Key figures
- Hawaii has the highest ratio, 9.1: a median home costs about nine years of median household income. California is second at 8.4.
- After those two there is a gap to Montana (6.6), Oregon (6.4), and Massachusetts and Washington (6.3).
- West Virginia is lowest at 2.9, the only state under 3. Iowa (3.0) and Kansas (3.2) follow.
- The West Coast, Mountain West and parts of the Northeast are least affordable; the Midwest, Plains and much of the South most affordable.
All figures are from the graphic, which cites a Construction Coverage analysis of Zillow and US Census Bureau data.
House price to income ratio for every state
Title: Home Price-to-Income Ratios by State. Note: “Home price-to-income ratio was calculated by dividing median home price by the median annual household income.” Legend: a colour scale from 3 (pale yellow) to 8 and above (dark purple). The ratios appear twice, on a US map and on bars arranged in a ring around it, with “Highest” marked on Hawaii and “Lowest” on West Virginia. All 50 states and Washington, DC are shown.
| Rank | State | Home price-to-income ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | 9.1 |
| 2 | California | 8.4 |
| 3 | Montana | 6.6 |
| 4 | Oregon | 6.4 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 6.3 |
| 6 | Washington | 6.3 |
| 7 | Idaho | 6.1 |
| 8 | Washington, DC | 6.0 |
| 9 | Colorado | 6.0 |
| 10 | Nevada | 5.9 |
| 11 | Utah | 5.7 |
| 12 | New York | 5.7 |
| 13 | Arizona | 5.7 |
| 14 | Florida | 5.7 |
| 15 | Maine | 5.5 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | 5.4 |
| 17 | New Jersey | 5.2 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | 5.1 |
| 19 | Vermont | 5.0 |
| 20 | New Mexico | 4.9 |
| 21 | Wyoming | 4.8 |
| 22 | North Carolina | 4.8 |
| 23 | Tennessee | 4.8 |
| 24 | Delaware | 4.6 |
| 25 | South Carolina | 4.5 |
| 26 | Virginia | 4.4 |
| 27 | Georgia | 4.4 |
| 28 | Maryland | 4.3 |
| 29 | Connecticut | 4.3 |
| 30 | South Dakota | 4.2 |
| 31 | Texas | 4.1 |
| 32 | Alaska | 4.0 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | 4.0 |
| 34 | Minnesota | 3.9 |
| 35 | Missouri | 3.7 |
| 36 | Alabama | 3.7 |
| 37 | Pennsylvania | 3.6 |
| 38 | Nebraska | 3.6 |
| 39 | Arkansas | 3.6 |
| 40 | Michigan | 3.5 |
| 41 | Indiana | 3.5 |
| 42 | Louisiana | 3.5 |
| 43 | North Dakota | 3.4 |
| 44 | Illinois | 3.3 |
| 45 | Ohio | 3.3 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | 3.3 |
| 47 | Kentucky | 3.3 |
| 48 | Mississippi | 3.3 |
| 49 | Kansas | 3.2 |
| 50 | Iowa | 3.0 |
| 51 | West Virginia | 2.9 |
Footer: “Source: Construction Coverage analysis of Zillow and U.S. Census Bureau data.” Visual Capitalist logo.
How to read a house price to income ratio
The ratio divides the median home price by the median annual household income [2]. A ratio of 4 means a typical home costs four years of a typical household’s gross income, before tax and with nothing spent on anything else. Visual Capitalist describes it as a common gauge of housing affordability that accounts for differences in the cost of living [1].
Visual Capitalist puts the national average at 4.7 [1], so 22 states and DC on this chart sit above it and 28 states below (our count). In Construction Coverage’s latest release, US median household income rose 92% from 2000 to 2023, from $41,990 to $80,610, while the median home price rose 177%, from $122,775 to $339,937 [2]. That gap is why the ratio has climbed nationally.
Why Hawaii and California are so high
Both states rank in the top five for median income, but they also rank first and second for median home prices, according to Visual Capitalist [1]. It points to limited land, strict housing rules and high demand in Hawaii, and to a long-running imbalance between demand and supply in California, made worse by zoning, geography and a strong economy [1]. Construction Coverage’s city ranking shows the same pattern: five of the six large US cities with the highest ratios are in California, with ratios from 9.6 to 12.2 [2].
Notes on this infographic
- Data date: the Visual Capitalist version of this chart dates the data to June 2024 [1]. Our copy of the graphic is trimmed and its footer does not print the date.
- Visual Capitalist’s own table labels rank 8 as “Washington”, the same as rank 6 [1]; the graphic correctly shows it as Washington, DC.
- Construction Coverage updates the study, and its newer releases use later Zillow and Census data [2], so current ratios will differ from the ones on this chart.
- The ratio uses household income, so states with more two-income households can look more affordable than individual earnings suggest. It also ignores mortgage rates, taxes and insurance.
Questions about house price to income ratios
Which state has the highest house price to income ratio?
Hawaii, with a home price-to-income ratio of 9.1, so a median home costs about nine years of median household income. California is second at 8.4, followed after a gap by Montana at 6.6 and Oregon at 6.4. Visual Capitalist points to limited land, strict housing rules and high demand in Hawaii [1].
Which state has the most affordable homes compared with income?
West Virginia, with a home price-to-income ratio of 2.9, the only state under 3. Iowa follows at 3.0 and Kansas at 3.2. The Midwest, Plains and much of the South are the most affordable areas on the map, while the West Coast, Mountain West and parts of the Northeast are the least affordable.
What is the average house price to income ratio in the US?
Visual Capitalist puts the national average at 4.7 [1]. On this chart, 22 states and Washington, DC sit above that figure and 28 states sit below it. Construction Coverage found that US median household income rose 92% from 2000 to 2023, from $41,990 to $80,610, while the median home price rose 177%, from $122,775 to $339,937 [2].
What does the house price to income ratio leave out?
The ratio divides the median home price by the median annual household income [2], so it ignores mortgage rates, taxes and insurance. Because it uses household income, states with more two-income households can look more affordable than individual earnings suggest. The figures on this chart date to June 2024 [1], and newer Construction Coverage releases use later data, so current ratios will differ [2].
Sources
- Kayla Zhu, Mapped: Home Price-to-Income Ratio By State, Visual Capitalist, 12 November 2024. The publisher’s post of this chart.
- Construction Coverage, Cities With the Highest Home Price-to-Income Ratios. The analysis named on the graphic (latest release).
Last reviewed 30 October 2026
