New Jersey

HOUSING MARKETS FACING GREATER RISK OF DECLINE CONCENTRATED IN CALIFORNIA, NEW JERSEY, ILLINOIS AND FLORIDA

Published

1 year ago

December 5, 2024

HOUSING MARKETS FACING GREATER RISK OF DECLINE CONCENTRATED IN CALIFORNIA, NEW JERSEY, ILLINOIS AND FLORIDA

New York City and Chicago Areas More Vulnerable to Drop-offs Along with Inland California; South Still Faces Relatively Small Exposure;

IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — ATTOM, a leading curator of land, property data, and real estate analytics, today released its latest Special Housing Market Impact Risk Report spotlighting county-level housing markets around the United States that are more or less vulnerable to declines, based on home affordability, equity and other measures in the third quarter of 2024. The report shows that California, New Jersey and Illinois once again had high concentrations of the most-at-risk markets in the country, with parts of Florida also joining that mix. Less-vulnerable markets continued to be clustered in the South region of the nation.

The third-quarter patterns – derived from gaps in affordability, underwater mortgages, foreclosures and unemployment – revealed that two-thirds of the 50 counties around the U.S. considered most exposed to potential fallbacks were in California, Florida, Illinois and New Jersey. Florida was a new addition to that group in the third quarter after earlier periods when it had fewer markets making the list of areas at elevated risk of downturns.

County-level housing markets on the latest list included six in and around Chicago, IL, five in or near New York City and four in southern New Jersey. Another 13 were in California, mostly inland from the Pacific coast. The rest were scattered largely around the Northeast, South and Midwest.

At the other end of the risk spectrum, more than half the markets considered least likely to decline fell in Virginia, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Montana and New Hampshire. They included four in the Washington, DC, area.

The latest gaps come as the nation’s 13-year housing-market boom, along with the broader economy, continue to affect different parts of the country in different ways.

An almost unrelenting increase in home prices has surpassed most wage gains around the country to varying degrees. That has led to home ownership costs consuming more than triple the portion of average wages in some parts of the country compared to others. Similar disparities can be found in several other measures: unemployment rates, the level of homeowners facing foreclosure and the portion owing more on their mortgages than their homes are worth.

“The recent market risk patterns changed a bit in the third quarter, with some new areas making the list of places more or less exposed to downfalls. But the big picture remained pretty much the same around the country as differences in important metrics helped produce varying pockets of vulnerability,” said Rob Barber, CEO at ATTOM. “As with past reports, this one is not meant to suggest any given area is about to fall or is immune from problems. Rather, it spotlights locations that look to be more or less able to withstand significant changes in market conditions. We will continue to keep a close watch on markets throughout the country to see how things track.”

Counties were considered more or less at risk based on the percentage of homes facing possible foreclosure, the portion with mortgage balances that exceeded estimated property values, the percentage of average local wages required to pay for major home ownership expenses on median-priced single-family homes and local unemployment rates. The conclusions were drawn from an analysis of the most recent home affordability, equity and foreclosure reports prepared by ATTOM. Unemployment rates came from federal government data. Rankings were based on a combination of those four categories in 578 counties around the United States with sufficient data to analyze in the third quarter of 2024. Counties were ranked in each category, from lowest to highest, with the overall conclusion based on a combination of the four ranks. See below for the full methodology.

Significant differences in risk continue around the U.S. at a time when market forces could combine to push home values up even further or tamp them down.

Vulnerable housing markets clustered around Chicago, New York City and inland California
The metropolitan areas around New York, NY, and Chicago, IL, as well as broad swaths of California, had 24 of the 50 U.S. counties considered most vulnerable in the third quarter of 2024 to housing market troubles. The counties were among 578 around the nation with enough data to analyze.

The most at-risk counties included Cook, Kane, Kendall, McHenry and Will counties in Illinois and Lake County in Indiana, two in New York City (Kings County, which covers Brooklyn, and New York County, which covers Manhattan) and three in the New York City suburbs (Essex, Passaic and Sussex counties, all in northern New Jersey).

