Dayton housing market ranked healthiest in nation

The Dayton metro area housing market was ranked by Nationwide as the healthiest and most sustainable in the country over the next year.

The insurance company studied 400 metropolitan areas in the U.S. and ranked the regions based on indicators such as employment, demographics, the mortgage market and house prices.

In February, homes sales in the Dayton area were up 15 percent compared to the same month last year, giving the real estate industry some momentum heading into the traditional home-buying season.

The report, based on data from the fourth quarter in 2015, found that the markets in the Midwest dominated the top 10 lists for both the healthiest markets and the most improved markets.

Inclusion on such a report shows a strengthening economy across the Miami Valley, according to Nationwide

The top performing metros are:

1. Dayton

2. Yakima, Wash.

3. Cleveland-Elyria.

4. Saginaw, Mich.

5. Syracuse, N.Y.

6. Trenton, N.J.

7. Niles-Benton Harbor, Mich.

8. Memphis, Tenn.-Miss.-Ark.

9. Lansing-East Lansing, Mich.

10. Columbus