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Colorful row of residential houses with porches, bare trees, light snow on lawns, and an American flag.
Salaries increased in nearly every state, but still not enough to afford the typical home.

Grace Cary/Getty Images

  • Incomes have increased in nearly every state, but buying a home hasn't gotten any easier.
  • The national median income is still $31,136 short of affording the median-priced home.
  • Realtor.com data shows that the additional income needed to buy a home ranges from $2,287 to $98,469.

Nearly every state in the US experienced a bump in household income last year, yet it's still not enough to afford the typical home.

States like Rhode Island and Virginia saw fairly large increases in income from 2024 to 2025 — 9.02% and 7.85%, respectively — but an additional five figures is needed to afford a median-priced home in each state, according to data from the US Census and Realtor.com.

Realtor.com senior economist Hannah Jones said that even though households are bringing in more money, an increase in mortgage rates since last year isn't helping.

"Mortgage rates are more than one percentage point higher than a year ago, which cuts into buyer budgets and offsets the affordability gains from softening home prices and rising incomes," Jones said. "Nationally, the median household income is not enough to afford the median-priced home in any state."

The national median household income was $84,780 in 2025 — a roughly 3.8% increase from the previous year. However, with the national median listing price at $419,250 in September 2026, that's $31,136 short of the recommended income to buy, assuming a mortgage rate of 7.32% and a 10% down payment, according to Realtor.

Realtor calculated the additional amount needed above the median income to afford the typical home in each state, and found that some require a couple thousand dollars, while others require nearly six figures.

See how much more money you need to afford an average home in each state. States in ascending order of the additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home.

Iowa
Historic brick storefronts line a quiet downtown street at dusk with lampposts, trees, and empty parking spaces.
Iowa.

DenisTangneyJr/Getty Images

Median household income: $76,483

2024-2025 change in income: 1.30%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $2,287

Illinois
Downtown Chicago skyscrapers and bascule bridges line the Chicago River on a sunny day.
Illinois.

Jeremy Poland/Getty Images

Median household income: $86,676

2024-2025 change in income: 4.16%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $3,168

Ohio
Downtown Cleveland skyline rises beside the Cuyahoga River with Terminal Tower and waterfront parks in warm light.
Cleveland.

Ultima_Gaina/Getty Images

Median household income: $74,804

2024-2025 change in income: 3.59%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $3,718

Pennsylvania
Downtown Pittsburgh skyline rises beyond Point State Park and yellow bridges at the river confluence.
Pennsylvania.

sdominick/Getty Images

Median household income: $81,473

2024-2025 change in income: 5.07%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $3,961

Kansas
Aerial panorama of Topeka, Kansas.
Topeka, Kansas.

Ultima_Gaina/Getty Images

Median household income: $77,824

2024-2025 change in income: 3.06%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $4,015

Michigan
Detroit skyline and Renaissance Center glow at sunset beside the Detroit River with a docked riverboat in foreground.
Michigan.

pawel.gaul/Getty Images

Median household income: $75,832

2024-2025 change in income: 4.76%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $7,086

Missouri
Aerial view of the Missouri State Capitol beside the Missouri River and downtown Jefferson City under a partly cloudy sky.
Missouri.

Ultima_Gaina/Getty Images

Median household income: $75,485

2024-2025 change in income: 5.44%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $7,460

Indiana
Downtown Fort Wayne skyline with office towers, streets, trees, and the Allen County Courthouse at sunset.
Indiana.

Nicholas Klein/Getty Images

Median household income: $74,516

2024-2025 change in income: 3.55%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $8,153

Louisiana
Historic New Orleans street with wrought-iron balconies and St. Louis Cathedral rising in the background.
Louisiana.

Jeremy Poland/Getty Images

Median household income: $65,139

2024-2025 change in income: 6.81%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $9,512

Maryland
Aerial view of a small town with a red-brick clock tower, church steeple, river, and wooded hills.
Maryland.

halbergman/Getty Images

Median household income: $107,700

2024-2025 change in income: 4.66%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $9,806

West Virginia
Aerial view of the West Virginia State Capitol with a gold dome beside the Kanawha River in autumn.
West Virginia.

Wirestock/Getty Images

Median household income: $61,340

2024-2025 change in income: 0.89%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $10,545

Nebraska
Aerial view of the Nebraska State Capitol and surrounding downtown Lincoln streets under a partly cloudy sky.
Nebraska.

halbergman/Getty Images

Median household income: $81,614

2024-2025 change in income: 6.86%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $11,008

Minnesota
Downtown skyline reflects in a calm river at dusk with illuminated buildings, bridges, trees, and cloudy sky.
Minnesota.