Another 13 were in California: Butte County (Chico), Contra Costa County (outside Oakland), El Dorado County (outside Sacramento), Humboldt County (Eureka) and Solano County (outside Sacramento) in the northern part of the state, plus Kern County (Bakersfield), Kings County (outside Fresno), Madera County (outside Fresno), Merced County, San Joaquin County (Stockton) and Stanislas County (Modesto) in central California. Two others, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, were in southern California.

Worse levels of affordability, underwater mortgages, foreclosures and unemployment continue in most-at-risk markets
Major home-ownership costs (mortgage payments, property taxes and insurance) on median-priced single-family homes and condos were considered seriously unaffordable in 30 of the 50 counties deemed most vulnerable to market drop-offs in the third quarter of 2024. That means those expenses consumed at least 43 percent of average local wages. Nationwide, major expenses on typical homes sold in the third quarter required 34 percent of average local wages, a level also above basic affordability benchmarks.

The highest percentages in the most at-risk markets were in Kings County (Brooklyn), NY (108 percent of average local wages needed for major ownership costs); Riverside County, CA (70.2 percent); El Dorado County, CA (outside Sacramento) (66.3 percent); Passaic County, NJ (outside New York City) (65.9 percent) and New York County (Manhattan), NY (65.1 percent).

At least 6 percent of residential mortgages were underwater in the third quarter of 2024 in 23 of the 50 most-at-risk counties. Nationwide, 5.5 percent of mortgages fell into that category, with homeowners owing more on their mortgages than the estimated value of their properties. Those with the highest underwater rates among the 50 most at-risk counties were St. Clair County, IL (outside St. Louis, MO) (15 percent underwater); Tangipahoa Parish, LA (east of Baton Rouge) (13.7 percent); Pinal County, AZ (outside Phoenix) (12.4 percent); Philadelphia County, PA (11.9 percent) and Marion County, FL (outside Gainesville) (11 percent).

More than one of every 1,000 residential properties faced a foreclosure action in the third quarter of 2024 in 35 of the 50 most vulnerable counties. Nationwide, one in 1,618 homes were in that position. The highest foreclosure-case rates in those counties were in Charlotte County (Punta Gorda), FL (one in 449 residential properties facing possible foreclosure); Osceola County, FL (outside Orlando) (one in 473); Dorchester County, SC (outside Charleston) (one in 509); Cumberland County (Vineland), NJ (one in 571) and Warren County, NJ (outside Allentown, PA) (one in 574).

The August 2024 unemployment rate was at least 5 percent in 34 of the 50 most at-risk counties, while the nationwide figure stood at 4.2 percent. The highest rates were in Merced County, CA (9.1 percent); Kern County (Bakersfield), CA (8.7 percent); Kings County, CA (outside Fresno) (8.2 percent); Cumberland County (Vineland), NJ (7.7 percent) and Madera County, CA (outside Fresno) (7.4 percent).

South has largest portion of counties least at risk
Twenty-two of the 50 counties considered least vulnerable to housing market problems from among the 578 reviewed in the third-quarter report were in the South. Another 13 were in Midwest, followed by 11 in the Northeast and just four in the West.

Tennessee had eight of the least at-risk counties in the third quarter: They included Rutherford and Williamson counties in the Nashville metro area, Blount and Knox County in the Knoxville metro area, Hamilton County (Chattanooga), Bradley County (outside Chattanooga), Sullivan County (Kingsport) and Washington County (Johnson City).

Wisconsin had seven. They were Brown County (Green Bay), Outagamie County (outside Green Bay), Dane County (Madison), Rock County (outside Madison), Eau Claire County, La Crosse County and Winnebago County (Oshkosh).

Less-vulnerable counties aided by better market conditions
Major ownership costs on median-priced single-family homes and condos were seriously unaffordable in only 17 of the 50 counties that were considered least vulnerable to market problems in the third quarter of 2024 (compared to 30 of the most at-risk counties).

The lowest portions of wages required for home ownership were in Potter County (Amarillo), TX (19.1 percent); Oswego County, NY (outside Syracuse) (21.8 percent); Sullivan County (Kingsport), TN (25.9 percent); Shawnee County (Topeka), KS (26.5 percent) and Madison County (Huntsville), AL (26.9 percent).

