How much more money you need to make to afford a home in every US state

Incomes have increased in nearly every state, but buying a home hasn't gotten any easier.
The national median income is still $31,136 short of affording the median-priced home.
Realtor.com data shows that the additional income needed to buy a home ranges from $2,287 to $98,469.

Nearly every state in the US experienced a bump in household income last year, yet it's still not enough to afford the typical home.

States like Rhode Island and Virginia saw fairly large increases in income from 2024 to 2025 — 9.02% and 7.85%, respectively — but an additional five figures is needed to afford a median-priced home in each state, according to data from the US Census and Realtor.com.

Realtor.com senior economist Hannah Jones said that even though households are bringing in more money, an increase in mortgage rates since last year isn't helping.

"Mortgage rates are more than one percentage point higher than a year ago, which cuts into buyer budgets and offsets the affordability gains from softening home prices and rising incomes," Jones said. "Nationally, the median household income is not enough to afford the median-priced home in any state."

The national median household income was $84,780 in 2025 — a roughly 3.8% increase from the previous year. However, with the national median listing price at $419,250 in September 2026, that's $31,136 short of the recommended income to buy, assuming a mortgage rate of 7.32% and a 10% down payment, according to Realtor.

Realtor calculated the additional amount needed above the median income to afford the typical home in each state, and found that some require a couple thousand dollars, while others require nearly six figures.

See how much more money you need to afford an average home in each state. States in ascending order of the additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home.

Iowa

Historic brick storefronts line a quiet downtown street at dusk with lampposts, trees, and empty parking spaces.

Median household income: $76,483

2024-2025 change in income: 1.30%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $2,287

Illinois

Downtown Chicago skyscrapers and bascule bridges line the Chicago River on a sunny day.

Median household income: $86,676

2024-2025 change in income: 4.16%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $3,168

Ohio

Downtown Cleveland skyline rises beside the Cuyahoga River with Terminal Tower and waterfront parks in warm light.

Median household income: $74,804

2024-2025 change in income: 3.59%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $3,718

Pennsylvania

Downtown Pittsburgh skyline rises beyond Point State Park and yellow bridges at the river confluence.

Median household income: $81,473

2024-2025 change in income: 5.07%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $3,961

Kansas

Median household income: $77,824

2024-2025 change in income: 3.06%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $4,015

Michigan

Detroit skyline and Renaissance Center glow at sunset beside the Detroit River with a docked riverboat in foreground.

Median household income: $75,832

2024-2025 change in income: 4.76%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $7,086

Missouri

Median household income: $75,485

2024-2025 change in income: 5.44%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $7,460

Indiana

Downtown Fort Wayne skyline with office towers, streets, trees, and the Allen County Courthouse at sunset.

Median household income: $74,516

2024-2025 change in income: 3.55%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $8,153

Louisiana

Historic New Orleans street with wrought-iron balconies and St. Louis Cathedral rising in the background.

Median household income: $65,139

2024-2025 change in income: 6.81%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $9,512

Maryland

Aerial view of a small town with a red-brick clock tower, church steeple, river, and wooded hills.

Median household income: $107,700

2024-2025 change in income: 4.66%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $9,806

West Virginia

Median household income: $61,340

2024-2025 change in income: 0.89%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $10,545

Nebraska

Median household income: $81,614

2024-2025 change in income: 6.86%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $11,008

Minnesota

Downtown skyline reflects in a calm river at dusk with illuminated buildings, bridges, trees, and cloudy sky.

Median household income: $92,297

2024-2025 change in income: 5.95%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $12,739

Oklahoma

Median household income: $68,441

2024-2025 change in income: 3.47%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $13,576

Texas

Downtown Dallas skyline with Reunion Tower, high-rises, rail tracks, and convention center buildings under a cloudy blue sky.

Median household income: $82,625

2024-2025 change in income: 3.64%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $15,738

Kentucky

Aerial view of a riverside downtown with a white church steeple, brick buildings, autumn trees, and a suspension bridge.

Median household income: $66,447

2024-2025 change in income: 2.98%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $18,648

North Dakota

Illuminated bridge crosses a river through a city at dusk with buildings and streetlights in the background.

Median household income: $81,545

2024-2025 change in income: 4.72%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $20,948

Mississippi

Median household income: $59,346

2024-2025 change in income: 0.37%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $21,457

Alabama

Aerial view of a downtown riverfront skyline with a faint rainbow over high-rise buildings and a riverboat dock.

Median household income: $67,663

2024-2025 change in income: 1.51%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $22,194

Arkansas

White arch bridge crosses a river toward a downtown skyline in late afternoon light.

Median household income: $65,588

2024-2025 change in income: 5.61%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $22,539

South Dakota

Median household income: $80,506

2024-2025 change in income: 4.72%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $23,176

Alaska

Colorful hillside homes sit among evergreen trees at the edge of a dense forest.

