Home prices nationwide have been on the rise in the United States in 2020 and 2021, and the country's most affluent neighborhoods were not immune to the trend. The real estate business blog PropertyShark recently compiled its annual list of the most expensive U.S. ZIP codes. While acknowledging that swaths of Americans faced unpreceded hardships in 2020 and 2021 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic and increasingly severe natural disasters, the blog compiled median home-sale data behind the "vertical price trends" in the U.S. home-sale market. The same trends that challenged many individuals are driving the competition for homes in the U.S. Case in point: Nearly one in three Millennials became interested in buying a home because of the pandemic, Statista reports. The slideshow above illustrates the 10 most expensive ZIP codes in the U.S., according to PropertyShark.com. Among the key takeaways from this year's list: |

• Atherton, California has the country's most-expensive ZIP code for the fifth year in a row.
• For the first time in 2021, the country's top 10 most-expensive ZIP codes all have homes valued at $4 million or more.
• The 100 most-expensive ZIP codes in the U.S. are contained in just 10 states, and 70% are located in California.

Residents of such affluent burgs (along with their insurance advisors) are keenly aware that the more luxurious a home and its contents, the higher the potential losses in the event of a catastrophic event. A home's actual cash value, which is different than its replacement cost, is generally determined by the market value of these possessions, according to ValuePenguin. See also: |

• 12 U.S. cities to find affordable luxury real estate
• The 11 most expensive U.S. ZIP codes
• 10 least expensive U.S. ZIP codes for home insurance