Ranked scoring based on median home price, mortgage payment vs income ratio, and down payment savings time.
| # | State | Buyer Score ▼ | Visual | Income | COL | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | West Virginia | 80/100 | $48,000 | 84 | A+ | |
| #2 | Iowa | 79/100 | $63,200 | 90 | A+ | |
| #3 | Kansas | 79/100 | $62,100 | 89 | A+ | |
| #4 | Michigan | 78/100 | $63,400 | 89 | A+ | |
| #5 | Nebraska | 78/100 | $66,500 | 91 | A+ | |
| #6 | North Dakota | 78/100 | $64,800 | 93 | A+ | |
| #7 | Alabama | 77/100 | $56,200 | 87 | A+ | |
| #8 | Arkansas | 77/100 | $52,100 | 84 | A+ | |
| #9 | Mississippi | 77/100 | $46,500 | 83 | A+ | |
| #10 | Missouri | 77/100 | $61,000 | 88 | A+ | |
| #11 | Oklahoma | 77/100 | $55,800 | 86 | A+ | |
| #12 | Illinois | 76/100 | $72,200 | 93 | A+ | |
| #13 | Indiana | 76/100 | $58,600 | 90 | A+ | |
| #14 | Louisiana | 76/100 | $52,300 | 91 | A+ | |
| #15 | Ohio | 76/100 | $59,300 | 89 | A+ | |
| #16 | Pennsylvania | 76/100 | $67,600 | 94 | A+ | |
| #17 | Kentucky | 75/100 | $55,600 | 87 | A+ | |
| #18 | Minnesota | 75/100 | $77,700 | 97 | A+ | |
| #19 | Wisconsin | 75/100 | $64,800 | 93 | A+ | |
| #20 | Alaska | 74/100 | $77,800 | 127 | A+ | |
| #21 | South Dakota | 74/100 | $62,100 | 91 | A+ | |
| #22 | Maryland | 73/100 | $90,200 | 118 | A | |
| #23 | Connecticut | 71/100 | $83,800 | 121 | A | |
| #24 | Delaware | 71/100 | $69,100 | 102 | A | |
| #25 | Virginia | 71/100 | $80,600 | 103 | A | |
| #26 | Wyoming | 71/100 | $65,000 | 95 | A | |
| #27 | Texas | 70/100 | $67,300 | 93 | A | |
| #28 | Georgia | 68/100 | $63,400 | 93 | A | |
| #29 | New Hampshire | 68/100 | $83,300 | 112 | A | |
| #30 | South Carolina | 68/100 | $56,200 | 92 | A | |
| #31 | New Mexico | 67/100 | $53,000 | 91 | B+ | |
| #32 | New Jersey | 66/100 | $87,700 | 121 | B+ | |
| #33 | Vermont | 66/100 | $63,400 | 110 | B+ | |
| #34 | Maine | 65/100 | $63,200 | 109 | B+ | |
| #35 | North Carolina | 65/100 | $61,000 | 95 | B+ | |
| #36 | Rhode Island | 64/100 | $71,200 | 109 | B+ | |
| #37 | Arizona | 62/100 | $65,600 | 103 | B+ | |
| #38 | Tennessee | 62/100 | $59,700 | 91 | B+ | |
| #39 | Florida | 61/100 | $63,100 | 103 | B | |
| #40 | Nevada | 61/100 | $64,200 | 104 | B | |
| #41 | New York | 61/100 | $75,900 | 139 | B | |
| #42 | Idaho | 60/100 | $62,300 | 97 | B | |
| #43 | Massachusetts | 60/100 | $89,700 | 135 | B | |
| #44 | Oregon | 60/100 | $71,200 | 113 | B | |
| #45 | Colorado | 59/100 | $80,200 | 105 | B | |
| #46 | Utah | 59/100 | $75,600 | 103 | B | |
| #47 | Washington | 56/100 | $82,100 | 115 | B | |
| #48 | Montana | 55/100 | $60,600 | 103 | C | |
| #49 | California | 44/100 | $84,900 | 142 | D | |
| #50 | Hawaii | 40/100 | $84,900 | 190 | F |
Based on our analysis of home buying across all 50 states, West Virginia ranks #1 with 80/100, while Hawaii ranks last at 40/100. The national average is 69/100.
States with no income tax (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming) generally perform well on affordability metrics due to higher effective take-home pay.
The gap between the best and worst state is significant: 40/100. This means your choice of state can make a dramatic difference in your home buying. Use our home affordability calculator to run the numbers for your specific situation.
West Virginia ranks #1 with 80/100. Iowa and Kansas round out the top 3.
Hawaii ranks last (#50) with 40/100. California and Montana are also among the worst.
The average across all 50 states is 69/100. The median is 71/100.
This data is calculated using the latest available median income, housing prices, cost of living indices, tax rates, and expense data for each state. Our methodology uses consistent formulas applied to all 50 states for fair comparison.