Research · Updated October 2026
Income Needed to Buy a Home in Every State (2026)
To afford a typical U.S. home today, a household needs to earn about $120,700 a year. The median household earns $81,604. In every state but one, and in Washington, D.C., the median household falls short.
Income needed, U.S.$120,700vs. $81,604 median household income
Monthly payment, U.S.$2,817on a $366,157 home, 10% down
Highest$247,700Hawaii
Lowest$57,100West Virginia
Key findings
- A typical U.S. home ($366,157) costs about $2,817 a month with 10% down at a 7.32% rate, including property tax, insurance and PMI. Keeping that under 28% of income takes $120,700 a year, 48% more than the median household income.
- Only West Virginia has a median household income that covers a typical home there at 10% down. With 20% down, that rises to 6: Kansas, Indiana, Iowa, Alabama, Mississippi, West Virginia.
- Hawaii needs the most income: $247,700 for a $832,932 typical home. West Virginia needs the least: $57,100.
- The gap is widest in Hawaii, where the income needed is 2.5 times what the median household earns.
- Insurance and property tax change the picture. Average homeowners premiums range from about $923 to $3,027 a year, and effective property tax rates from 0.27% to 1.92% of value.
10% down, 7.32% rate. Hover or tap a state for details.
- Up to 100% (1)
- 100–125% (14)
- 125–150% (15)
- 150–200% (16)
- Over 200% (5)
Income needed by state
Tap a column heading to sort. Download the data (CSV)
| State | Typical home | Monthly payment | Income needed | With 20% down | Median income | Needed ÷ median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $832,932 | $5,780 | $247,700 | $209,800 | $100,745 | 246% |
| California | $761,538 | $5,580 | $239,200 | $204,500 | $100,149 | 239% |
| Massachusetts | $655,219 | $5,021 | $215,200 | $185,400 | $104,828 | 205% |
| New Jersey | $575,123 | $4,805 | $205,900 | $179,700 | $104,294 | 197% |
| Washington | $587,533 | $4,340 | $186,000 | $159,300 | $99,389 | 187% |
| New York | $524,942 | $4,229 | $181,200 | $157,300 | $85,820 | 211% |
| District of Columbia | $567,271 | $4,145 | $177,600 | $151,800 | $109,707 | 162% |
| New Hampshire | $510,937 | $4,081 | $174,900 | $151,700 | $99,782 | 175% |
| Rhode Island | $508,507 | $3,988 | $170,900 | $147,800 | $83,504 | 205% |
| Colorado | $529,013 | $3,894 | $166,900 | $142,800 | $97,113 | 172% |
| Utah | $532,920 | $3,803 | $163,000 | $138,700 | $96,658 | 169% |
| Connecticut | $447,319 | $3,720 | $159,400 | $139,100 | $96,049 | 166% |
| Oregon | $492,753 | $3,636 | $155,800 | $133,400 | $85,220 | 183% |
| Montana | $467,275 | $3,480 | $149,200 | $127,900 | $75,340 | 198% |
| Idaho | $476,754 | $3,391 | $145,300 | $123,600 | $81,166 | 179% |
| Maryland | $424,890 | $3,254 | $139,500 | $120,100 | $102,905 | 136% |
| Nevada | $440,739 | $3,147 | $134,900 | $114,800 | $81,134 | 166% |
| Vermont | $391,900 | $3,136 | $134,400 | $116,600 | $82,730 | 163% |
| Maine | $412,002 | $3,109 | $133,200 | $114,500 | $76,442 | 174% |
| Virginia | $412,252 | $3,076 | $131,800 | $113,100 | $92,090 | 143% |
| Alaska | $397,932 | $3,061 | $131,200 | $113,100 | $95,665 | 137% |
| Arizona | $416,733 | $2,981 | $127,800 | $108,800 | $81,486 | 157% |
| Florida | $375,361 | $2,929 | $125,500 | $108,400 | $77,735 | 162% |
| Delaware | $405,061 | $2,915 | $124,900 | $106,500 | $87,534 | 143% |
| Wyoming | $369,044 | $2,751 | $117,900 | $101,100 | $75,532 | 156% |
| Minnesota | $348,778 | $2,748 | $117,800 | $101,900 | $87,117 | 135% |
| Wisconsin | $337,196 | $2,639 | $113,100 | $97,800 | $77,488 | 146% |
| Illinois | $295,943 | $2,538 | $108,800 | $95,300 | $83,211 | 131% |
| Georgia | $329,115 | $2,515 | $107,800 | $92,800 | $79,991 | 135% |
| Texas | $296,424 | $2,506 | $107,400 | $93,900 | $79,721 | 135% |
