In August 2026, Racine County homes sold for a median of $350,000. That was up 13.5% from August 2025 and the biggest gain of any county in the Wisconsin REALTORS Association's Southeast table. The same table showed the other side of the market. Sales fell 14.3%, from 252 to 216. Months of inventory went from 3.3 to 3.8. Average days on market rose from 51 to 54. If you're buying this fall, the price change is about last year's market. The inventory number is about this one.
The summer median barely moved
Put Racine County's three summer months side by side and they look quieter than the yearly percentages. These are the Wisconsin REALTORS Association county figures for June through August 2026.
| Racine County | June 2026 | July 2026 | August 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $350,500 | $336,501 | $350,000 |
| Change from same month in 2025 | +18.8% | +20.2% | +13.5% |
| Homes sold | 246 | 234 | 216 |
| Months of inventory | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.8 |
| Average days on market | 53 | 50 | 54 |
From June to August 2026, the median stayed within about $14,000 of $350,000. The yearly percentage still jumped around, from 18.8% to 20.2% to 13.5%. Most of that movement comes from what each month is compared against. The July 2025 median was $280,000, so a July 2026 median in the mid-$330s turns into a 20% headline. August 2025 was higher at $308,500, so a slightly higher August 2026 median shows a smaller gain.
The increase over the past year is real. Through July 2026, the year-to-date median in Racine County was $320,000, up 12.3% from $285,000 in the same stretch of 2025. Year-to-date sales were up 3.7%. Most of that gain happened between last summer and this spring, though. Over summer 2026 itself, the median held steady. WRA says its county figures are not seasonally adjusted and may be revised as more complete data comes in. That's another reason to treat any single month's percentage as a rough signal.
August is when the other numbers turned
The June and July reports showed a market where prices and sales volume were both rising. Racine County sales were up 5.1% in June and 10.9% in July from a year earlier. In August, sales fell 14.3%, and inventory rose by half a month after holding at 3.4 all summer.
Kenosha County followed the same pattern, which suggests something broader than one county. Kenosha sales fell 18.0% in August 2026, and inventory went from 3.1 months to 3.5. Across the Southeast region, sales dropped 9.2% while the median rose 10.2%.
WRA's own explanation is financing. The statewide average 30-year mortgage rate was 6.67% in August 2026, up from 6.05% in February. WRA's affordability index fell for a sixth straight month, to its lowest level since the association began tracking it in 2009. WRA President and CEO Tom Larson said the "steady increase in mortgage rates since February is eroding affordability," especially for first-time buyers.
This is where the market shows up at the offer table. A Racine County listing priced off this year's peak comparable sales now competes with more homes for fewer buyers. Those buyers also face higher monthly payments than they did in the spring. Prices stayed high through the summer, but buyers had less ability to pay them.
Where Microsoft shows up in the numbers
The usual explanation for Racine County's prices is the Microsoft campus in Mount Pleasant. The local reporting supports a narrower version of that story.
Racine County Eye reported in June 2026 that Microsoft's first building, the Fairwater data center, employs about 550 full-time employees and vendors. Microsoft expects that to reach about 800 when the second facility opens in 2028. Most of those roles are operations technicians. The construction workforce is far larger. Nearly 10,000 workers helped build the first building, with more than 3,000 on site at the peak, and the second construction site is approaching a similar scale. Microsoft has not disclosed what these jobs pay or how many went to Racine County residents. For comparison, a January 2025 BizTimes report linked the county's housing shortage to Microsoft's plan, at that time, to add 2,000 data center jobs.
The housing that followed is mostly rental. According to a June 2026 RCEDC roundup citing the Milwaukee Business Journal, Mount Pleasant issued permits for 475 housing units in 2025, the most in nearly 50 years. Here's what that roundup and earlier BizTimes coverage list:
- Springs at Mount Pleasant: 280 apartments, underway as of June 2026
- Leo Living: 220 rental units, underway as of June 2026
- The Sanctuary at Pike River: 95 single-family homes on 33 acres near Old Green Bay Road and Braun Road, with Stonestreet Partners as developer and Lennar as the planned builder. It was headed to the Village Board when the June roundup ran.
- Lineage Estates: a 22-lot subdivision of condominium duplex homes near South Emmertsen Road and Green Valley Drive, built by Golden Construction and Excavating. It had initial Plan Commission approval.
- 7222 Braun Road: a 618-unit market-rate proposal from Cardinal Capital Management and Northterra Real Estate Group, made up mostly of 575 apartments. Bear Development proposed a separate 336-unit project just east of it. Both were reported by BizTimes in June 2025, and their current status needs checking.
The two projects underway total 500 rental units. The single-family project, 95 homes, was still going through village approval as of June 2026. Rentals also fit the local housing data. An October 2025 Racine County Eye report, drawing on a late-2024 county study, put vacancy in large apartment buildings at 2.3% and estimated the county needs about 855 new units a year through 2029.
None of these sources measures how Microsoft has affected for-sale home prices. The documented effects are a large, temporary construction workforce, a few hundred permanent jobs, and a historic number of apartment permits. Rising rates and the August jump in inventory are already in the WRA data. If Microsoft eventually lifts for-sale demand in Mount Pleasant, the clearest sign would be the new single-family subdivisions filling quickly once they reach the market.
Questions to ask before you write an offer
These questions are based on the current numbers:
- When did the comparable sales close? A comp from June 2026 reflects a market with 3.4 months of inventory and rising sales. August had 3.8 months and falling sales.
- How long has this home been listed compared with the county average? Racine County averaged 54 days on market in August 2026. A listing that has been active much longer than that may have room to negotiate.
- Is new construction nearby, and what kind? Near Braun Road or Spring Street in Mount Pleasant, find out whether planned projects are apartments, duplex condominiums, or single-family homes, and where each one stands in the approval process.
- What does the payment look like at today's rate? A 6.67% average rate in August is not the 6.05% from February. That gap matters more to the monthly budget than the yearly median does.
FAQ
Is Racine County more expensive than Kenosha County now? Not by median price. In August 2026, Kenosha County's median was $360,000 and Racine County's was $350,000. Both rose by double digits from August 2025, and both saw falling sales and rising inventory that month.
Is September 2026 data out yet? As of early October 2026, WRA's newest report covers August 2026 and was published September 24, 2026. WRA usually releases a month's figures late in the following month.
Will the data center's second building change the job picture? Microsoft expects about 800 employees and vendors once the second facility opens in 2028, up from about 550 today. Construction on the second site is approaching the scale of the first, which peaked at more than 3,000 workers on site.
If you own a home in Racine County and want to know how this fall's inventory affects your price, Renee O'Brien Group can compare your home against the most recent sales, not the spring peak. Get an Instant Home Valuation to see where it stands today.
