The Best Places to Invest in 2022

CrowdStreet’s Top Real Estate Markets

As we head into the new year, data suggests that we are in the early phase of a rapidly expanding growth cycle, but what does that mean for your investing strategy? In our 2022 Best Places to Invest report, we highlight the markets that are leading the way nationwide, as well as in which cities we see opportunity for specific asset classes–multifamily, industrial, life sciences, and more.

Register now to get the full report and learn which cities made our top markets for real estate investing in 2022.

Here are just five of our top 20 metros:

Nashville

Over the last decade, Nashville saw a population increase of 21% and is projected to expand by an additional 500,000 people between now and 2039. Recently named the top large U.S. metro for economic growth in 2021, relocation and expansions from companies like Oracle and Amazon are creating thousands of jobs in the area. Were it not for greater upcoming supply relative to Austin and Raleigh-Durham, Nashville might have topped our list for 2022.

Boston-Cambridge

Strong across multiple asset classes, Boston-Cambridge is our perennial favorite market for life sciences, a sector where demand shows no signs of slowing. According to JLL4, about one-third of all therapies currently under development are happening in Boston, and demand for life sciences space exceeded demand for office space (a market five to six times larger) in the area for the first time. 

San Diego

At #11, San Diego is new to our Best Places report in 2022. Home to several biotech companies, the local life sciences industry benefits from STEM-focused universities that retain nearly half of their graduates. This port city has access points via air, land, and sea, making it a market uniquely positioned to take advantage of the e-commerce boom that is driving demand for warehouses and last-mile distribution centers.

Charlotte

Long known as a banking powerhouse, this metro is becoming a magnet for corporate relocation, with four Fortune 1000 companies moving to the area in the last three years. Charlotte has seen a nearly 20%7 population increase over the last decade. Fueled by in-migration from out of state (especially from the Midwest and Northeast) and sustained economic improvement in the area, the Charlotte rental market is one of the fastest rising in the U.S., boasting a 12.1%* rent growth rate in the last year.

*NorthMarq Charlotte Multifamily Market Report 2Q 2021

Inland Empire

The Inland Empire is the third-largest metropolitan area in California and it tied Phoenix in 2020 for the biggest gain9 in household migration in the U.S. The region has grown by 78% in the last thirty years, more than twice as fast as the rest of California during that same time period. Much of the in-migration is from California’s coastal residents, with folks looking for a more affordable alternative to Los Angeles and Orange Counties. One of the most prominent distribution hubs in the western U.S., (one of Amazon’s largest fulfillment centers is in the Inland Empire), the area’s economy is booming9 with e-commerce warehouses.

4. JLL. “When It Comes to Life Sciences, Boston Is a City Unmatched, Says JLL Researcher.” Bizjournals.com, 1 Sept. 2021, https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2021/09/01/when-it-comes-to-life-sciences-boston.html. 

7. Martin, Jenna. “New Census Figures Show Just How Much Charlotte Has Grown in Past Decade.” Bizjournals.com, 13 Aug. 2021, https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2021/08/13/census-figures-for-charlotte.html.

9. Mai-Duc, Christine, and Paul Overberg. “Californians Flee the Coast to Inland Cities in a Mass Pandemic-Era Exodus.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 21 Nov. 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/californians-flee-the-coast-to-inland-cities-in-a-mass-pandemic-era-exodus-11637521731.