Mortgage calculator › Income needed to buy a home
Income needed to buy the median home, by state and city (2026)
At this week's 6.76% 30-year rate with 20% down, the median US home ($360,600) costs $2,246 a month with taxes and insurance and needs an income of about $96,247. It ranges from $43,302 in West Virginia to $214,446 in Hawaii; among big cities from $27,600 in Detroit to $344,810 in San Francisco.
By state, highest to lowest income needed
| # | Area | Median home | Monthly payment (PITI) | Income needed | Take-home / mo at that income | Payment ÷ take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $875,900 | $5,004 | $214,446 | $12,003 | 41.7% |
| 2 | California | $759,500 | $4,614 | $197,737 | $10,877 | 42.4% |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $733,400 | $4,406 | $188,833 | $10,627 | 41.5% |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $607,400 | $3,839 | $164,517 | $9,588 | 40.0% |
| 5 | Washington | $602,200 | $3,698 | $158,469 | $9,782 | 37.8% |
| 6 | New Jersey | $496,000 | $3,501 | $150,033 | $8,802 | 39.8% |
| 7 | Colorado | $574,600 | $3,388 | $145,191 | $8,681 | 39.0% |
| 8 | Utah | $545,200 | $3,212 | $137,636 | $8,268 | 38.8% |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $458,800 | $3,076 | $131,819 | $8,447 | 36.4% |
| 10 | Oregon | $497,500 | $3,054 | $130,875 | $7,474 | 40.9% |
| 11 | New York | $449,800 | $3,013 | $129,114 | $7,707 | 39.1% |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $455,700 | $2,907 | $124,587 | $7,579 | 38.4% |
| 13 | Maryland | $436,300 | $2,739 | $117,376 | $7,174 | 38.2% |
| 14 | Connecticut | $396,900 | $2,725 | $116,788 | $7,054 | 38.6% |
| 15 | Nevada | $455,500 | $2,677 | $114,744 | $7,463 | 35.9% |
| 16 | Idaho | $446,400 | $2,608 | $111,779 | $6,888 | 37.9% |
| 17 | Montana | $425,400 | $2,579 | $110,510 | $6,808 | 37.9% |
| 18 | Arizona | $426,000 | $2,489 | $106,683 | $6,801 | 36.6% |
| 19 | Virginia | $403,500 | $2,453 | $105,122 | $6,463 | 38.0% |
| 20 | Florida | $396,900 | $2,427 | $104,002 | $6,833 | 35.5% |
| 21 | Alaska | $376,500 | $2,397 | $102,717 | $6,758 | 35.5% |
| 22 | Vermont | $352,800 | $2,354 | $100,895 | $6,301 | 37.4% |
| 23 | Delaware | $371,600 | $2,184 | $93,615 | $5,821 | 37.5% |
| 24 | Minnesota | $344,600 | $2,182 | $93,521 | $5,781 | 37.7% |
| 25 | Maine | $341,900 | $2,134 | $91,464 | $5,724 | 37.3% |
| 26 | Georgia | $343,300 | $2,096 | $89,833 | $5,691 | 36.8% |
| 27 | Texas | $313,200 | $2,060 | $88,306 | $5,913 | 34.8% |
| 28 | Wyoming | $339,500 | $2,025 | $86,772 | $5,823 | 34.8% |
| 29 | North Carolina | $333,000 | $1,997 | $85,590 | $5,511 | 36.2% |
| 30 | Illinois | $280,700 | $1,990 | $85,276 | $5,395 | 36.9% |
| 31 | Tennessee | $332,600 | $1,949 | $83,510 | $5,632 | 34.6% |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $294,700 | $1,923 | $82,428 | $5,286 | 36.4% |
| 33 | South Dakota | $289,600 | $1,834 | $78,586 | $5,343 | 34.3% |
| 34 | Pennsylvania | $277,600 | $1,791 | $76,744 | $5,034 | 35.6% |
| 35 | Nebraska | $263,100 | $1,755 | $75,210 | $4,933 | 35.6% |
| 36 | South Carolina | $299,500 | $1,754 | $75,189 | $4,903 | 35.8% |
| 37 | New Mexico | $279,900 | $1,683 | $72,149 | $4,780 | 35.2% |
| 38 | North Dakota | $266,100 | $1,672 | $71,668 | $4,926 | 33.9% |
| 39 | Michigan | $254,200 | $1,643 | $70,435 | $4,637 | 35.4% |
| 40 | Missouri | $254,400 | $1,564 | $67,028 | $4,484 | 34.9% |
