Pre-1940 Housing Stock by County
Old housing has charm and old liabilities. Knob-and-tube wiring, lead paint, asbestos, single-pane windows, undersized 60-amp service, galvanized supply lines. Insurance carriers price the risk; some won't write at all. ACS B25034 publishes the year-built distribution; we surface the pre-1940 concentration per county so inspections, insurance shopping, and renovation budgets reflect the actual stock you're competing for.
Highest pre-1940 shareSt. Louis City CountyMissouri · 65.8% of housing built before 1940
Counties tracked3023with current Redfin sales + ACS B25034
Counties >25% pre-1940918where age-related risks dominate inspections
Top 75 counties by pre-1940 housing share
Concentrate in the Northeast (post-industrial cities + small towns), Midwest (Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Detroit metros), and rural farm counties with stable housing stock. Inspection cost runs $400-800 standard but can hit $1,500+ in pre-1940 stock.
| # | County | Pre-1940 Share | Median Price | Price YoY | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Louis City County Missouri | 65.8% | $253,500 | +7.6% | 293,109 |
| 2 | Lincoln County Kansas | 62.0% | $398,500 | +371.4% | 2,924 |
| 3 | Republic County Kansas | 58.8% | $137,000 | +588.4% | 4,662 |
| 4 | Jewell County Kansas | 56.4% | $145,900 | — | 2,909 |
| 5 | Franklin County Nebraska | 56.0% | $79,000 | +21.5% | 2,868 |
| 6 | Kings County New York | 55.6% | $1,050,000 | +1.7% | 2,646,306 |
| 7 | Edwards County Kansas | 54.2% | $80,000 | — | 2,817 |
| 8 | Pawnee County Nebraska | 54.1% | $240,844 | +270.5% | 2,539 |
| 9 | San Francisco County California | 54.1% | $1,770,000 | +14.6% | 836,321 |
| 10 | Montgomery County New York | 53.9% | $200,000 | +2.9% | 49,461 |
| 11 | Schuylkill County Pennsylvania | 53.7% | $196,000 | +29.8% | 143,259 |
| 12 | Columbia County Washington | 53.6% | $434,500 | +64.0% | 3,996 |
| 13 | Richardson County Nebraska | 53.4% | $45,000 | — | 7,797 |
| 14 | Deuel County Nebraska | 53.3% | $51,000 | — | 1,865 |
| 15 | Comanche County Kansas | 53.2% | $55,000 | — | 1,685 |
| 16 | Furnas County Nebraska | 53.2% | $297,000 | — | 4,605 |
| 17 | Terrell County Texas | 53.1% | $115,000 | — | 851 |
| 18 | Nuckolls County Nebraska | 52.8% | $79,000 | -29.8% | 4,089 |
| 19 | Baltimore City County Maryland | 52.7% | $255,000 | +5.0% | 577,193 |
| 20 | Shelby County Iowa | 51.5% | $207,000 | +1.2% | 11,757 |
| 21 | Worth County Iowa | 51.3% | $150,000 | -6.3% | 7,380 |
| 22 | Greeley County Nebraska | 51.3% | $639,000 | — | 2,211 |
| 23 | Suffolk County Massachusetts | 51.0% | $827,500 | +4.4% | 782,172 |
| 24 | Clark County Kansas | 50.7% | $108,000 | — | 1,987 |
| 25 | Cheyenne County Kansas | 50.6% | $132,000 | — | 2,628 |
| 26 | Philadelphia County Pennsylvania | 50.5% | $295,000 | +0.0% | 1,582,432 |
| 27 | Jefferson County Nebraska | 50.5% | $92,450 | -40.9% | 7,155 |
| 28 | Nance County Nebraska | 49.9% | $83,950 | — | 3,342 |
| 29 | Boyd County Nebraska | 49.9% | $22,500 | — | 1,704 |
| 30 | Dixon County Nebraska | 49.7% | $133,000 | -28.1% | 5,561 |
| 31 | Sheridan County Nebraska | 49.7% | $51,500 | — | 5,058 |
