Key Takeaways
- New York ranks #3 among all 50 states by century-old share at 25.59%, but leads the entire nation in volume with 16,199 century-old listings, more than any other state.
- New York alone lists 11,603 more century-old homes than Texas and Florida combined, despite those two states carrying more than seven times the total inventory.
- Among its bordering states, New York trails only Massachusetts (#1) and Pennsylvania (#2) by narrow margins while leading Connecticut by 7.28 percentage points and New Jersey by 14.94 points.
New York’s built landscape carries centuries of history, from the brownstones of Brooklyn to the farmhouses dotting the Hudson Valley and the industrial-era homes of Buffalo and Syracuse. Properties constructed long before modern building codes, zoning standards, or energy regulations came into effect continue to list alongside newer inventory across the state. What buyers may see as architectural heritage can conceal layers of deferred structural risk, from outdated electrical systems to deteriorating foundations and ageing rooflines.
This study, done on behalf of Besroi Roofing & Siding, analysed active residential listings across all 50 U.S. states on Realtor.com. For each state, total active listings and the number of homes built more than 100 years ago were recorded, and states were ranked by their century-old share.
New York at a Glance
Table 1: New York State Profile
| New York: Century-Old Housing Snapshot | |
| Total Active Listings | 63,307 |
| Century-Old Listings (100+ Years) | 16,199 |
| Share of Listings Over 100 Years Old | 25.59% |
| National Rank (by % Century-Old) | #3 of 50 States |
| National Rank (by Volume) | #1 of 50 States |
| National Average | 7.31% |
| Gap Above National Average | +18.27 Percentage Points |
| Buyer Odds | Approx. 1 in Every 4 Listings |
States Where Homebuyers Are Most Likely to Encounter Century-Old Homes
Table 2: Top 10 States by Share of Century-Old Listings
| Rank | State | Total Listings | Century-Old Listings | % Century-Old |
| 1 | Massachusetts | 27,554 | 7,987 | 28.99% |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | 51,111 | 14,103 | 27.59% |
| 3 | New York | 63,307 | 16,199 | 25.59% |
| 4 | Vermont | 4,009 | 1,022 | 25.49% |
| 5 | Rhode Island | 3,781 | 960 | 25.39% |
| 6 | Maine | 6,815 | 1,714 | 25.15% |
| 7 | Iowa | 17,148 | 3,699 | 21.57% |
| 8 | Ohio | 44,851 | 9,105 | 20.30% |
| 9 | Connecticut | 12,483 | 2,286 | 18.31% |
| 10 | New Hampshire | 6,693 | 1,170 | 17.48% |
New York places third nationally at 25.59%, trailing Massachusetts (28.99%) and Pennsylvania (27.59%) by narrow margins. Despite ranking third by share, New York leads every state in raw volume with 16,199 century-old listings, accounting for 12.22% of the national total on its own.
New York vs. Its Bordering States
Table 3: New York Compared With Bordering States
| State | National Rank | Total Listings | Century-Old Listings | % Century-Old | Gap (pp) |
| Massachusetts | 1 | 27,554 | 7,987 | 28.99% | -3.40 |
| Pennsylvania | 2 | 51,111 | 14,103 | 27.59% | -2.00 |
| New York | 3 | 63,307 | 16,199 | 25.59% | Baseline |
| Vermont | 4 | 4,009 | 1,022 | 25.49% | +0.10 |
| Connecticut | 9 | 12,483 | 2,286 | 18.31% | +7.28 |
| New Jersey | 23 | 35,854 | 3,817 | 10.65% | +14.94 |
New York trails only Massachusetts and Pennsylvania among its neighbours, by 3.40 and 2.00 percentage points respectively, while leading Vermont, Connecticut, and New Jersey. The widest gap is with New Jersey (+14.94 pp), where buyers face less than half the century-old exposure that New York buyers do.
How New York Compares With the States Where Century-Old Homes Are Rarest
Table 4: Bottom 10 States by Share of Century-Old Listings
| Rank | State | Total Listings | Century-Old Listings | % Century-Old | Gap vs. NY (pp) |
| 41 | Alabama | 35,583 | 867 | 2.44% | +23.15 |
| 42 | Arkansas | 20,194 | 368 | 1.82% | +23.77 |
| 43 | New Mexico | 10,502 | 159 | 1.51% | +24.07 |
| 44 | South Carolina | 49,644 | 639 | 1.29% | +24.30 |
| 45 | Texas | 240,110 | 2,570 | 1.07% | +24.52 |
| 46 | Florida | 227,966 | 2,026 | 0.89% | +24.70 |
| 47 | Hawaii | 8,683 | 47 | 0.54% | +25.05 |
| 48 | Alaska | 3,589 | 17 | 0.47% | +25.11 |
| 49 | Arizona | 47,061 | 212 | 0.45% | +25.14 |
| 50 | Nevada | 18,724 | 47 | 0.25% | +25.34 |
Nevada, the lowest-ranked state, has a century-old share of just 0.25%, which is roughly 102 times lower than that of New York. Texas and Florida, despite carrying a combined 468,076 listings, together list 11,603 fewer century-old homes than New York does on its own.
Methodology
The study analysed active residential listing data collected from Realtor.com across all 50 U.S. states, covering single-family homes, condominiums, townhomes, and multi-family properties classified as active at the time of collection. For each state, two data points were recorded: the total number of active listings and the number of listings identified as homes built more than 100 years ago, using the age-filtering functionality on Realtor.com. The percentage of century-old listings was calculated by dividing the century-old count by the total for each state, and all 50 states were ranked from highest to lowest by this percentage. States were additionally grouped into four regions per the U.S. Census Bureau definitions (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West) for regional analysis.
Data Sources
Realtor.com:
https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search
Research Dataset:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rx2aAX08Us8KAPVDT1E-YEtWXIgOyCf32L6GYgqhbAg/edit?gid=0#gid=0
Study by: https://besroiroofing.com/
About Besroi Roofing & Siding
Besroi Roofing & Siding is a family-owned exterior contracting company serving Western New York since 1960, with expertise in roofing, siding, gutters, windows, and doors for residential and commercial clients. With more than six decades of experience, the company provides trusted, service-driven insights that support public understanding of housing, property maintenance, and home safety issues.
