Yahoo Finance The 50 Cheapest, Safest Places to Buy a Home in the Pandemic
The coronavirus has hit America hard. As of Aug. 22, more than 5.7 million cases had been reported in the United States, with over 177,000 resulting in death. Not surprisingly, cases have been concentrated in urban areas, as large populations living in close proximity make it easier for the virus to spread.
Against this backdrop of growing coronavirus cases, mortgage interest rates have dropped sharply. The combination of affordable mortgages and the fear of rising virus counts in cities has led to something of a housing boom in suburbs, resort towns and rural areas.
To help locate affordable areas outside of coronavirus hotspots, GOBankingRates sourced data from the 2018 American Community Survey, as conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The goal was to find the cheapest, safest places to live during the pandemic by identifying counties with both few coronavirus cases and affordable home prices. Only counties with at least 70,000 residents were considered.
Some of the results might raise eyebrows. New York, for example, ranks fourth in the U.S. in total cases, but there are a dozen counties in the state on the GOBankingRates “safe and affordable” list. The reality here, of course, is that New York City suffered the bulk of the statewide cases; the farther you move away from the city, the more options you have for finding affordable homes in areas with a low coronavirus case count. Pennsylvania also dominates the list, offering 13 safe, affordable locations.
If you live in a high-case area, scan the following list to see if any of these 50 counties appeal to you. In Vermilion County, Illinois, for example, the average home price is just $68,242. You might find that moving out of the city can benefit both your health and your bank account, particularly if you live in one of the hardest-hit cities that have above-average rents.
Last updated: Aug. 26, 2020
Ashtabula County, Ohio
Total coronavirus cases: 583
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.50%
Cases per 100,000 people: 600
Total deaths: 46
Home value (June 2020): $113,215
Northumberland County, Pennsylvania
Total coronavirus cases: 537
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.40%
Cases per 100,000 people: 591
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $112,028
McLean County, Illinois
Total coronavirus cases: 756
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.40%
Cases per 100,000 people: 441
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $157,281
Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
Total coronavirus cases: 942
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.80%
Cases per 100,000 people: 666
Total deaths: 51
Home value (June 2020): $84,891
Ontario County, New York
Total coronavirus cases: 367
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.10%
Cases per 100,000 people: 334
Total deaths: 27
Home value (June 2020): $190,203
Wood County, Wisconsin
Total coronavirus cases: 372
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.60%
Cases per 100,000 people: 510
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $130,874
Tompkins County, New York
Total coronavirus cases: 238
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.10%
Cases per 100,000 people: 233
Total deaths: 0
Home value (June 2020): $218,274
Kanawha County, West Virginia
Total coronavirus cases: 1,051
Percentage of state’s total cases: 12.40%
Cases per 100,000 people: 590
Total deaths: 24
Home value (June 2020): $103,203
Tazewell County, Illinois
Total coronavirus cases: 671
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.30%
Cases per 100,000 people: 509
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $125,335
Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
Total coronavirus cases: 440
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.40%
Cases per 100,000 people: 388
Total deaths: 20
Home value (June 2020): $161,454
See: Best Places in Every State to Live on a Fixed Income
Midland County, Michigan
Total coronavirus cases: 357
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.40%
Cases per 100,000 people: 429
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $144,701
Grays Harbor County, Washington
Total coronavirus cases: 138
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.20%
Cases per 100,000 people: 184
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $221,323
Erie County, Pennsylvania
Total coronavirus cases: 1,200
Percentage of state’s total cases: 1.00%
Cases per 100,000 people: 445
Total deaths: 27
Home value (June 2020): $136,788
St. Louis County, Minnesota
Total coronavirus cases: 650
Percentage of state’s total cases: 1.00%
Cases per 100,000 people: 327
Total deaths: 20
Home value (June 2020): $174,018
Manitowoc County, Wisconsin
Total coronavirus cases: 391
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.60%
Cases per 100,000 people: 495
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $120,164
Richland County, Ohio
Total coronavirus cases: 640
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.60%
Cases per 100,000 people: 528
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $109,361
Grafton County, New Hampshire
Total coronavirus cases: 107
Percentage of state’s total cases: 1.50%
Cases per 100,000 people: 119
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $240,103
White County, Arkansas
Total coronavirus cases: 389
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.70%
Cases per 100,000 people: 494
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $119,785
Cascade County, Montana
Total coronavirus cases: 181
Percentage of state’s total cases: 3.20%
Cases per 100,000 people: 222
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $201,827
Mercer County, Pennsylvania
Total coronavirus cases: 490
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.40%
Cases per 100,000 people: 448
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $125,039
Douglas County, Oregon
Total coronavirus cases: 160
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.70%
Cases per 100,000 people: 144
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $217,579
Lawrence County, Pennsylvania
Total coronavirus cases: 422
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.30%
Cases per 100,000 people: 493
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $105,788
Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Total coronavirus cases: 106
Percentage of state’s total cases: 1.50%
Cases per 100,000 people: 139
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $219,004
Indiana County, Pennsylvania
Total coronavirus cases: 356
