Pontiac, IL Housing Market
AI-powered market intelligence for the Pontiac, IL metro area.
PropertyIQ Scores
Pontiac, IL Market Analysis
Market Overview
Pontiac, Illinois posts a PropertyIQ Score of 97 out of 100, placing it in strong territory by the model’s standards. The score is driven by 12-month home value momentum of 19.21%, 3-month home value momentum of 2.12%, a median days-on-market figure of 54 days, and a share of listings with a price cut of 18.4%. These indicators collectively point to a market with recent price momentum and a reasonably active sales pace.
Relative to Illinois benchmarks, Pontiac is an affordability story. The median home value is $176,233, well below the state average of $297,573. The rent index is $1,127, compared with $1,227 statewide. The unemployment rate is 4.9%, matching the state average, while median household income is $70,796, below the state’s $81,702. Homes for sale total 77, and the listed home value year-over-year change is $-4, a notably flat-to-slightly-negative annual figure that contrasts with the positive momentum shown in the score drivers.
Key Trends
The first trend is affordability. Pontiac’s median home value of $176,233 is $121,340 below the state median of $297,573, and its rent index is $100 below the state average. Even with median household income of $70,796 trailing the state’s $81,702, the lower home values keep ownership relatively accessible.
The second trend is mixed home price movement. The PropertyIQ score highlights 12-month home value momentum of 19.21% and 3-month momentum of 2.12% as top drivers, suggesting recent upward pressure. At the same time, the key metrics list home value year over year at $-4. The data as provided therefore shows positive momentum in the scoring model alongside a minimal annual dollar decline.
The third trend is a steady market pace. Median days on market is 54 days, and there are 77 homes for sale. The share of listings with a price cut is 18.4%, meaning a meaningful portion of sellers are adjusting prices, but the 54-day median suggests homes are not sitting for an extended period.
The fourth trend is economic stability with an income gap. Pontiac’s unemployment rate of 4.9% matches the state average exactly, a positive signal for local employment. However, median household income of $70,796 is below the state average, which tempers the affordability advantage. Population growth is listed as N/A, so demographic expansion cannot be evaluated from the provided data.
Who Is This Market For
First-time buyers are a natural fit for Pontiac. The median home value of $176,233 is well below the state average, and the rent index of $1,127 is also lower than the state’s $1,227. With a median days-on-market of 54 days and an 18.4% share of listings with a price cut, buyers may find some room to negotiate while still facing a reasonably active market. The high PropertyIQ Score of 97/100 suggests overall conditions are favorable, and the local unemployment rate of 4.9% matches the state norm.
Rental property investors may also be drawn to the market because the median home value is relatively low compared with the rent index. The rent index of $1,127 offers a moderate rental base, and the stable unemployment rate of 4.9% supports a potential tenant pool. However, population growth is not available, so investors cannot confirm whether rental demand is expanding. Move-up buyers looking for more space or a lower-cost alternative to larger Illinois markets may also find value in Pontiac, given the affordability gap versus the state average and the strong score.
Outlook
The data supports a generally positive but measured outlook. The PropertyIQ Score of 97/100 is high, and the top drivers include 12-month home value momentum of 19.21% and 3-month momentum of 2.12%, which indicate recent price strength. The listed year-over-year home value change of $-4 and the 18.4% price-cut share suggest that pricing pressure is not uniform and sellers still need to be competitive. With 54 days on market and 77 homes for sale, the market appears active without being overheated. Affordability relative to state benchmarks and a stable unemployment rate of 4.9% may continue to support demand, although the lack of population growth data limits any longer-term demand conclusions.
AI-generated analysis based on current market data. Last updated September 25, 2026.
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Pontiac, IL market data
Pontiac, IL Housing Market Overview
Pontiac, IL's median home value is $176K, up 19.2% over the past year. Homes here sell in a median 54 days. Its PropertyIQ Score of 97 sits well above the state average of 50, marking a market positioned to outperform its state over the next three years.
The Pontiac, IL metropolitan area represents a distinct segment of IL's housing landscape. The PropertyIQ Score combines price momentum — how Zillow home values have trended over the past 3 and 12 months — with market-flow signals from Realtor.com that track how fast homes sell and how often sellers cut prices. The result is a single measure of how this market is positioned to outperform or lag its state over the next three years.
Midwestern housing markets are characterized by affordability and economic diversification. From manufacturing hubs undergoing tech-sector transitions to university towns with stable demand, the region offers value-oriented opportunities with lower entry costs than coastal markets. Within the Midwest, Pontiac, IL's PropertyIQ Score of 97 ranks among the Midwest's stronger demand signals.
