Hartford Real Estate Market 2026: Score 98, Demand Score Hits 100

Hartford, CT has scored 98 or 99 on the PropertyIQ index every single month since June 2024.

As of February 28, 2026, PropertyIQ scores Hartford a 98 out of 100. The demand score is 100 -- the maximum possible reading. New listings are down 17.15% year over year. The pending ratio is 1.3575: more homes under contract than available for sale.

This is one of the tightest housing markets in the country for a metro of its size.

The Demand Score

A demand score of 100 means Hartford ranks at the absolute top of the PropertyIQ demand measurement. The market absorbs available supply faster than any comparable metro in the dataset.

That reading sits alongside these facts as of February 2026:

• 725 homes for sale (down -7.82% YOY)
• 984 homes under contract (pending ratio: 1.36)
• New listings: 570, down -17.15% year over year
• Days on market: 46
• Price cuts: 5.18% of listings
• Sale to list: 101.87%

Sellers in Hartford are receiving 101.87% of their asking price. Buyers are paying above ask in a market that was already tight.

The Score History

Hartford has held 98 or 99 for every month in the 21-month window shown.

| Month | Score | |-------|-------| | June 2024 | 98 | | September 2024 | 99 | | December 2024 | 98 | | March 2025 | 98 | | June 2025 | 99 | | September 2025 | 99 | | December 2025 | 98 | | January 2026 | 98 | | February 2026 | 98 |

The score has never dropped below 98. There is no dip, no seasonal correction, no reaction to the national market volatility of 2025.

The Supply Collapse

New listings in Hartford are down 17.15% year over year as of February 2026. That is the sharpest new listings decline of any major metro in this analysis.

Fewer sellers are listing, the existing supply pool is shrinking (-7.82% inventory YOY), and buyers are not pulling back. The result is a market where demand outstrips supply in absolute terms: 984 pending contracts against only 725 active listings.

New construction provides almost no relief: 22 new construction sales in November 2025 for a metro of 1.14 million.

Current Market Conditions

The median listing price in Hartford is $444,950 as of February 1, 2026. The Zillow median home value is approximately $377,448 as of January 31, 2026. The gap between listing price and Zillow value reflects that active listings skew toward higher-priced homes.

Home values are up 2.59% year over year as of February 2026. Month over month, values gained 4.72% from January to February -- one of the sharpest monthly gains in the dataset.

Five-year appreciation is 22.78%. The overvaluation reading is 15.9%, one of the lowest figures for a market scoring in the high 90s.

The Zillow Forecast

Zillow forecasts 4.8% near-term price appreciation in Hartford as of December 2025. That is the highest forecast of any market in this analysis, including all the California coastal recoveries and Midwest high-scorers.

The forecast reflects the supply dynamic: when new listings are declining at 17% and inventory is tightening, price pressure has nowhere to go but up.

Affordability

The estimated household income required to purchase a median-priced home in Hartford is $118,266 as of February 2026. The metro median household income is $92,823 as of 2023 Census data.

The income gap is $25,443. That is real, and it is what keeps the 15.9% overvaluation reading in check -- there is a ceiling on how far prices can rise relative to what local incomes can support.

The homeownership rate is 66.96%. The Zillow rent index is $1,883 per month as of December 2025. The income required to rent comfortably is approximately $75,338 annually.

The unemployment rate is 4.2% as of November 2025. Population is 1,144,012 as of 2023 Census.

Hartford vs the New England Tier

Providence scores 96, Boston scores in the high 80s, and Worcester scores 95. Hartford at 98 with a demand score of 100 is at the top of the New England high-performer tier.

The regional dynamic is consistent: tight supply, minimal new construction, stable employment, and buyers who cannot or will not relocate far from existing job centers. Connecticut's proximity to New York City without New York City pricing has attracted remote workers who kept demand elevated through 2024 and into 2025.

PropertyIQ score as of February 28, 2026. Listing and inventory data as of February 1, 2026. Zillow home value data as of January 31, 2026. Sale-to-list data as of November 30, 2025. Forecast data as of December 2025. Census data as of 2023. Economic data as of November 2025. All data for informational purposes only.