Rental Investment
Score Map

21K+ ZIP codes · ZCTA level

States

Investment Profile

Scoring Weights ▾

Weights auto-normalize to 100%. Drag a slider to create a custom profile.

Filters ▾

Score Legend

LowMedianHigh

Showing: ZCTAs with Zillow data (21K+)

Data & Report

Download Dataset 21,224 scored ZCTAs · CSV
API Reference REST endpoints & live playground

Data is provided for informational purposes only and may be incomplete or out of date. This tool does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Always conduct independent due diligence before making investment decisions.

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Dataset Report
Data Sources

All data used in this tool is publicly available. Sources are listed by scoring component group.

Price & Yield

Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) & Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI)
Zillow Research — monthly median home values and observed rents by ZCTA; 3-year appreciation and rent growth derived from index history.
zillow.com/research/data
HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
US Department of Housing & Urban Development — FY 2024 two-bedroom Fair Market Rents at the county / metro area level, used to assess rent realism and voucher viability.
huduser.gov — Fair Market Rents

Tenant Demand

HUD Picture of Subsidized Households
US Department of Housing & Urban Development — county-level Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) utilization counts.
huduser.gov — Assisted Housing
US Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS)
5-year estimates (2019–2023) — ZCTA-level population, population change, rental vacancy rate, rent burden, and poverty rate via the Census API.
data.census.gov

Economic Health

Bureau of Labor Statistics — Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS)
Annual average unemployment rates at the county level, crosswalked to ZCTA by land-area weight.
bls.gov/lau

Risk & Costs

FEMA National Risk Index (NRI)
Federal Emergency Management Agency — county-level composite natural hazard risk scores incorporating 18 hazard types including flood, wildfire, hurricane, and tornado.
hazards.fema.gov/nri
County Health Rankings & Roadmaps — Violent Crime Rate
University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, sourced from FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) / NIBRS — violent crimes per 100,000 residents by county.
countyhealthrankings.org
State Landlord-Tenant Law Index
Compiled index derived from Nolo State Landlord-Tenant Laws, National Apartment Association, RentPrep, and NLIHC rent control surveys. Scores reflect eviction timelines, notice requirements, and rent control environment as of 2023–2024.
Effective Property Tax Rates
Tax Foundation (2023) and Lincoln Institute of Land Policy — effective property tax as a percentage of market value by state.
taxfoundation.org
Changelog
v1.0.0
June 2026

Initial release — US Rental Investment Score Map

Map & Data

  • 21,224 ZCTA-level rental investment scores covering the contiguous US
  • Level-of-detail rendering: states at zoom <5, counties at 5–8, ZCTAs at 8+ (lazy-loaded)
  • Color ramp from low (red) to high (green) score, computed entirely client-side

Scoring

  • 16 components across four groups: Price & Yield, Tenant Demand, Economic Health, Risk & Costs
  • All weights are fully customizable; map updates instantly as sliders change
  • 5 preset profiles: Balanced, Cash Flow Focus, Section 8 Specialist, Value Add / Distressed, Conservative / Low Risk

Data Sources

  • Zillow ZHVI & ZORI — home values, rents, 3-year appreciation and rent growth
  • HUD Fair Market Rents & Housing Choice Voucher counts
  • US Census ACS — population, vacancy, rent burden, poverty
  • BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
  • FEMA National Risk Index — composite natural hazard / climate risk
  • County Health Rankings (FBI UCR) — violent crime rates
  • State landlord-tenant law index & Tax Foundation effective property tax rates

Tools

  • Filters: metro / CBSA only, minimum population, max price-to-rent ratio, yield, vacancy, unemployment
  • Click any area for a score breakdown popup with percentile bars
  • Dataset download (CSV) and inline methodology report