| North Carolina | $332,159 | $2,502 | $107,200 | $92,100 | $73,958 | 145% |
| South Dakota | $317,874 | $2,488 | $106,600 | $92,200 | $76,881 | 139% |
| Tennessee | $330,844 | $2,430 | $104,200 | $89,100 | $71,997 | 145% |
| New Mexico | $315,812 | $2,362 | $101,200 | $86,900 | $67,816 | 149% |
| Nebraska | $278,299 | $2,333 | $100,000 | $87,300 | $76,376 | 131% |
| Pennsylvania | $287,078 | $2,261 | $96,900 | $83,800 | $77,545 | 125% |
| North Dakota | $290,657 | $2,256 | $96,700 | $83,500 | $77,871 | 124% |
| South Carolina | $304,319 | $2,255 | $96,600 | $82,800 | $72,350 | 134% |
| Michigan | $263,760 | $2,080 | $89,200 | $77,200 | $72,389 | 123% |
| Missouri | $265,387 | $2,048 | $87,800 | $75,700 | $71,589 | 123% |
| Kansas | $246,055 | $2,014 | $86,300 | $75,100 | $75,514 | 114% |
| Ohio | $245,982 | $1,957 | $83,900 | $72,700 | $72,212 | 116% |
| Indiana | $257,165 | $1,949 | $83,500 | $71,800 | $71,959 | 116% |
| Iowa | $236,623 | $1,918 | $82,200 | $71,400 | $75,501 | 109% |
| Alabama | $238,614 | $1,799 | $77,100 | $66,300 | $66,659 | 116% |
| Oklahoma | $220,801 | $1,794 | $76,900 | $66,800 | $66,148 | 116% |
| Kentucky | $230,909 | $1,778 | $76,200 | $65,700 | $64,526 | 118% |
| Louisiana | $213,867 | $1,749 | $75,000 | $65,200 | $60,986 | 123% |
| Arkansas | $224,158 | $1,722 | $73,800 | $63,600 | $62,106 | 119% |
| Mississippi | $194,531 | $1,551 | $66,500 | $57,600 | $59,127 | 112% |
| West Virginia | $176,576 | $1,332 | $57,100 | $49,100 | $60,798 | 94% |
What can you afford?
These are state averages. Run your own income, debts and down payment through the home affordability calculator, then compare real rates.
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Methodology
- Home price: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) for each state, typical (middle-tier) value for all homes, smoothed and seasonally adjusted, September 2026. The U.S. figure is Zillow's national value.
- Mortgage: 30-year fixed at 7.32%, the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey average for the week of October 22, 2026, with 10% down (20% in the second column).
- Property tax: each state's effective rate, calculated as median real estate taxes paid ÷ median home value from the Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey (1-year), applied to the typical home value.
- Homeowners insurance: each state's average HO-3 premium from the NAIC 2023 Homeowners Insurance Report, the most recent available. Premiums have generally risen since, so this likely understates insurance costs. See property tax and insurance by state for each state's values.
- PMI: 0.5% of the loan per year with 10% down; none with 20% down.
- Income needed: the income at which the full monthly payment (principal, interest, tax, insurance and PMI) equals 28% of gross monthly income, a common lender guideline. HOA dues, other debts and closing costs aren't included.
- Median household income: Census ACS 2024 (1-year), the latest available. Incomes have likely risen somewhat since, which would narrow the gaps slightly without changing the rankings much.
All payment math uses the same formulas as our mortgage calculator. See how we calculate.
Sources
- Zillow Research: Zillow Home Value Index
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 (tables B19013, B25077, B25103)
- NAIC, Dwelling Fire, Homeowners Owner-Occupied, and Homeowners Tenant and Condominium/Cooperative Unit Owner's Insurance Report: Data for 2023
Use this data
Journalists, bloggers and researchers are welcome to use these figures, charts and theCSV under aCC BY 4.0 license. Please creditRealEstateCalculator.org with a link to this page. Home values courtesy of Zillow. For custom cuts of the data or a quote, contact us.