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The Salary You Need to Buy a Home in Every State

Buying the median American home — valued at $332,700 — takes a household income of about $91,100 under the standard 28% affordability rule, assuming a 20% down payment and a 6.6% 30-year mortgage. But the state-level spread is enormous: Hawaii demands roughly $229,900 a year, while West Virginia requires about $44,500. The table ranks every state by the salary its median home demands, next to what households there actually earn. To run the numbers for your own budget, use our home affordability calculator.

In only 20 of the 50 states does the median household income actually cover the salary the median home requires — everywhere else, the typical family cannot comfortably afford the typical house at today's rates. The mortgage math explains why the ranking is steeper than home prices alone: at a 6.6% rate, the all-in monthly cost of the median US home runs about $2,127 once property taxes and insurance are added, and the 28% rule works backward from that payment to the $91,100 income it demands.

The states at the top — Hawaii and California — are the same ones that lead the most expensive states ranking, but the "Gap" column is where this table gets interesting: it shows the difference between the salary required and what the median household in that state actually earns. States with a positive gap dominate the most affordable states ranking, and they are concentrated in the Midwest and interior South. Every figure here describes the median home; half of each state's housing stock costs less, which is how buyers make it work in expensive markets — that, smaller down payments, and second incomes. Test any scenario with the affordability calculator.

Full Rankings

# State Salary NeededMedian Home ValueActual Median IncomeGap
1 Hawaii $229,900$839,100$100,389−$129,500
2 District of Columbia $201,900$737,100$109,870−$92,100
3 California $201,300$734,700$99,122−$102,200
4 Washington $154,700$564,600$98,141−$56,500
5 Massachusetts $154,000$562,100$103,960−$50,000
6 Colorado $147,800$539,400$95,470−$52,300
7 Utah $134,100$489,400$95,166−$38,900
8 Oregon $130,800$477,600$83,011−$47,800
9 New Jersey $124,500$454,400$103,556−$20,900
10 Nevada $119,300$435,400$78,260−$41,000
11 New York $116,100$423,800$85,974−$30,100
12 Maryland $115,000$419,900$103,678−$11,400
13 Idaho $114,700$418,600$77,800−$36,900
14 Rhode Island $110,700$404,200$87,796−$22,900
15 New Hampshire $110,300$402,500$99,031−$11,200
16 Arizona $108,100$394,500$79,964−$28,100
17 Virginia $105,100$383,700$93,170−$12,000
18 Montana $103,000$375,800$72,509−$30,400
19 Connecticut $100,500$366,900$95,781−$4,700
20 Florida $98,400$359,000$74,568−$23,800
21 Alaska $96,700$352,900$92,788−$3,900
22 Delaware $96,400$352,000$84,954−$11,500
23 Minnesota $90,200$329,300$89,062−$1,200
24 Vermont $86,700$316,600$81,203−$5,500
25 Wyoming $84,800$309,700$76,176−$8,700
26 Georgia $83,100$303,300$77,353−$5,700
27 Maine $81,300$296,600$74,733−$6,500
28 North Carolina $79,100$288,900$72,388−$6,800
29 Tennessee $78,500$286,700$69,595−$9,000
30 Texas $77,800$283,800$78,476+$700
31 Wisconsin $73,000$266,500$77,485+$4,500
32 Illinois $72,100$263,300$83,390+$11,300
33 South Carolina $71,000$259,000$69,324−$1,600
34 South Dakota $70,500$257,400$75,081+$4,600
35 Pennsylvania $69,700$254,500$77,971+$8,200
36 North Dakota $68,500$249,900$76,657+$8,200
37 New Mexico $68,000$248,100$64,059−$3,900
38 Nebraska $65,400$238,600$76,475+$11,100
39 Michigan $63,500$231,600$72,875+$9,400
40 Missouri $63,100$230,300$70,702+$7,600
41 Indiana $59,800$218,200$71,957+$12,200
42 Kansas $59,500$217,200$74,275+$14,800
43 Louisiana $59,300$216,500$60,756+$1,400
44 Ohio $58,800$214,800$71,389+$12,500
45 Alabama $57,500$209,900$63,999+$6,500
46 Iowa $57,000$208,000$75,059+$18,100
47 Kentucky $56,300$205,600$63,726+$7,400
48 Oklahoma $54,700$199,800$65,039+$10,300
49 Arkansas $51,500$188,000$60,773+$9,300
50 Mississippi $46,500$169,800$56,447+$9,900
51 West Virginia $44,500$162,600$59,608+$15,100

Assumes a 20% down payment, 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, 0.90%/yr property tax, and 0.64%/yr insurance, with housing costs capped at 28% of gross income. Actual rates, taxes, and insurance vary by market and borrower.

The District of Columbia is included for comparison, although it is not a state.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates.

About This Ranking

All figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, the Bureau's most reliable dataset for state and local statistics. Because estimates pool five years of survey responses, they describe a recent period rather than a single moment, and small differences between closely ranked entries may fall within the survey's margin of error. Learn more about the data on our methodology page or at data.census.gov.

More National Rankings

Richest States Median household income States by Population All 50 states ranked by size Most Expensive States Median home value Most Affordable States Home price vs. local income Most Educated States Bachelor's degree rate Oldest States Median age, oldest to youngest Poverty Rate by State Lowest to highest Homeownership by State Owner-occupied share Most Diverse States Racial & ethnic diversity index Largest US Cities Top 100 by population Richest US Cities Median income, 50k+ population Most Expensive Cities Median home value, 50k+ population Most Educated Cities Bachelor's rate, 50k+ population Unemployment by State Lowest to highest Labor Force Participation Share of adults working or job-seeking Households Earning $100k+ Six-figure household share Richest US Counties Median household income Largest US Counties Top 100 by population Most Diverse Cities Diversity index, 50k+ population Highest Homeownership Cities Owner-occupied share, 50k+ population

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do you need to make to buy a house in the US?

About $91,100 a year for the median US home ($332,700), assuming a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed mortgage, typical property taxes and insurance, and the 28% rule — housing costs capped at 28% of gross income.

Which state requires the highest salary to buy a home?

Hawaii: its $839,100 median home requires roughly $229,900 a year in household income — versus an actual median income of $100,389.

Where is the salary needed to buy a home the lowest?

West Virginia, where the $162,600 median home requires about $44,500 a year — within reach of the state's median household income of $59,608.

How is the salary requirement calculated?

We compute the monthly cost of the median home — principal and interest on a 6.6% 30-year mortgage with 20% down, plus 0.90% a year in property tax and 0.64% in homeowners insurance — and divide by the 28% share of gross income that lenders consider a safe housing budget.