Chicago Metro Listing Supply: An August 2019-2026 Comparison
An original August-to-August analysis of Realtor.com metro inventory, listing price, market time, new listings, and price-reduction share.
Primary finding
In August 2026, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro had 15,130 active listings, 6.0% fewer than August 2025, while its median listing price was $395,000, 5.4% higher year over year.
Scope
- Geography
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Illinois-Indiana metro area, 2023 OMB definition
- Data period
- August observations from 2019 through 2026; latest month August 2026
- Published
- September 29, 2026
| August | Median list price | Active listings | Median DOM | New listings | Price reduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $325,155 | 40,118 | 48 | 14,084 | 20.5% |
| 2020 | $346,350 | 26,677 | 40 | 15,616 | 13.5% |
| 2021 | $339,495 | 22,220 | 36 | 14,672 | 13.8% |
| 2022 | $349,875 | 19,478 | 36 | 10,534 | 16.3% |
| 2023 | $384,950 | 14,106 | 36 | 9,402 | 12.0% |
| 2024 | $385,000 | 15,706 | 36 | 9,524 | 14.4% |
| 2025 | $374,900 | 16,102 | 37 | 9,496 | 16.5% |
| 2026 | $395,000 | 15,130 | 36 | 8,780 | 14.7% |
| Metric | August 2026 | Year over year |
|---|---|---|
| Median listing price | $395,000 | +5.4% |
| Active listing count | 15,130 | -6.0% |
| Median days on market | 36 | -2.7% |
| New listing count | 8,780 | -7.5% |
| Listings with a price reduction | 14.7% | -1.8 percentage points |
Method
- Downloaded Realtor.com Economic Research's metro historical inventory file on September 29, 2026.
- Selected CBSA 16980, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Illinois-Indiana, and retained August observations from 2019 through 2026.
- Used all-residential MLS-listed for-sale metrics. Active listing count is Realtor.com's average daily snapshot measure for the month and excludes pending listings where pending status is available.
- Retained Realtor.com's reported year-over-year changes for the August 2026 snapshot. Historical table values are displayed from the reissued September 2026 historical file.
- Checked the dataset's quality flag for every displayed August row; each displayed row carried a zero quality flag.
Limits
- This is a broad metropolitan series, not a City of Chicago, community-area, suburb, neighborhood, property-type, or luxury segment report.
- List prices measure seller asking positions, not closed prices or appraised values.
- Realtor.com adopted 2023 Office of Management and Budget metro definitions with the January 2025 release and revised the historical series for comparability.
- The data library warns that historical values may be revised as coverage and definitions improve.
- The separate Chicago REALTORS city snapshot covers the 77 Chicago community areas. It should not be merged with this metro series as if the geographies were identical.
Sources
- Realtor.com Economic Research data library (September 29, 2026). Metro historical monthly housing inventory file through August 2026.
- Chicago REALTORS statistics and market-data tools (September 29, 2026). Local source scope: citywide tools cover Chicago's 77 community areas; association spreadsheets also cover suburbs.
- Chicago REALTORS August 2025 city snapshot (September 29, 2026). City-only benchmark showing why city and metro statistics must remain separate.
Put the finding into a property decision
Read Jovanka's companion guide for buyers and sellers. Broad data becomes useful when it is narrowed to the correct location, property type, building, price band, condition, timing, and current competition.
Need the property-level view?
Bring Jovanka the address, property type, timing, and decision. She can refresh the current local evidence before you rely on a broad market signal.