NANTUCKET, MA — LendingTree’s latest housing analysis says Nantucket has the highest median home value of any town in the country, with a figure of $1.6 million. The ranking has drawn attention because it places the island above Vineyard Haven, which LendingTree put in second place at $1.2 million.
But the number appears to fall well below other widely used estimates for the island. Nantucket’s tax assessor’s office puts the median home value at about $2.7 million, while Zillow estimates it at a little over $3.1 million. Local real estate professionals say the LendingTree figure does not match what they see in the market.
What The Numbers Show
LendingTree told the Nantucket Current that it based the ranking on the Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates and used the Census median home-value measure for the Nantucket micropolitan area. The company’s analysis focused on towns with populations between 10,000 and 50,000 residents and was also reported by major outlets including USA Today.
That methodology is what makes the result stand out, but it also helps explain why the ranking is being questioned locally. The island’s tax-assessor figure is already more than $1 million higher than LendingTree’s number, and it may still trail the market because assessments can lag by a couple of years. In a place with fast-moving prices, even a recent federal estimate can miss the mark.
Why The Gap Exists
Fisher Real Estate put Nantucket’s median sale price at $3.5 million last year, a level that better reflects homes actually changing hands on the island. That figure is likely higher than a true median home value because homes that sell are often renovated, newly built or used as vacation properties, while many long-held family homes do not appear in sales data.
Still, the spread between the different measures is unusually large. The local numbers suggest LendingTree’s $1.6 million estimate is not just low, but far from the market reality that buyers and sellers see on Nantucket. Similar higher-price figures have been reported by local and state government sources, reinforcing the sense that the island sits well above most other U.S. towns.
What Comes Next
For buyers, sellers and residents, the main takeaway is not that one estimate is right and the others are wrong in every detail, but that Nantucket remains one of the priciest housing markets in the country. The exact rank may depend on which data set is used, what geography is measured and whether the figure tracks assessed values, Census estimates or actual sales.
Anyone trying to verify the numbers can compare LendingTree’s ranking with the Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey, the Nantucket tax assessor’s office, Zillow and local brokerage data such as Fisher Real Estate’s sales figures. Even with the uncertainty, the broader picture is clear: housing on Nantucket is far beyond the cost level in most small U.S. towns.
More on what homes, rents and new builds are doing near you, on RHS Commoner.
