Statistics · 2026 · Real Estate
Housing Affordability Statistics (2026)
The median home price-to-income ratio across 758 WealthyBud metros with at least 100 active listings is 5.32× as of June 2026 — the typical local household would need more than five years of pretax income to buy the median-priced home outright. Nantucket, MA is the least affordable market WealthyBud tracks at 41.1× income; Pampa, TX is the most affordable at 1.5×. Nationally, the National Association of Realtors’ Housing Affordability Index stood at 110.6 in April 2026, meaning the typical family earned slightly more than the qualifying income needed for a median-priced existing home.
Key takeaways
- The median price-to-income ratio across 758 guarded U.S. metros (active listings ≥ 100) is 5.32× as of June 2026, computed from WealthyBud’s own dataset.
- 459 of 758 metros (60.6%) price above 5× local income, and 86 (11.3%) price above 8×.
- Nantucket, MA is the least affordable metro at 41.1× income; Pampa, TX is the most affordable at 1.5×.
- The median local household spends 18.5% of income on rent across 758 guarded metros — none crosses the 30%-of-income cost-burden line.
- The NAR Housing Affordability Index stood at 110.6 in April 2026 (preliminary), with the typical mortgage principal-and-interest payment eating 22.6% of family income, per the National Association of Realtors.
- Affordability varies sharply by region: NAR’s April 2026 index reads 138.0 in the Midwest (most affordable) versus 81.0 in the West (least affordable).
- U.S. median household income was $83,730 in 2024, not statistically different from $82,690 in 2023, per the Census Bureau.
What is the median home price-to-income ratio nationally?
Across 758 U.S. metros WealthyBud tracks with at least 100 active listings, the median home price-to-income ratio is 5.32×, meaning the typical home costs about five times the local median household income. 459 of 758 metros clear a 5× ratio, and 86 top 8×.
1. National median price-to-income ratio: 5.32×
Across 758 guarded U.S. metros (active listings ≥ 100), the median ratio of home price to local household income is 5.32× as of June 2026 (WealthyBud data · 758 metros).
2. 60.6% of metros price above 5× local income
459 of 758 guarded metros carry a median price at or above five times local median household income as of June 2026 (WealthyBud data · 758 metros).
3. 11.3% of metros price above 8× local income
86 guarded metros — about one in nine — price at or above eight times local median household income, a threshold many lenders treat as severely stretched (WealthyBud data · 758 metros).
Which housing markets are least and most affordable?
Nantucket, MA is the least affordable metro WealthyBud tracks, at 41.1× local income, driven by a $4.92M median price against $119,750 local income. Pampa, TX is the most affordable at 1.54×.
4. Nantucket, MA is the least affordable metro WealthyBud tracks: 41.1× income
Nantucket, MA carries a $4.92M median price against a $119,750 local median household income, a 41.1× ratio, among metros with at least 100 active listings (WealthyBud data · June 2026).
5. Pampa, TX is the most affordable: 1.54× income
Pampa, TX carries a $87,500 median price against a $56,658 local median household income, a 1.54× ratio (WealthyBud data · June 2026).
6. Vineyard Haven, MA is a close second at 24.4×
Vineyard Haven, MA — like Nantucket an island vacation market off the Massachusetts coast — carries a 24.4× ratio on a $2.5M median price, showing the least-affordable ranking is not a single-metro fluke (WealthyBud data · June 2026).
| Metro | Price-to-income ratio | Median price | Local median income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nantucket, MA | 41.1× | $4.92M | $119,750 |
| Vineyard Haven, MA | 24.4× | $2.5M | $102,348 |
| Aguadilla, PR | 23.7× | $493,250 | $20,800 |
| San Juan, PR | 23.2× | $650,000 | $27,966 |
| Jackson, WY | 18.7× | $2M | $106,679 |
- Pampa, TX carries a price-to-income ratio of 1.54×, on a median price of $87,500 against a local median income of $56,658.
- Canton, IL carries a price-to-income ratio of 1.61×, on a median price of $94,488 against a local median income of $58,617.
- Johnstown, PA carries a price-to-income ratio of 1.80×, on a median price of $101,175 against a local median income of $56,292.
- Danville, IL carries a price-to-income ratio of 1.97×, on a median price of $107,625 against a local median income of $54,537.
- Decatur, IL carries a price-to-income ratio of 2.28×, on a median price of $142,450 against a local median income of $62,449.
Compare affordability across all 949 metros WealthyBud tracks
How much of local income does rent take up?
The median local household spends 18.5% of its income on rent across 758 guarded metros WealthyBud tracks, well under the 30%-of-income line commonly used to mark a household as cost-burdened. Aguadilla, PR runs highest at 29.2%, still short of that threshold.
7. Median rent burden: 18.5% of local income
Multiplying each metro’s Census ACS median gross rent by 12 and dividing by local median household income gives a median rent burden of 18.5% across 758 guarded metros as of June 2026 (WealthyBud data · 758 metros).