More than 6 percent of residential mortgages were underwater in the third quarter of 2024 (with owners owing more than their properties were worth) in only one of the 50 least-at-risk counties. Those with the lowest rates were Chittenden County (Burlington), VT (0.8 percent underwater); Loudoun County, VA (outside Washington, DC) (1.6 percent); Rockingham County (Portsmouth), NH (1.9 percent); Henrico County (Richmond), VA (2 percent) and Hillsborough County (Manchester), NH (2 percent).

More than one in 1,000 residential properties faced a foreclosure action during the third quarter of 2024 in none of the least-at-risk counties. Those with the lowest rates were Yellowstone County (Billings), MT (one in 72,252 residential properties faced possible foreclosure); Missoula County, MT (one in 55,084); Berkeley County (Martinsburg), WV (one in 25,646); Medina County, OH (outside Akron) (one in 18,785) and Chittenden County (Burlington), VT (one in 18,302).

The August 2024 unemployment rate was less than the national level of 4.2 percent in 48 of the 50 least-at-risk counties. The lowest rates among those counties were in Dane County (Madison), WI (2.1 percent); Chittenden County (Burlington), VT (2.1 percent); La Crosse County, WI (2.2 percent); Outagamie County, WI (2.3 percent) and Cumberland County (Portland) ME (2.3 percent).

Report methodology
The ATTOM Special Market Impact Report is based on ATTOM’s third-quarter 2024 residential foreclosure, home affordability and underwater property reports, plus August 2024 unemployment figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Press releases for affordability, foreclosure and underwater-property reports show the methodology for each.) Counties with sufficient data to analyze were ranked based on the third-quarter percentage of residential properties with a foreclosure filing, the percentage of average local wages needed to afford the major expenses of owning a median-priced home and the percentage of properties with outstanding mortgage balances that exceeded their estimated market values, along with August 2024 county-level unemployment rates. Ranks then were added up to develop a composite ranking across all four categories. Equal weight was given to each category. Counties with the lowest composite rank were considered most vulnerable to housing market problems. Those with the highest composite rank were considered least vulnerable.

About ATTOM
ATTOM provides premium property data and analytics that power a myriad of solutions that improve transparency, innovation, digitization and efficiency in a data-driven economy. ATTOM multi-sources property tax, deed, mortgage, foreclosure, environmental risk, natural hazard, and neighborhood data for more than 155 million U.S. residential and commercial properties covering 99 percent of the nation’s population. A rigorous data management process involving more than 20 steps validates, standardizes, and enhances the real estate data collected by ATTOM, assigning each property record with a persistent, unique ID — the ATTOM ID. The 30TB ATTOM Data Warehouse fuels innovation in many industries including mortgage, real estate, insurance, marketing, government and more through flexible data delivery solutions that include ATTOM Cloud, bulk file licenses, property data APIs, real estate market trends, property navigator and more. Also, introducing our newest innovative solution, making property data more readily accessible and optimized for AI applications – AI-Ready Solutions.

Media Contact:
Megan Hunt
megan.hunt@attomdata.com

Data and Report Licensing:
datareports@attomdata.com

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/housing-markets-facing-greater-risk-of-decline-concentrated-in-california-new-jersey-illinois-and-florida-302322857.html

SOURCE ATTOM

Source link

Click to comment

New Jersey

New Jersey E-ZPass stickers could arrive soon

Published

5 hours ago

March 7, 2026

Press Room

New Jersey E-ZPass stickers could arrive soon

Out with the old, in with the new. E-ZPass is getting an upgrade.

New Jersey Turnpike may be saying bye-bye to the E-Z Pass device as they assess some new technology for the electronic toll paying service.

According to News12, the agency is testing a new sticker with a digital chip on their own vehicles that would replace the white plastic transponder mounted to windshields.

“We are planning to put the stickers in Turnpike Authority fleet vehicles for an informal test run. That will happen pretty soon,” said Tom Feeney, an authority spokesperson. “If there aren’t any issues, we plan to make them available to NJ E-ZPass customers.”

Officials say the stickers could be rolled out to drivers by the end of the year if the test run is successful.

This new method would potentially save the authority millions of dollars since the sticker tags don’t require batteries.