| 32 | Webster County Nebraska | 49.6% | $255,000 | +244.6% | 3,385 |
| 33 | Lac qui Parle County Minnesota | 49.5% | $144,250 | -27.9% | 6,694 |
| 34 | Audubon County Iowa | 49.5% | $165,000 | +121.5% | 5,622 |
| 35 | Rush County Kansas | 49.4% | $105,000 | -7.7% | 2,957 |
| 36 | New York County New York | 49.2% | $1,450,000 | +9.8% | 1,627,788 |
| 37 | Norton County Kansas | 49.1% | $220,000 | — | 5,392 |
| 38 | Harrison County Iowa | 49.0% | $231,000 | +20.0% | 14,645 |
| 39 | Pocahontas County Iowa | 48.9% | $96,500 | -25.8% | 7,040 |
| 40 | Sanborn County South Dakota | 48.7% | $149,900 | -38.8% | 2,370 |
| 41 | Page County Iowa | 48.6% | $185,000 | +8.8% | 15,168 |
| 42 | Osborne County Kansas | 48.5% | $69,000 | — | 3,473 |
| 43 | Perkins County Nebraska | 48.4% | $160,000 | +18.5% | 2,835 |
| 44 | Howard County Iowa | 48.4% | $175,000 | +37.8% | 9,459 |
| 45 | Miner County South Dakota | 48.3% | $229,900 | — | 2,299 |
| 46 | Boone County Nebraska | 48.0% | $320,000 | +0.6% | 5,366 |
| 47 | Keokuk County Iowa | 47.9% | $101,000 | +65.6% | 9,964 |
| 48 | Taylor County Iowa | 47.8% | $104,000 | -14.3% | 5,901 |
| 49 | Thayer County Nebraska | 47.7% | $230,000 | — | 4,938 |
| 50 | Spink County South Dakota | 47.5% | $332,500 | +135.8% | 6,283 |
| 51 | Benton County Indiana | 47.3% | $185,750 | +11.9% | 8,708 |
| 52 | Stafford County Kansas | 47.2% | $90,000 | +28.7% | 4,004 |
| 53 | Fayette County Iowa | 47.1% | $164,000 | -0.6% | 19,393 |
| 54 | McKean County Pennsylvania | 47.0% | $110,000 | -23.1% | 40,149 |
| 55 | Johnson County Nebraska | 47.0% | $134,000 | -53.3% | 5,263 |
| 56 | Dundy County Nebraska | 46.9% | $81,000 | — | 1,811 |
| 57 | Fulton County New York | 46.9% | $195,000 | -4.9% | 52,787 |
| 58 | Otsego County New York | 46.9% | $253,500 | +0.4% | 59,738 |
| 59 | Ida County Iowa | 46.8% | $105,000 | -0.2% | 6,944 |
| 60 | Sioux County Nebraska | 46.8% | $232,500 | — | 1,197 |
| 61 | Valley County Nebraska | 46.7% | $125,000 | — | 4,094 |
| 62 | Frontier County Nebraska | 46.6% | $141,400 | -14.3% | 2,562 |
| 63 | Hitchcock County Nebraska | 46.5% | $172,000 | — | 2,601 |
| 64 | Orleans County New York | 46.5% | $175,000 | -27.6% | 39,686 |
| 65 | Faribault County Minnesota | 46.4% | $130,500 | -7.8% | 13,909 |
| 66 | Cloud County Kansas | 46.4% | $84,975 | +18.0% | 8,973 |
| 67 | Gogebic County Michigan | 46.1% | $129,500 | -11.3% | 14,348 |
| 68 | Sedgwick County Colorado | 46.0% | $325,000 | +13.4% | 2,346 |
| 69 | Sherman County Oregon | 46.0% | $228,000 | — | 1,908 |
| 70 | Nemaha County Nebraska | 45.9% | $220,000 | +32.1% | 7,035 |
| 71 | Clay County Nebraska | 45.8% | $235,000 | +31.7% | 6,084 |
| 72 | Rush County Indiana | 45.8% | $214,900 | +27.4% | 16,734 |
| 73 | Chautauqua County New York | 45.7% | $163,750 | +9.2% | 126,329 |
| 74 | Jerauld County South Dakota | 45.6% | $263,000 | +87.5% | 1,845 |
| 75 | Garfield County Washington | 45.6% | $425,800 | +59.5% | 2,326 |
Newest stock — counties with lowest pre-1940 share
Sun-Belt growth counties with mostly post-1980 stock. Inspection costs lower; insurance shopping easier; deferred-maintenance scope smaller.
