The D.C. area is the sixth or seventh largest metropolitan area in the nation any given year, but when it comes to the number of mansions dotting its landscape, it ranks second.
That’s according to new data from Zillow, which defines a “mansion” as a home with more than 5,000 square feet.
In the Washington region, about 65,300 homes qualify. Only the New York City metro area has more, with about 81,000, according to a FFXnow analysis of Zillow data.
On a per-capita basis, the D.C. region has a significantly larger share of 5,000-square-foot homes than New York, the nation’s largest metro area.
Of the four other metropolitan areas with larger populations than the D.C. region:
- Los Angeles, the nation’s second most populous metro area, has about 41,200 mansions
- Chicago, the nation’s third most populous metro area, has about 32,600
- Dallas, the fourth most populous, has about 36,300
- Houston, the nation’s fifth most populated, has about 34,400
Atlanta, which is essentially tied with D.C. in terms of metro-area population, has the third most mansions in the U.S. at 61,300, according to FFXnow’s analysis of the Zillow data. Nationally, there are about 1.37 million homes of 5,000 square feet or more.
The cost of a home in the “mansion” category varies widely by jurisdiction.
In the Washington region, houses categorized as mansions sell for about $1.58 million on average — practically a steal compared to some areas, especially those in California.
A home of more than 5,000 square feet costs more than $4.5 million in the San Diego area, $4.7 million in Los Angeles, $4.9 million in San Francisco and a whopping $6.5 million in San Jose, based on Zillow’s figures.
On the other side of the country, median mansion costs are less than $1 million in four large metro areas: Buffalo, Indianapolis, Cleveland and Memphis.
Nationally, the median home sale price for homes 5,000 square feet in size or larger was $1.44 million, according to the data.
For those seeking to stretch their housing budget, there was hope, according to Zillow analysts.
“For buyers willing to make a few compromises in their fantasies, a ‘starter mansion’ — a home in the 25th percentile of mansion values in a given area — goes for less than $1 million in 21 of the 50 biggest metro areas,” they noted.
However, those same analysts cautioned buyers about getting themselves overextended with an extra-large home:
“More house often means more ongoing expenses. They should budget for higher property taxes, insurance and utility bills, plus ongoing upkeep that can run 1% to 4% of the home’s value annually. Most importantly, buyers should be certain that the space works for their life and not just their daydreams — massive homes with unique features often take longer to resell.”
In the D.C. region, about 16% of 5,000-square-foot homes on the market had listing prices of less than $1 million, according to Zillow data.
Seeking a mansion in Fairfax?
Looking for a mansion-sized home in Fairfax County? A FFXnow survey of Zillow data conducted on Aug. 16 showed more than 400 properties with 5,000 or more square feet currently on the market.
Most could be found in northern and central parts of the county, with pockets of properties dotting the remainder of Fairfax.
The lowest priced of the large homes was a 5,150-square-foot home on Wetherburn Drive in Centreville, listed at $1,099,000.
For those seeking super-mansions, more than 100 properties were listed as having more than 7,500 square feet of interior space.
The most expensive current listing is a 16,000-square-foot estate occupying 16.5 acres on E. Boulevard Drive in Fort Hunt. Fronting the Potomac River, it is listed at $60 million.
Region outperforms nation in home-price appreciation
Ongoing anxiety about the economic fallout of the Trump administration’s attempts to downsize the federal government have not derailed the region’s home prices.
The D.C. region outperformed the nation in year-over-year appreciation, according to new data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR).
The median sales price of single-family homes across the local region from April through June stood at $681,900, according to new, preliminary data.
That’s up 2.3% from $666,600 in the second quarter of 2024. Nationally, the median single-family sales price of $429,400 was up 1.7%.
The report indicated a cooling of the market at the national level.
While 75% of metro markets (170 out of 228) registered home price gains, that was down from 83% in the first quarter of 2025. Only 5% of metro areas recorded double-digit price gains in the second quarter, down from 11% in the first quarter.
“Elevated mortgage rates have kept home sales below pre-COVID levels,” NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun said. That, in turn, has put a damper on price increases.
The prospect of lower interest rates will help some areas of the country but may not be a big boost in the D.C. region.
“If interest rates decline, the strongest release of pent-up housing demand is likely to occur in states with significant job growth in recent years, such as Idaho, Utah, the Carolinas, Florida and Texas,” Yun said.
Among the four geographic areas of the nation, the Northeast had the largest year-over-year increase in sales prices, up 6.1% to $527,200. The increase was 3.5% to $328,800 in the Midwest and 0.6% to $646,100 in the West.
There was no change in the median sales price in the South, which remained at $376,300.
“Home prices have been rising faster in the Midwest, due to affordability, and the Northeast, due to limited inventory,” Yun said. “The South region – especially Florida and Texas – is experiencing a price correction due to the increase in new-home construction in recent years.”
The San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metropolitan area in California had the highest median sales price in the quarter, up 6.5% to $2,138,000.
Eight of the top 10 most expensive metro areas were in California, with Honolulu ($1,148,600) coming in fourth and Boulder, Colorado ($859,500) 10th.
