How many years of income to buy a home? The traditional benchmark is 3x. See which states exceed it.
| # | State | Price/Income Ratio ▲ | Visual | Income | COL | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | West Virginia | 3.2x | $48,000 | 84 | A+ | |
| #2 | Iowa | 3.4x | $63,200 | 90 | A+ | |
| #3 | Kansas | 3.5x | $62,100 | 89 | A+ | |
| #4 | North Dakota | 3.6x | $64,800 | 93 | A+ | |
| #5 | Arkansas | 3.7x | $52,100 | 84 | A+ | |
| #6 | Michigan | 3.7x | $63,400 | 89 | A+ | |
| #7 | Nebraska | 3.7x | $66,500 | 91 | A+ | |
| #8 | Alabama | 3.8x | $56,200 | 87 | A+ | |
| #9 | Mississippi | 3.8x | $46,500 | 83 | A+ | |
| #10 | Illinois | 3.9x | $72,200 | 93 | A+ | |
| #11 | Louisiana | 3.9x | $52,300 | 91 | A+ | |
| #12 | Missouri | 3.9x | $61,000 | 88 | A+ | |
| #13 | Oklahoma | 3.9x | $55,800 | 86 | A+ | |
| #14 | Pennsylvania | 3.9x | $67,600 | 94 | A+ | |
| #15 | Indiana | 4x | $58,600 | 90 | A+ | |
| #16 | Kentucky | 4x | $55,600 | 87 | A+ | |
| #17 | Ohio | 4x | $59,300 | 89 | A+ | |
| #18 | Minnesota | 4.1x | $77,700 | 97 | A+ | |
| #19 | Wisconsin | 4.1x | $64,800 | 93 | A+ | |
| #20 | Alaska | 4.3x | $77,800 | 127 | A | |
| #21 | South Dakota | 4.3x | $62,100 | 91 | A | |
| #22 | Maryland | 4.4x | $90,200 | 118 | A | |
| #23 | Connecticut | 4.7x | $83,800 | 121 | A | |
| #24 | Delaware | 4.7x | $69,100 | 102 | A | |
| #25 | Virginia | 4.8x | $80,600 | 103 | A | |
| #26 | Wyoming | 4.8x | $65,000 | 95 | A | |
| #27 | Texas | 5x | $67,300 | 93 | A | |
| #28 | South Carolina | 5.2x | $56,200 | 92 | B+ | |
| #29 | Georgia | 5.3x | $63,400 | 93 | B+ | |
| #30 | New Hampshire | 5.3x | $83,300 | 112 | B+ | |
| #31 | New Mexico | 5.4x | $53,000 | 91 | B+ | |
| #32 | New Jersey | 5.6x | $87,700 | 121 | B+ | |
| #33 | Vermont | 5.6x | $63,400 | 110 | B+ | |
| #34 | Maine | 5.8x | $63,200 | 109 | B+ | |
| #35 | North Carolina | 5.8x | $61,000 | 95 | B+ | |
| #36 | Rhode Island | 6x | $71,200 | 109 | B+ | |
| #37 | Arizona | 6.3x | $65,600 | 103 | B | |
| #38 | Tennessee | 6.3x | $59,700 | 91 | B | |
| #39 | Florida | 6.4x | $63,100 | 103 | B | |
| #40 | New York | 6.4x | $75,900 | 139 | B | |
| #41 | Massachusetts | 6.5x | $89,700 | 135 | B | |
| #42 | Nevada | 6.5x | $64,200 | 104 | B | |
| #43 | Idaho | 6.7x | $62,300 | 97 | B | |
| #44 | Oregon | 6.7x | $71,200 | 113 | B | |
| #45 | Utah | 6.7x | $75,600 | 103 | B | |
| #46 | Colorado | 6.8x | $80,200 | 105 | B | |
| #47 | Washington | 7.2x | $82,100 | 115 | C | |
| #48 | Montana | 7.3x | $60,600 | 103 | C | |
| #49 | California | 9.2x | $84,900 | 142 | F | |
| #50 | Hawaii | 9.8x | $84,900 | 190 | F |
Based on our analysis of housing valuation across all 50 states, West Virginia ranks #1 with 3.2x, while Hawaii ranks last at 9.8x. The national average is 5x.
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: 6.6000000000000005x. This means your choice of state can make a dramatic difference in your housing valuation. Use our home affordability calculator to run the numbers for your specific situation.
West Virginia ranks #1 with 3.2x. Iowa and Kansas round out the top 3.
Hawaii ranks last (#50) with 9.8x. California and Montana are also among the worst.
The average across all 50 states is 5x. The median is 4.8x.
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.