| # | County | Pre-1940 Share | Median Price | Price YoY | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cameron Parish Louisiana | 0.3% | $260,000 | -22.4% | 5,222 |
| 2 | Flagler County Florida | 0.4% | $365,000 | +3.0% | 121,710 |
| 3 | Collier County Florida | 0.5% | $625,000 | +1.6% | 387,681 |
| 4 | Zapata County Texas | 0.6% | $105,000 | +28.0% | 13,855 |
| 5 | Charlotte County Florida | 0.6% | $335,000 | +6.2% | 195,083 |
| 6 | Rockwall County Texas | 0.6% | $420,000 | -0.6% | 116,931 |
| 7 | Broomfield County Colorado | 0.7% | $699,000 | +9.0% | 75,110 |
| 8 | Douglas County Colorado | 0.8% | $719,900 | +0.5% | 368,283 |
| 9 | Gwinnett County Georgia | 0.8% | $420,000 | -1.2% | 966,972 |
| 10 | Forsyth County Georgia | 0.9% | $642,500 | +2.0% | 260,062 |
| 11 | Citrus County Florida | 0.9% | $280,000 | +0.9% | 158,693 |
| 12 | Mohave County Arizona | 0.9% | $380,000 | +3.8% | 217,420 |
| 13 | Lee County Florida | 1.0% | $360,000 | -2.1% | 792,692 |
| 14 | Clark County Nevada | 1.0% | $455,000 | +1.3% | 2,293,764 |
| 15 | Summit County Colorado | 1.1% | $1,237,500 | +23.8% | 30,857 |
| 16 | Collin County Texas | 1.1% | $476,000 | -0.8% | 1,116,601 |
| 17 | Montgomery County Texas | 1.1% | $346,740 | +3.5% | 654,722 |
| 18 | Columbia County Georgia | 1.1% | $361,500 | -3.1% | 159,638 |
| 19 | Fayette County Georgia | 1.1% | $548,075 | +8.4% | 120,689 |
| 20 | Hernando County Florida | 1.1% | $315,000 | -4.9% | 201,512 |
| 21 | Matanuska-Susitna Borough Alaska | 1.2% | $435,000 | +3.0% | 110,677 |
| 22 | Fort Bend County Texas | 1.2% | $399,872 | +0.6% | 859,721 |
| 23 | Echols County Georgia | 1.2% | $176,000 | +97.8% | 3,705 |
| 24 | Wakulla County Florida | 1.3% | $285,900 | -4.8% | 34,608 |
| 25 | Pasco County Florida | 1.3% | $365,000 | +4.3% | 588,758 |
| 26 | Southeast Fairbanks Census Area Alaska | 1.3% | $230,000 | -29.2% | 6,936 |
| 27 | Bethel Census Area Alaska | 1.4% | $353,000 | -31.1% | 18,487 |
| 28 | Brevard County Florida | 1.4% | $367,500 | +1.3% | 620,533 |
| 29 | Beaufort County South Carolina | 1.5% | $633,115 | +10.1% | 192,123 |
| 30 | Henry County Georgia | 1.5% | $345,260 | +2.5% | 245,417 |
Method
- Pre-1940 share = ACS B25034. "Built 1939 or earlier" units divided by total housing units. Updated annually with the ACS 5-year release.
- Why 1940 specifically. Knob-and-tube wiring was standard pre-1930, persisted through ~1950 in modest stock. Lead paint banned 1978 but pre-1940 concentration is the most extensive. Asbestos use peaked 1930-1980. Code-modern construction practices stabilize around 1980 (insulation, GFCI, 200-amp service).
- Pair with insurance availability. Pre-1940 + frame construction is the carrier non-renewal flag in many states. Cross-reference insurance availability.
Sources: U.S. Census ACS B25034, Redfin Data Center.