- RentCafe.com released a list of the top 20 most-gentrified zip codes in the U.S.
- Downtown L.A. topped the list followed by neighborhoods in DC, Houston, Philadelphia, and NYC
- To figure out the most gentrified zip codes, the website looked at areas that have experienced the most change in median home value, household income and amount of residents with a college degree or higher
Gentrification is an issue that has been gripping the nation, as young, mostly-white, college graduates move to cities and lay their roots in traditionally lower-income neighborhoods.
Coffee shops, bars and organic grocery stores are soon to follow, seeking to cash in on the yuppie clientele.
But with the fancy new cheese shops and yoga studios comes higher rents that drive out the old guard, usually minorities who have lived in the neighborhood for generations.
Gentrification is happening so fast in some cities that it’s hard to know which neighborhoods have changed the most. But RentCafe.com recently analyzed data to figure that out.
RentCafe.com recently released a list of the top 20 most-gentrified zip codes in the U.S. Downtown L.A. came in at the top of the list
| RANK | ZIP | CITY | STATE | NEIGHBORHOOD | HOME VALUE CHANGE | HOUSEHOLD INCOME CHANGE | HIGHER EDUCATION CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 90014 | LOS ANGELES | CA | Downtown L.A./Skid Row | 707% | 95% | 857% |
| 2. | 20001 | WASHINGTON | DC | Shaw/Bloomingdale/ Mt. Vernon Triangle/Truxton Circle | 207% | 163% | 212% |
| 3. | 77003 | HOUSTON | TX | Downtown/East Downtown/Second Ward | 284% | 71% | 443% |
| 4. | 19123 | PHILADELPHIA | PA | Poplar/West Poplar | 203% | 95% | 230% |
| 5. | 10039 | MANHATTAN | NY | Upper Manhattan | 356% | 32% | 168% |
| 6. | 76102 | FORT WORTH | TX | Sunset Terrace/Hunter Plaza/Butler/Greenway/Rock Island/Samuels Ave. | 323% | 103% | 122% |
| 7. | 11211 | BROOKLYN | NY | Williamsburg/East Williamsburg | 167% | 79% | 95% |
| 8. | 19146 | PHILADELPHIA | PA | Forgotten Bottom/Grays Ferry/Point Breeze/Newbold/Southwest Center City | 404% | 51% | 106% |
| 9. | 11222 | BROOKLYN | NY | Greenpoint | 116% | 56% | 97% |
| 10. | 11216 | BROOKLYN | NY | Bedford-Stuyvesant/Crown Heights | 194% | 48% | 149% |
| 11. | 63103 | ST. LOUIS | MO | Midtown/Downtown East | 250% | 44% | 153% |
| 12. | 90013 | LOS ANGELES | CA | Skid Row/Toy District/Arts District | 133% | 77% | 199% |
| 13. | 78702 | AUSTIN | TX | Central East Austin/Chestnut/East Austin/Holly/Govalle | 212% | 47% | 201% |
| 14. | 11237 | BROOKLYN | NY | East Williamsburg/Bushwick | 111% | 43% | 125% |
| 15. | 10026 | MANHATTAN | NY | Harlem | 219% | 65% | 92% |
| 16. | 21224 | BALTIMORE | MD | Canton/Highlandtown/Colgate/Greektown/O’Donnell Heights/Graceland Park/Point Breeze/Joseph Lee/Kresson/Baltimore Highlands/Fifteenth Street | 107% | 43% | 109% |
| 17. | 11221 | BROOKLYN | NY | Bushwick/Beford-Stuyvesant | 130% | 39% | 100% |
| 18. | 20010 | WASHINGTON | DC | Mt. Pleasant/Columbia Heights/Park View | 146% | 48% | 84% |
| 19. | 77007 | HOUSTON | TX | Washington Ave/Memorial Park/Rice Military/ | 107% | 114% | 188% |
| 20. | 98402 | TACOMA | WA | Downtown Tacoma | 103% | 83% | 141% |
Using data from the 2000 Census and the 2016 American Community Survey, RentCafe.com determined the 20 U.S. zip codes that have experienced the most gentrification in the past year two decades.
To determine the most gentrified zip codes, they looked at changes in median home value, median household income and the population that holds a bachelor’s degree or higher.
The analysis found that Downtown L.A. was the most gentrified, followed by neighborhoods in Washington, DC; Houston, Texas; Philadelphia and New York City.
Five sub-neighborhoods in the New York City borough of Brooklyn made the list, including the hipster havens of Williamsburg, Bushwick and Greenpoint.
The analysis also found one trend – most of the gentrification is happening in East Coast cities. Most than half (12) of the zip codes in the top 20 are on the East Coast.
Pictured above is Broadway in downtown Los Angeles in August 2000
Above, the Grand Central Market in Downtown Los Angeles in 2017