Syracuse, NY — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·New York·Syracuse

Onondaga County · Syracuse · population 146,097

First-time buyersInvestors
Syracuse, NY
Image: Wikipedia · Syracuse, New York
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
74
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Syracuse stands

At or near all-time high. home values up 5.3% in the last year. averaging 8.4% annual growth over 5 years.

Median home $215,134
1-year +5.3%
5-yr CAGR +8.4%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population -0.4%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$215k$88k$133k$178k$224k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
40/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
30/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
82/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,592/mo$1,092$1,403$1,714202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent150137100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 11.3
Buy

At a 11.3 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Syracuse on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 11.3 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
76 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
81 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
39 · w16%
Rent YoY
71 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
83 · w10%
Long thesis

Syracuse has averaged 8.4% annual appreciation over five years and the trend is still live (+5.3% in the last 12 months). When a momentum trade keeps working, the simplest explanation is usually correct: more people want in.

Short thesis

Syracuse's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Syracuse

Syracuse is a city in Onondaga County, New York, with an estimated population of 146,097. The median home value in Syracuse is $215,134 as of 2026-04, up 5.3% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +8.4% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Syracuse average $1,592 per month, up 3.8% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 74 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Multi-year compounder: home values up an average 8.4% per year over the last 5 years — sustained, not a one-year pop.
●Affordable AND rising: median home $215,134 with positive recent direction — rare combination most of the country can’t offer.
●Quiet strength: +5.3% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

●Flat or shrinking population: -0.4% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — verify the source.
○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Syracuse (Wikipedia)

Syracuse is a city in New York, United States, and the county seat of Onondaga County. With a population of 148,620 and a metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13th-most populated municipality in the state of New York.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorSharon Owens
NicknameThe Salt City
Named forSyracuse, Sicily

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Onondaga County right now.

NWS active alerts (NY)New York Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Onondaga County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Syracuse

31 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Downtown$491,496+6.9%
2Lakefront$378,097+4.3%
3Sedgwick$304,760+8.0%
4Meadowbrook$300,373+4.5%
5Westvale$281,164+7.1%
6University$277,907+4.7%
7Wescott$275,785+2.8%
8Lakeland$254,437+8.4%
9Fairmount$246,913+7.1%
10Near Eastside$233,114+11.9%
11Solvay$227,380+3.7%
12Strathmore$218,843+1.0%
13Outer Comstock$207,345+9.7%
14Seneca Knolls$199,336+5.0%
15Eastwood$194,887+3.9%
16South Valley$188,749+7.7%
17Mattydale$188,089+3.1%
18Far West-Side$183,690+6.7%
19Salt Springs$183,268+5.7%
20Lyncourt$178,825+3.2%
21Northside$170,699+1.7%
22Lincoln Park$164,597-0.8%
23Elmwood$155,623+1.0%
24Near Northeast$149,717+4.0%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Cities like Syracuse

North Tonawanda, NY73 · RisingTroy, NY71 · RisingAuburn, NY70 · RisingNiagara Falls, NY75 · Rising

Run the numbers for Syracuse

ToolCan I afford Syracuse?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Syracuse rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Syracuse to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolSyracuse cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
33° / 19°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
82° / 63°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
183
~50% of year
Annual precip
41″ rain
60″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Moderate
Tornado
Very low
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Syracuse listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Syracuse area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.