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When Walmart Comes to Town: Always Low Housing Prices? Always?

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  • Devin G. Pope
  • Jaren C. Pope

Abstract

Walmart often faces strong local opposition when trying to build a new store. Opponents often claim that Walmart lowers nearby housing prices. In this study we use over one million housing transactions located near 159 Walmarts that opened between 2000 and 2006 to test if the opening of a Walmart does indeed lower housing prices. Using a difference-in-differences specification, our estimates suggest that a new Walmart store actually increases housing prices by between 2 and 3 percent for houses located within 0.5 miles of the store and by 1 to 2 percent for houses located between 0.5 and 1 mile.

Suggested Citation

  • Devin G. Pope & Jaren C. Pope, 2012. "When Walmart Comes to Town: Always Low Housing Prices? Always?," NBER Working Papers 18111, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:18111
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • R20 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - General

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