So far Massachusetts is the most recent state to change. On March 1 drivers received a small E-ZPass sticker to put on their windshield.

The new sticker transponder has an RFID chip embedded in them that’s read by the overhead toll gantries.

The current transponders, which MassDOT gives out to new customers for free, costs the state $6.70 each while the new stickers cost 55 cents, Massachusetts Department of Transportation Administrator Jonathan Gulliver told WBUR.

Source link

New Jersey

NJ Lottery Pick-3, Pick-4, Cash 5, Millionaire for Life winning numbers for Friday, March 6

Published

17 hours ago

March 7, 2026

Press Room

The New Jersey Lottery offers multiple draw games for people looking to strike it rich.

Here’s a look at March 6, 2026, results for each game:

Pick-3

Midday: 2-6-8, Fireball: 6

Evening: 3-8-5, Fireball: 2

Check Pick-3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick-4

Midday: 8-3-0-5, Fireball: 6

Evening: 2-7-0-2, Fireball: 2

Check Pick-4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Jersey Cash 5

01-06-14-22-27, Xtra: 01

Check Jersey Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Millionaire for Life

04-10-29-48-50, Bonus: 03

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Quick Draw

Drawings are held every four minutes. Check winning numbers here.

Cash Pop

Drawings are held every four minutes. Check winning numbers here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the New Jersey Lottery drawings held?

Cash4Life: 9:00 p.m. daily.
Pick-3: 12:59 p.m. and 10:57 p.m. daily.
Pick-4: 12:59 p.m. and 10:57 p.m. daily.
Jersey Cash 5: 10:57 p.m. daily.
Pick-6: 10:57 p.m. Monday and Thursday.
Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a New Jersey Sr Breaking News Editor. You can send feedback using this form.

Source link

New Jersey

From Belmar to Asbury Park, here’s why NJ goes all-in for St. Patrick’s Day

Published

1 day ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

From Belmar to Asbury Park, here’s why NJ goes all-in for St. Patrick’s Day

I almost take the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day and the celebration of my Irish heritage for granted. I said almost.

I am fortunate to ride in New Jersey’s largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Belmar-Lake Como St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which will now run on Saturday, March 28, 2026. It was postponed because of the Jersey Shore snowstorm that dumped a couple of feet of snow.

Photo via vadimguzhva

I am also fortunate to serve as the Grand Marshall in 2015 and continue to ride in the Asbury Park St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which will step off this Sunday, March 8, 2026, at 1 p.m.

New Jersey 101.5 (Canva Edit)

Just those parade experiences alone are filled with so many people lined up to catch the parades, the pipes and drums, the marchers, along with having fun and enjoying the experience.

2024 Ocean County St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Seaside Heights

2024 Ocean County St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Seaside Heights (Ocean County St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee)

There are many other parades up and down the Jersey Shore and all over New Jersey celebrating the wearing of the green.

There are a considerable number of exceptionally good Irish pubs, bars, and restaurants sprinkled all over the Garden State. A fan favorite is Irish dancers and Irish music at big venues like the Count Basie in Red Bank.

Highlands St.Patrick’s Day parade

Highlands St.Patrick’s Day parade (Highlands Business Partnership)

All those festivities and the celebration have made New Jersey the number one state in the country for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.

According to new data released by BETMGM, the company analyzed Google Trends search data across categories such as alcohol and drinkware, green clothing, costumes, party supplies, Irish artists, Irish music, and miscellaneous topics over the past three years.

Jon Polunas poses with Women of Irish Heritage members on St. Patrick’s Day March 17, 2021 in Belmar. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

The data showed that New Jersey still grew with celebration intensity. As a result, New Jersey claimed the top shillelagh in the country. Indiana, Iowa, Georgia, and Illinois fared well, too.

I found it interesting that Irish music has gained the biggest leap in popularity with an 82% of all states compared to the previous two years.

(Gloucester City Irish Events)

Alcohol and drinkware are on the down trend along with green clothing and costumes on a national basis.

New Jersey likes to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, it is a celebration of unwinding, having a little fun and enjoying the atmosphere of the great New Jersey tradition. Enjoy, see you in the parades.