Historical Housing Prices Project

Housing is central to the economy of cities across the United States. The Historical Housing Prices (HHP) Project at the Philadelphia Fed provides new data on the price of housing for sale and for rent over the 20th century using the real estate sections of historical newspapers. The data cover 30 major cities, including Philadelphia.

The data set has been expanded and new series on the rental return, capital gains, and total return to owning housing are available for download.

This data page is part of our Center for the REstoration of Economic Data (CREED).

Data Explorer

Slide the circles to compare the total change in housing price indices between the two years you select.
The total data set spans 1890–2006, but data for some cities start after 1890.
Slide the circles to see changes in housing prices over time, compared with the earliest year you select.
The total data set spans 1890–2006, but data for some cities start after 1890.

About the Research

Office Entrance

Housing impacts individual economic well-being, influences wealth-building opportunities, and is vital to the overall economy. Despite the critical importance of housing to the U.S. economy, existing long-run housing price series are limited, particularly covering the years before 1970.

The Historical Housing Prices (HHP) Project, now housed at the Philadelphia Fed, began with support from the National Science Foundation (SES-1918554), the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and Trinity College in Dublin, with principal investigators Allison Shertzer (now at the Philadelphia Fed), Ronan C. Lyons (Trinity College Dublin), and Rowena Gray (University of California, Merced). (The Philadelphia Fed did not receive funding from external funders in connection with this project.)

As part of our efforts to ensure a strong overall economy, the Philadelphia Fed identifies housing-related issues and informs solutions. This project aims to bring new data on the price of housing over the long run to inform research and policymaking.

Contact the Team

Allison Shertzer

Email

allison.shertzer@phil.frb.org

Economic Advisor and Economist

Suggested Citation: Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. Historical Housing Prices Project. Accessed Aug 02, 2025, https://www.philadelphiafed.org/surveys-and-data/regional-economic-analysis/historical-housing-prices.