RudyBalasko/Getty Images

Median household income: $92,297

2024-2025 change in income: 5.95%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $12,739

Oklahoma
Downtown Oklahoma City skyline glows at dusk behind low-rise buildings and streets in the foreground.
Oklahoma.

RudyBalasko/Getty Images

Median household income: $68,441

2024-2025 change in income: 3.47%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $13,576

Texas
Downtown Dallas skyline with Reunion Tower, high-rises, rail tracks, and convention center buildings under a cloudy blue sky.
Texas.

Jeremy Poland/Getty Images

Median household income: $82,625

2024-2025 change in income: 3.64%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $15,738

Kentucky
Aerial view of a riverside downtown with a white church steeple, brick buildings, autumn trees, and a suspension bridge.
Kentucky.

Posnov/Getty Images

Median household income: $66,447

2024-2025 change in income: 2.98%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $18,648

North Dakota
Illuminated bridge crosses a river through a city at dusk with buildings and streetlights in the background.
North Dakota.

halbergman/Getty Images

Median household income: $81,545

2024-2025 change in income: 4.72%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $20,948

Mississippi
Aerial view of downtown Jackson with the Mississippi State Capitol dome and surrounding office buildings.
Mississippi.

Dennis MacDonald/Getty Images

Median household income: $59,346

2024-2025 change in income: 0.37%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $21,457

Alabama
Aerial view of a downtown riverfront skyline with a faint rainbow over high-rise buildings and a riverboat dock.
Alabama.

Kruck20/Getty Images

Median household income: $67,663

2024-2025 change in income: 1.51%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $22,194

Arkansas
White arch bridge crosses a river toward a downtown skyline in late afternoon light.
Arkansas.

halbergman/Getty Images

Median household income: $65,588

2024-2025 change in income: 5.61%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $22,539

South Dakota
Aerial view of Rapid City, South Dakota.
Rapid City, South Dakota.

Ultima_Gaina/Getty Images

Median household income: $80,506

2024-2025 change in income: 4.72%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $23,176

Alaska
Colorful hillside homes sit among evergreen trees at the edge of a dense forest.
Alaska.

Sophia Zayas/Getty Images

Median household income: $95,220

2024-2025 change in income: -0.47%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $25,051

South Carolina
Downtown buildings surround the domed South Carolina State House in a warm aerial city view.
South Carolina.

Alex Potemkin/Getty Images

Median household income: $73,672

2024-2025 change in income: 1.83%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $25,847

Georgia
Downtown Atlanta skyline with high-rise buildings, roads, and autumn trees under a clear sky.
Georgia.

halbergman/Getty Images

Median household income: $81,847

2024-2025 change in income: 2.32%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $25,913

Virginia
Downtown Roanoke skyline at sunset with high-rises, brick buildings, and Blue Ridge mountains under cloudy sky.
Virginia.

Sean Pavone/Getty Images

Median household income: $99,322

2024-2025 change in income: 7.85%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $26,742

Wisconsin
Downtown Milwaukee skyline rises beside the Milwaukee River with bridges, boats, and Lake Michigan in the distance.
The Milwaukee skyline sits behind the view of the Milwaukee River

Jon Mattrisch/Getty Images

Median household income: $80,213

2024-2025 change in income: 3.52%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $27,588

Florida
Aerial view of a brick-paved downtown intersection surrounded by low-rise buildings, parked cars, trees, and a cloudy sky.
Florida.

Dmitry Vinogradov/Getty Images

Median household income: $80,846

2024-2025 change in income: 4.00%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $32,499

North Carolina
Aerial view of downtown Charlotte, North Carolina.
Charlotte, North Carolina.

Kruck20/Getty Images

Median household income: $77,638

2024-2025 change in income: 4.98%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $32,956

District of Columbia
Washington Monument rises above the National Mall and surrounding autumn trees in an aerial view of Washington, D.C.
District of Columbia.

halbergman/Getty Images

Median household income: $109,505

2024-2025 change in income: -0.18%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $36,341

New Mexico
Downtown Albuquerque skyline glows in warm sunset light with residential neighborhoods and mountains in the background.
New Mexico.

GummyBone/Getty Images

Median household income: $70,342

2024-2025 change in income: 3.72%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $40,107

Delaware
Historic streetscape with a brick clock tower, row houses, stop signs, and bare trees under a clear sky.
Delaware.

