranks the markets that are currently offering the best mix of new housing supply, affordability, and desirability. The report found that small towns and mid-size cities are seeing the bulk of new-home construction, and that's especially true in Southern and coastal cities.

Which metros ranked in the top 10?

Six of the top ten metros for new construction in 2026 are in North or South Carolina. Charleston, S.C., was ranked first, followed by Greenville, S.C.; Boise City, Idaho; Charlotte, N.C.; Nashville; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Winston-Salem, N.C.; Madison, Wis.; Durham, N.C.; and then Columbia, S.C.

What do the top metros have in common?

When looking at the top three metros, each have a high concentration of new homes on the market and a low new-home construction premium. For instance, in Charleston, S.C., new homes make up 24.8% of all homes in the metro, and the new-home premium is at -12.2%, meaning new homes are more affordable than existing homes. Likewise, in Greenville, S.C., and Boise City, Idaho, a respective 33.4% and 53.4% of the market share is new homes. Both markets also have a negative new-home premium at -1.6% and -4.5%, respectively.