The PropertyIQ Score for the Pontiac, IL market is built from four inputs: Zillow home-value momentum over twelve months, Zillow home-value momentum over three months, the median days listings spend on the market (Realtor.com), and the share of listings with a price cut (Realtor.com). The score runs on a 1 to 99 scale computed across all metro markets nationally and calibrated so 50 equals the state average — a score above 50 means this market is positioned to outperform its state, and a score below 50 means it is set to lag. Momentum here has been positive, with home values up 19.2% over the past year.
Explore the interactive map to see how Pontiac, IL compares to neighboring metros, or view the full market dashboard for detailed analytics including time-series trends, score breakdowns, and AI-generated market reports.
Counties in the Pontiac, IL metro area
ZIP codes in the Pontiac, IL metro area
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Market data through August 2026. Sourced from Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, U.S. Census Bureau, FRED, BLS, and BEA. Per-statistic source and date shown above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pontiac, IL a good place to buy real estate in 2026?
PropertyIQ doesn't label markets simply good or bad. Instead, the PropertyIQ Score measures a market's demand momentum against its own state, where 50 marks the state average. Pontiac, IL currently scores 97, a very strong-momentum reading that leaves it positioned to outperform its state over the next three years. For buyers, strengthening demand usually means rising competition and firmer prices, so waiting can cost you negotiating room. Backing that up, the median home value here is $176K, up 19.2% over the past year. So whether Pontiac, IL is right for you comes down to your goals: a rising-momentum market can favor long-term appreciation but offers less room to negotiate, while a cooling one hands buyers more leverage. Treat the score as a timing signal to weigh alongside your budget, holding period, and plans for the property, not a verdict on the market's quality.
What is the PropertyIQ Score for Pontiac, IL?
Pontiac, IL's PropertyIQ Score is 97, indicating very strong momentum on a 1-to-99 scale. The score distills four transparent inputs into a single number: Zillow home-value momentum over the past 12 months, Zillow home-value momentum over the past 3 months, the median days homes spend on the market from Realtor.com, and the share of listings with a price cut, also from Realtor.com. Rising values and faster sales push the score up, while slow sales and frequent price cuts pull it down. The scale is calibrated so 50 equals the state average, meaning a score above 50 predicts the market will outperform its state over the next three years and a score below 50 predicts underperformance. PropertyIQ computes the score across every US market nationally, then recenters it against each state, so 97 places Pontiac, IL above its state benchmark.
Are home prices in Pontiac, IL rising or falling?
Home prices in Pontiac, IL are rising. Over the past year, the median home value increased 19.2%, reaching $176K. Over the latest three months, values moved up 2.1%, a sign near-term demand remains firm. PropertyIQ derives these figures from Zillow's home-value index, which tracks the typical value across the market rather than only the homes that happened to sell, giving a steadier read than a raw median sale price. Both the 12-month and 3-month momentum readings feed directly into the PropertyIQ Score, so this price trend is one of the core signals behind Pontiac, IL's current score. Keep in mind that appreciation can vary widely by neighborhood and price tier across the metro area, so treat these figures as the market-wide baseline rather than a guarantee for any single property.
How quickly do homes sell in Pontiac, IL?
In Pontiac, IL, homes sell in a median of 54 days from listing to pending sale, based on Realtor.com market data. Median days on market is one of the clearest real-time reads on local demand: when homes move quickly, buyers are competing and sellers hold the advantage, while lengthening timelines signal cooling interest and more room to negotiate. Alongside sale speed, about 18% of active listings here have taken at least one price cut — a complementary demand gauge, since a rising share of reductions often precedes slower sales and softer prices. Both median days on market and the price-cut share feed directly into the PropertyIQ Score, where faster sales and fewer cuts push the score higher. As a general guide, medians under about 30 days indicate a brisk, competitive market, while medians well beyond 60 days point to buyers regaining leverage. Actual time on market still varies by price band, property type, and season, so treat the median as a market-wide baseline.
How current is this metro area data?
This Pontiac, IL market data is refreshed on a monthly cycle, with the latest figures current through August 2026. PropertyIQ ingests fresh data every month from a range of authoritative sources: home values and rents from Zillow, days on market and price-cut activity from Realtor.com, additional housing signals from Redfin, demographic and housing-stock data from the U.S. Census Bureau, mortgage and macroeconomic series from FRED, and employment figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The PropertyIQ Score itself is recomputed every month once the new source data lands, so the score and its four underlying inputs always reflect the most recent complete reporting period rather than a static snapshot. Because official housing data is typically released with a short lag, the current-through date usually trails the present by a few weeks, which is normal across the industry and not a sign the data is out of date.