Median household income: $95,220

2024-2025 change in income: -0.47%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $25,051

South Carolina

Median household income: $73,672

2024-2025 change in income: 1.83%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $25,847

Georgia

Downtown Atlanta skyline with high-rise buildings, roads, and autumn trees under a clear sky.

Median household income: $81,847

2024-2025 change in income: 2.32%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $25,913

Virginia

Downtown Roanoke skyline at sunset with high-rises, brick buildings, and Blue Ridge mountains under cloudy sky.

Median household income: $99,322

2024-2025 change in income: 7.85%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $26,742

Wisconsin

Downtown Milwaukee skyline rises beside the Milwaukee River with bridges, boats, and Lake Michigan in the distance.

Median household income: $80,213

2024-2025 change in income: 3.52%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $27,588

Florida

Aerial view of a brick-paved downtown intersection surrounded by low-rise buildings, parked cars, trees, and a cloudy sky.

Median household income: $80,846

2024-2025 change in income: 4.00%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $32,499

North Carolina

Median household income: $77,638

2024-2025 change in income: 4.98%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $32,956

District of Columbia

Washington Monument rises above the National Mall and surrounding autumn trees in an aerial view of Washington, D.C.

Median household income: $109,505

2024-2025 change in income: -0.18%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $36,341

New Mexico

Downtown Albuquerque skyline glows in warm sunset light with residential neighborhoods and mountains in the background.

Median household income: $70,342

2024-2025 change in income: 3.72%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $40,107

Delaware

Historic streetscape with a brick clock tower, row houses, stop signs, and bare trees under a clear sky.

Median household income: $92,520

2024-2025 change in income: 5.70%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $41,574

Maine

Rocky shoreline with coastal houses overlooking blue water under a partly cloudy sky.

Median household income: $81,760

2024-2025 change in income: 6.96%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $42,658

Tennessee

Nashville skyline glows at dusk with downtown towers reflected in the Cumberland River.

Median household income: $75,875

2024-2025 change in income: 5.39%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $42,861

Arizona

Desert cityscape with red rock buttes and distant mountains under warm sunset light.

Median household income: $82,940

2024-2025 change in income: 1.78%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $44,215

Connecticut

Hartford skyline at dusk with illuminated downtown towers, highways, trees, and a cloudy blue sky.

Median household income: $100,056

2024-2025 change in income: 4.17%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $44,407

New Jersey

Aerial view of a downtown skyline beside a river with autumn trees under a partly cloudy sky.

Median household income: $107,797

2024-2025 change in income: 3.36%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $46,896

Nevada

Las Vegas skyline with The STRAT tower rising above hotels and desert mountains in the background.

Median household income: $85,198

2024-2025 change in income: 5.01%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $47,515

Vermont

Median household income: $86,018

2024-2025 change in income: 3.97%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $52,072

Colorado

Median household income: $99,729

2024-2025 change in income: 2.69%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $56,208

New Hampshire

Median household income: $106,759

2024-2025 change in income: 6.99%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $56,367

Wyoming

Snow-dusted mountains rise behind a city skyline under pink clouds at sunset.

Median household income: $80,894

2024-2025 change in income: 7.10%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $56,381

Utah

Downtown Provo glows at dusk with the illuminated Provo City Center Temple and mountains in the background.

Median household income: $99,311

2024-2025 change in income: 2.74%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $60,774

Oregon

Median household income: $86,953

2024-2025 change in income: 2.03%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $65,113

Rhode Island

Downtown Providence skyline and riverwalk reflect in a calm canal at sunset with bridges and high-rise buildings.

Median household income: $91,039

2024-2025 change in income: 9.02%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $66,529

Washington

Seattle skyline at sunset with the Space Needle and snowcapped Mount Rainier in the distance.

Median household income: $101,946

2024-2025 change in income: 2.57%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $74,859

New York

City skyline and waterfront at sunset with bright sun, trees, shoreline, and reflections on calm water.

Median household income: $89,210

2024-2025 change in income: 3.95%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $78,063

Idaho

Median household income: $84,234

2024-2025 change in income: 3.78%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $79,721

Massachusetts

Autumn trees and riverside buildings reflect in calm water beneath a cloudy sky in a small town.

Median household income: $106,539

2024-2025 change in income: 1.63%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $90,940

Hawaii

High-rise residential buildings fill a coastal cityscape with green mountains and clouds in the distance.

Median household income: $105,013

2024-2025 change in income: 4.24%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $97,498

California

Spanish-style buildings line a palm-filled street with blooming flowers and mountains in warm evening light.

Median household income: $102,159

2024-2025 change in income: 2.01%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $98,292

Montana

Historic brick storefronts with illuminated windows line a quiet urban street at dusk.

Median household income: $77,099

2024-2025 change in income: 2.33%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $98,469

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How much more money you need to make to afford a home in every US state

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