DenisTangneyJr/Getty Images

Median household income: $92,520

2024-2025 change in income: 5.70%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $41,574

Maine
Rocky shoreline with coastal houses overlooking blue water under a partly cloudy sky.
Maine.

peeterv/Getty Images

Median household income: $81,760

2024-2025 change in income: 6.96%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $42,658

Tennessee
Nashville skyline glows at dusk with downtown towers reflected in the Cumberland River.
Tennessee.

Sky Noir Photography by Bill Dickinson/Getty Images

Median household income: $75,875

2024-2025 change in income: 5.39%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $42,861

Arizona
Desert cityscape with red rock buttes and distant mountains under warm sunset light.
Arizona.

Beata Whitehead/Getty Images

Median household income: $82,940

2024-2025 change in income: 1.78%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $44,215

Connecticut
Hartford skyline at dusk with illuminated downtown towers, highways, trees, and a cloudy blue sky.
Connecticut.

f11photo/Getty Images

Median household income: $100,056

2024-2025 change in income: 4.17%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $44,407

New Jersey
Aerial view of a downtown skyline beside a river with autumn trees under a partly cloudy sky.
New Jersey.

halbergman/Getty Images

Median household income: $107,797

2024-2025 change in income: 3.36%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $46,896

Nevada
Las Vegas skyline with The STRAT tower rising above hotels and desert mountains in the background.
Nevada.

Nisian Hughes/Getty Images

Median household income: $85,198

2024-2025 change in income: 5.01%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $47,515

Vermont
Montpelier’s downtown and Vermont State House sit among autumn-colored hills under a cloudy sky.
Vermont.

halbergman/Getty Images

Median household income: $86,018

2024-2025 change in income: 3.97%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $52,072

Colorado
Downtown Denver skyline glows at dusk with the Colorado State Capitol and Rocky Mountains in the background.
Colorado.

Jon Paciaroni/Getty Images

Median household income: $99,729

2024-2025 change in income: 2.69%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $56,208

New Hampshire
Manchester, New Hampshire skyline rises above riverside mill buildings and trees along the Merrimack River.
New Hampshire.

Sean Pavone/Getty Images

Median household income: $106,759

2024-2025 change in income: 6.99%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $56,367

Wyoming
Snow-dusted mountains rise behind a city skyline under pink clouds at sunset.
Casper, Wyoming.

DenisTangneyJr/Getty Images

Median household income: $80,894

2024-2025 change in income: 7.10%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $56,381

Utah
Downtown Provo glows at dusk with the illuminated Provo City Center Temple and mountains in the background.
Utah.

Dee Liu/Getty Images

Median household income: $99,311

2024-2025 change in income: 2.74%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $60,774

Oregon
Aerial View of Portland, Oregon at Dusk.
Portland, Oregon.

Jacob Boomsma/Getty Images

Median household income: $86,953

2024-2025 change in income: 2.03%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $65,113

Rhode Island
Downtown Providence skyline and riverwalk reflect in a calm canal at sunset with bridges and high-rise buildings.
Rhode Island.

Sanghwan Kim/Getty Images

Median household income: $91,039

2024-2025 change in income: 9.02%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $66,529

Washington
Seattle skyline at sunset with the Space Needle and snowcapped Mount Rainier in the distance.
Washington.

Luis Hernandez / 500px/Getty Images

Median household income: $101,946

2024-2025 change in income: 2.57%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $74,859

New York
City skyline and waterfront at sunset with bright sun, trees, shoreline, and reflections on calm water.
New York.

LD/Getty Images

Median household income: $89,210

2024-2025 change in income: 3.95%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $78,063

Idaho
Boise, Idaho, skyline panorama with fall colors
Boise, Idaho.

Darwin Fan/Getty Images

Median household income: $84,234

2024-2025 change in income: 3.78%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $79,721

Massachusetts
Autumn trees and riverside buildings reflect in calm water beneath a cloudy sky in a small town.
Massachusetts.

DenisTangneyJr/Getty Images

Median household income: $106,539

2024-2025 change in income: 1.63%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $90,940

Hawaii
High-rise residential buildings fill a coastal cityscape with green mountains and clouds in the distance.
Hawaii.

aaaaimages/Getty Images

Median household income: $105,013

2024-2025 change in income: 4.24%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $97,498

California
Spanish-style buildings line a palm-filled street with blooming flowers and mountains in warm evening light.
California.

DenisTangneyJr/Getty Images

Median household income: $102,159

2024-2025 change in income: 2.01%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $98,292

Montana
Historic brick storefronts with illuminated windows line a quiet urban street at dusk.
Montana.

DenisTangneyJr/Getty Images

Median household income: $77,099

2024-2025 change in income: 2.33%

Additional household income needed to afford the median-priced home: $98,469

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How much more money you need to make to afford a home in every US state