8. Highest rent burden: Aguadilla, PR at 29.2%
Aguadilla, PR posts the highest rent burden in the guarded pool, 29.2% of local income, on a median monthly rent of $506 against $20,800 local income (WealthyBud data · June 2026).
9. Lowest rent burden: Evanston, WY at 12.9%
Evanston, WY posts the lowest rent burden, 12.9% of local income, on a median monthly rent of $876 against $81,526 local income (WealthyBud data · June 2026).
10. 0 of 758 guarded metros cross the 30% rent-burden line
Not one of the 758 guarded metros in WealthyBud’s pool crosses the 30%-of-income threshold that HUD and the Census Bureau use to define a cost-burdened renter household — a sharp contrast with the ownership-side pressure NAR reports below (WealthyBud data · June 2026).
What does the NAR Housing Affordability Index show nationally?
The National Association of Realtors’ Housing Affordability Index read 110.6 in April 2026 (preliminary), meaning the typical family earned about 111% of the income needed to qualify for a median-priced existing home. The typical mortgage principal-and-interest payment took 22.6% of family income, and affordability varies sharply by region.
11. NAR Housing Affordability Index: 110.6 (April 2026, preliminary)
A family earning the median U.S. family income of $112,275 had 110.6% of the $101,520 qualifying income needed to buy the $422,300 median-priced existing home at a 6.41% effective mortgage rate, per the National Association of Realtors’ April 2026 Housing Affordability Index, released May 11, 2026.
12. Mortgage payment eats 22.6% of the typical family’s income
The estimated principal-and-interest payment on the median-priced home, $2,115 a month, ran 22.6% of median family income in April 2026, per the same NAR release — NAR’s index qualifies buyers at a 25% payment-to-income ratio.
13. The Midwest is the most affordable U.S. region: index of 138.0
The Midwest posted the highest regional Affordability Index, 138.0, on a $327,600 median price and a payment equal to 18.1% of income, per NAR’s April 2026 data.
14. The West is the least affordable U.S. region: index of 81.0
The West posted the lowest regional Affordability Index, 81.0, on a $629,200 median price and a payment equal to 30.9% of income — the only region above NAR’s 25% qualifying ratio — per the same NAR release.
| Region | Median existing-home price | Payment as % of income | Affordability index |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | $524,700 | 25.3% | 98.7 |
| Midwest | $327,600 | 18.1% | 138.0 |
| South | $373,100 | 21.5% | 116.5 |
| West | $629,200 | 30.9% | 81.0 |
What is the median U.S. household income?
U.S. median household income was $83,730 in 2024, per the Census Bureau, not statistically different from $82,690 in 2023. WealthyBud’s guarded metro pool medians lower, at $66,150, reflecting each metro’s own ACS estimate rather than a single national figure.
15. U.S. median household income: $83,730 (2024)
The Census Bureau put median household income at $83,730 in 2024, not statistically different from $82,690 in 2023, per "Income in the United States: 2024" (report P60-286), released September 9, 2025.
16. WealthyBud’s median local metro household income: $66,150
Across 758 guarded metros, the median of each metro’s own American Community Survey 5-year household income estimate is $66,150 — lower than the Census national figure because it is a median of local metro medians, not a national aggregate (WealthyBud data · 758 metros).
17. Local incomes range from $20,400 to $157,444
Mayaguez, PR has the lowest local median household income WealthyBud tracks, $20,400, versus $157,444 in San Jose, CA — nearly an eight-fold spread (WealthyBud data · June 2026).
18. National income understates local price-to-income ratios: 4.2× versus 5.32×
Dividing WealthyBud’s $350,000 median guarded-pool list price by the Census Bureau’s single $83,730 national income figure gives 4.2× — lower than the 5.32× median computed using each metro’s own local income, because guarded-pool metros skew toward lower local incomes than the national figure (WealthyBud data · Census, 2024).
What this means for buyers, renters and policymakers
For buyers, the 11.3% of metros priced above 8× local income are where a conventional mortgage alone rarely closes the gap; a larger down payment, dual incomes or a lower-cost metro matter more than rate shopping (WealthyBud data · 758 metros).
For renters, the picture looks better: no guarded metro crosses the 30% rent-burden line, even as ownership costs run 22.6% to 30.9% of income by NAR’s regional data — renting currently carries less measured cost-burden risk than buying in most tracked metros.
For policymakers, the 60.6% of metros above the 5× benchmark, concentrated in coastal and vacation markets like Nantucket, MA, show the affordability crisis is geographically uneven, not universal — Pampa, TX and similar Midwest metros stay well within local incomes.
National income figures can mislead. The Census Bureau’s single $83,730 national median produces a lower, less accurate ratio than each metro’s own local income — match price and income to the same geography before drawing conclusions.