First-time buyers made up a historic low 24% of buyers in 2024, down from 32% in 2023. However, certain United States cities are actually buyer-friendly for first-timers — and many of them are in the Phoenix area.

WalletHub’s annual ranking of the Best and Worst Cities for First-Time Homebuyers ranked 300 cities based on their real estate market, quality of life and affordability.

Surprise was the top city in Arizona and the No. 4 city in the U.S., with Wallethub naming the Phoenix suburb the top real estate market in the country based on factors like rent-to-price ratio, active listings per capita, home-price appreciation, foreclosure rates, mortgage lender and real estate agent availability and millennial homeownership rates.

Gilbert ranked No. 6, with a similarly attractive real estate market for first-timers. The city also scored higher for quality of life than its Phoenix-area counterpart Surprise, and was only slightly less affordable, ranking No. 34 for affordability compared to Surprise at No. 21.

Also high-ranking on the list were Chandler at No. 11, Peoria at No. 13, Scottsdale at No. 21 and Yuma at No. 27.

“Buying a home for the first time is a very stressful and difficult process, especially when housing prices are through the roof and interest rates have risen sharply in the past few years,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. “The best cities for first-time homebuyers not only are affordable both in terms of buying a house and living there afterward, but they also have a lot of housing choices as well as low crime rates and good schools.”