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.30%
Cases per 100,000 people: 423
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $127,448
Cabell County, West Virginia
Total coronavirus cases: 447
Percentage of state’s total cases: 5.30%
Cases per 100,000 people: 486
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $105,037
Fayette County, Pennsylvania
Total coronavirus cases: 613
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.50%
Cases per 100,000 people: 474
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $104,608
Isabella County, Michigan
Total coronavirus cases: 224
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.20%
Cases per 100,000 people: 321
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $143,889
Allegany County, Maryland
Total coronavirus cases: 338
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.30%
Cases per 100,000 people: 480
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $89,362
Wayne County, New York
Total coronavirus cases: 269
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.10%
Cases per 100,000 people: 299
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $142,984
Kennebec County, Maine
Total coronavirus cases: 171
Percentage of state’s total cases: 4.10%
Cases per 100,000 people: 140
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $184,225
Muskingum County, Ohio
Total coronavirus cases: 266
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.20%
Cases per 100,000 people: 309
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $126,091
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Wood County, West Virginia
Total coronavirus cases: 275
Percentage of state’s total cases: 3.30%
Cases per 100,000 people: 329
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $115,927
Raleigh County, West Virginia
Total coronavirus cases: 292
Percentage of state’s total cases: 3.50%
Cases per 100,000 people: 398
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $90,171
Steuben County, New York
Total coronavirus cases: 306
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.10%
Cases per 100,000 people: 321
Total deaths: 39
Home value (June 2020): $107,136
Blair County, Pennsylvania
Total coronavirus cases: 338
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.30%
Cases per 100,000 people: 277
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $119,447
Cayuga County, New York
Total coronavirus cases: 163
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.00%
Cases per 100,000 people: 213
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $136,072
Scioto County, Ohio
Total coronavirus cases: 268
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.20%
Cases per 100,000 people: 356
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $84,874
Penobscot County, Maine
Total coronavirus cases: 170
Percentage of state’s total cases: 4.10%
Cases per 100,000 people: 112
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $161,175
Clinton County, New York
Total coronavirus cases: 131
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.00%
Cases per 100,000 people: 163
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $143,853
Oswego County, New York
Total coronavirus cases: 271
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.10%
Cases per 100,000 people: 231
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $115,159
Jefferson County, New York
Total coronavirus cases: 143
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.00%
Cases per 100,000 people: 130
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $144,959
Vermilion County, Illinois
Total coronavirus cases: 264
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.10%
Cases per 100,000 people: 348
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $68,242
Clearfield County, Pennsylvania
Total coronavirus cases: 187
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.20%
Cases per 100,000 people: 236
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $101,693
Cambria County, Pennsylvania
Total coronavirus cases: 370
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.30%
Cases per 100,000 people: 284
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $86,252
Chemung County, New York
Total coronavirus cases: 188
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.00%
Cases per 100,000 people: 225
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $102,395
Chautauqua County, New York
Total coronavirus cases: 263
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.10%
Cases per 100,000 people: 207
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $106,912
Crawford County, Pennsylvania
Total coronavirus cases: 166
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.10%
Cases per 100,000 people: 196
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $109,083
Somerset County, Pennsylvania
Total coronavirus cases: 142
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.10%
Cases per 100,000 people: 193
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $108,752
St. Lawrence County, New York
Total coronavirus cases: 263
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.10%
Cases per 100,000 people: 244
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $83,944
Cattaraugus County, New York
Total coronavirus cases: 170
Percentage of state’s total cases: 0.00%
Cases per 100,000 people: 223
Total deaths: Fewer than 20
Home value (June 2020): $84,404
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Photo disclaimer: Photos are for illustrative purposes only. In many cases, the closest major city outside of the county was used.
Methodology: To discover the 50 cheapest, safest places to buy a home in the coronavirus pandemic, GOBankingRates looked at all U.S. counties with a population over 70,000, as sourced from the 2018 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. With these counties isolated, GOBankingRates looked at the Center for Disease Control’s United States COVID-19 Cases and Deaths by County tracker, with data provided by USA Facts, and found the following factors: (1) total cases of COVID-19 in the county; (2) percentage of state’s cases accounted for by the county; (3) COVID-19 cases per 100,000 county residents, and (4) total deaths from COVID-19 in the county. GOBankingRates then used Zillow data to find each county’s (5) June 2020 single-family residence home value. To determine rankings, GOBankingRates looked at factors (3) and (5) and scored them, with the lowest score being best. The 50 counties with the lowest overall score were included in the final rankings. All data was collected on and up to date as of Aug. 17, 2020.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The 50 Cheapest, Safest Places to Buy a Home in the Pandemic
