Properties in Atherton (San Mateo County, Calif.) would be the most costly for insurers to cover in the wake of a catastrophe, as the municipality boasts the most expensive median home prices in the U.S., nearly double that of the second most expensive ZIP Code, according to a ranking from PropertyShark.com. Home prices are also one of the most influential factors when determining an insurance premium. Atherton was also the most expensive U.S. ZIP code in 2019, with a median sale price of $7,050,000. Overall, more areas of the U.S. saw median home prices rise rather than contract, according to the blog. The slideshow above reveals the 10 most expensive ZIP codes in the U.S. based on median prices as opposed to the seller's asking prices to give better insights into the "transactional reality on the ground," according to PropertyShark.com. The sale prices were pulled from property transactions that closed between January 1 and October 16, 2020. |

No NYC ZIPs in top 10 for the first time

Buck trends, for the first time no ZIP codes in New York City ranked among the top 10, according to PropertyShark.com, which notes the region's market dropped off steeply as it was an early epicenter of the pandemic. In past years, the city's TriBeCa neighborhood featured some of the highest median prices. This year both ZIPs covering the neighborhood saw double-digit contractions. The ZIP 10007, which covers parts of downtown Manhattan including TriBeCa, SoHo and Civic Center, saw a 19% decline in median sale prices. The neighboring NYC ZIP code, 10013, had median prices tumble 15%. However, the Upper West Side's 10069 had median prices rise 42%, while the Garment District (10018) saw the sharpest declines at 38%, according to PropertyShark.com. While there has been much talk about tech businesses moving out of San Francisco, for the fourth year running the city had the highest number of pricey ZIP codes. Within San Francisco, 94123 (Marina District) had the highest median home price with an average of $2,150,000.

Source: PropertyShark.com

• How COVID-19 could imperil working mothers' financial security
• 7 retirement challenges women face that men don't
• COVID-19 will make gender pay inequities worse