RALEIGH – A new study out Wednesday morning ranks Raleigh as No. 1 among the sites being considered for the Amazon HQ2 project when it comes to housing and quality of life.
The analysis from ATTOM Data Solutions – a national provider of data about housing trends – cites seven criteria in making its rankings such as the state of the housing market, quality of life, education scores, property taxes and crime rates. A spokesperson for the company has confirmed that the study is based on the Raleigh-Cary metro area.
However, Amazon has said it is considering the Triangle, not just Raleigh, as a site for the $5 billion project and 50,000 jobs. A decision is expected to be announced this year.
The Raleigh area, which also is in the running for a big Apple project, beat out Atlanta for the top spot followed by Pittsburgh, Nashville, Austin, Denver and Los Angeles.
Comparing cities
According to ATTOM’s data, the average price of a home in Raleigh is $235,000. That’s higher than Atlanta at $220,000.
However, Raleigh beats Atlanta in school scores, crime rate and taxes.
Home prices appreciated at a faster rate in Atlanta (69 percent) than Raleigh (26 percent) over the past five years. The two were virtually tied for housing affordability.
More HQ2 coverage:
- Will Republican move on Triangle mass transit scuttle HQ2, Apple chances?
- Authors critical of tax incentives say Triangle could win Apple and HQ2 projects
Several studies about HQ2 sites have been published this year with Raleigh ranking highly in some, poorly in others.
Factors cited in the ATTOM study are:
- Median home price
- 5-year home price appreciation
- Affordability
- School scores
- Crime rate
- Property tax rate
- Environmental health
More data is available online.