Although many Americans embrace McMansions and a “bigger is better” philosophy when it comes to homes, a small yet vibrant countermovement has been growing: a desire to downsize, simplify, and move into a tiny house.

Tiny houses—typically defined as being under 500 square feet—first began popping up in the wake of the 2007–08 financial crisis when thousands lost their homes due to unemployment or foreclosure. Many saw these pared-down properties as a way to save money as well as the environment by reducing their carbon footprint.

Since then, the movement has captured the public’s imagination. There are Instagram posts and TikTok videos tagged #tinyhome, as well as shows from “Tiny House Nation” to “Tiny House Hunters” and beyond.

Yet although the tiny-house movement is on fire culturally, the actual number of tiny homes out there is still quite small. Only a fraction of a percent of homes listed on multiple listing services qualify as a tiny home.

So if you’re a homebuyer who’s ready to embrace this lifestyle—or just curious about the prospect—where should you shop to make your dreams of downsizing come true? The data team at Realtor.com® set out to find the answer.

The list of locations with the most tiny homes spans nearly every corner of the country, from the New England coast to Hawaii, from Alaska to Georgia.

That’s because while these tiny homes are truly adorable, their growing popularity today also stems from financial constraints of a different stripe.

“We have a situation in our country where the value of housing has outpaced incomes for decades,” “Tiny House Nation” host Zack Giffin told Realtor.com. “For many people, the American dream has become out of reach. People are going to tiny houses to escape treading water financially and to pursue the things that make life worth living.”

In an era where the monthly mortgage payment for an average-sized, single-family home is about double what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic, tiny homes offer a budget-friendly foot in the door to homeownership. (That said, the price per square foot for a tiny home might be higher than that of a larger home.)

To find where tiny homes are most common, we identified single-family homes for sale in the past year with less than 500 square feet of space. We also searched for single-family homes that mention “tiny home” in the listing and have square footage that did not exceed 1,500. (This was to exclude homes advertising that an additional tiny home could be built on the lot.)

For each city, we calculated the percentage of single-family home listings that were tiny homes. To ensure geographic diversity, we selected a single city per state with the highest portion of such homes.

So, let’s see where folks can find tiny homes.

Where tiny homes are hiding today

While tiny homes can be found across the country, some places have more of them than others.

Topping the list is Landers, CA, a high-desert town of only a few thousand people, where more than 1 in every 4 single-family home listings is classified as a tiny house.

With a median list price of $180,000, these properties are only one-third the price of average single-family homes in the surrounding San Bernardino County.

In Dennis Port, MA, homebuyers will find tiny houses on the Atlantic coast with a median list price of $249,900. Though these tiny homes in this small Cape Cod community are inexpensive compared with other single-family homes in the area, due to their small size, they still come out to a lofty $654 per square foot.

If your dream of living small includes a more rugged lifestyle, you might want to look in Willow, AK, a small town on the outskirts of the Anchorage metro area.

If a tropical backdrop is what you desire, Ocean View, HI, on the southwestern tip of the Big Island, offers tiny homes with a median list price of about $100,000.

Here’s a look at the top 10 U.S. markets boasting the highest percentage of tiny homes. Median list price and square footage are also included so you can gauge size and affordability accordingly, along with samples of listings currently for sale to whet your appetite. Enjoy!

1. Landers, CA

Percentage of tiny-home listings: 28%
Median tiny-home list price: $180,000*
Median size: 398 square feet

2. Dennis Port, MA

Percentage of tiny-home listings: 22%
Median tiny-home list price: $249,900
Median size: 413 square feet

3. Willow, AK

Percentage of tiny-home listings: 18%
Median tiny-home list price: $99,500
Median size: 288 square feet

4. Ocean View, HI

Percentage of tiny-home listings: 12%
Median tiny-home list price: $102,250
Median size: 384 square feet

5. Wilmington, IL

Percentage of tiny-home listings: 11%
Median tiny-home list price: $109,900
Median size: 460 square feet

6. Port Isabel, TX

Percentage of tiny-home listings: 10%
Median tiny-home list price: $169,000
Median size: 397 square feet

7. Cosby, TN

Percentage of tiny-home listings: 9%
Median tiny-home list price: $145,000
Median size: 441 square feet

8. Cleveland, GA

Percentage of tiny-home listings: 5%
Median tiny-home list price: $139,740
Median size: 400 square feet

9. South Kingstown, RI

Percentage of tiny-home listings: 5%
Median tiny-home list price: $229,900
Median size: 366 square feet

10. Harrison, MI

Percentage of tiny-home listings: 5%
Median tiny-home list price: $44,700
Median size: 381 square feet

* Median list price over the past 12 months using Realtor.com data

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