| 41 | Ohio | $239,800 | $1,560 | $66,867 | $4,567 | 34.2% |
| 42 | Kansas | $238,700 | $1,558 | $66,773 | $4,407 | 35.4% |
| 43 | Iowa | $227,300 | $1,492 | $63,929 | $4,314 | 34.6% |
| 44 | Indiana | $243,500 | $1,486 | $63,669 | $4,291 | 34.6% |
| 45 | Kentucky | $226,000 | $1,374 | $58,887 | $3,963 | 34.7% |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $222,100 | $1,358 | $58,188 | $3,905 | 34.8% |
| 47 | Alabama | $233,300 | $1,354 | $58,028 | $3,865 | 35.0% |
| 48 | Louisiana | $223,200 | $1,323 | $56,715 | $3,870 | 34.2% |
| 49 | Arkansas | $215,600 | $1,275 | $54,664 | $3,682 | 34.6% |
| 50 | Mississippi | $186,500 | $1,125 | $48,208 | $3,310 | 34.0% |
| 51 | West Virginia | $170,800 | $1,010 | $43,302 | $2,984 | 33.9% |
40 largest cities
| # | Area | Median home | Monthly payment (PITI) | Income needed | Take-home / mo at that income | Payment ÷ take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $1,314,700 | $8,046 | $344,810 | $17,579 | 45.8% |
| 2 | San Jose, CA | $1,271,200 | $7,765 | $332,775 | $17,057 | 45.5% |
| 3 | San Diego, CA | $980,700 | $5,889 | $252,392 | $13,520 | 43.6% |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $950,800 | $5,841 | $250,334 | $15,038 | 38.8% |
| 5 | Los Angeles, CA | $947,900 | $5,712 | $244,806 | $13,172 | 43.4% |
| 6 | Honolulu, HI | $850,100 | $4,886 | $209,394 | $11,728 | 41.7% |
| 7 | New York City, NY | $778,600 | $4,827 | $206,870 | $11,232 | 43.0% |
| 8 | Washington, DC, DC | $733,400 | $4,406 | $188,833 | $10,627 | 41.5% |
| 9 | Boston, MA | $722,800 | $4,336 | $185,816 | $10,711 | 40.5% |
| 10 | Austin, TX | $571,000 | $3,755 | $160,916 | $10,104 | 37.2% |
| 11 | Denver, CO | $636,400 | $3,747 | $160,588 | $9,496 | 39.5% |
| 12 | Portland, OR | $588,200 | $3,720 | $159,449 | $8,738 | 42.6% |
| 13 | Miami, FL | $598,200 | $3,708 | $158,925 | $9,991 | 37.1% |
| 14 | Salt Lake City, UT | $620,100 | $3,639 | $155,956 | $9,243 | 39.4% |
| 15 | Sacramento, CA | $515,800 | $3,154 | $135,188 | $7,799 | 40.4% |
| 16 | Tampa, FL | $494,400 | $3,048 | $130,632 | $8,379 | 36.4% |
| 17 | Atlanta, GA | $462,200 | $2,924 | $125,319 | $7,618 | 38.4% |
| 18 | Raleigh, NC | $450,300 | $2,741 | $117,457 | $7,274 | 37.7% |
| 19 | Newark, NJ | $396,600 | $2,732 | $117,103 | $7,105 | 38.5% |
| 20 | Las Vegas, NV | $458,300 | $2,700 | $115,709 | $7,519 | 35.9% |
| 21 | Phoenix, AZ | $454,900 | $2,647 | $113,435 | $7,183 | 36.8% |
| 22 | Orlando, FL | $430,200 | $2,645 | $113,367 | $7,382 | 35.8% |
| 23 | Charlotte, NC | $431,900 | $2,617 | $112,167 | $6,981 | 37.5% |
| 24 | Nashville, TN | $438,800 | $2,613 | $111,989 | $7,301 | 35.8% |
| 25 | Minneapolis, MN | $368,300 | $2,393 | $102,557 | $6,256 | 38.2% |
| 26 | Chicago, IL | $341,200 | $2,301 | $98,618 | $6,123 | 37.6% |
| 27 | Dallas, TX | $340,400 | $2,279 | $97,683 | $6,462 | 35.3% |
| 28 | Houston, TX | $301,200 | $2,011 | $86,199 | $5,789 | 34.7% |
| 29 | Jacksonville, FL | $325,300 | $1,993 | $85,397 | $5,742 | 34.7% |
| 30 | Columbus, OH | $279,900 | $1,832 | $78,516 | $5,060 | 36.2% |
| 31 | San Antonio, TX | $260,900 | $1,767 | $75,717 | $5,175 | 34.1% |
| 32 | Kansas City, MO | $261,600 | $1,668 | $71,485 | $4,669 | 35.7% |
| 33 | Baltimore, MD | $247,400 | $1,646 | $70,551 | $4,435 | 37.1% |
| 34 | Philadelphia, PA | $253,600 | $1,566 | $67,122 | $4,286 | 36.5% |
| 35 | Indianapolis, IN | $241,500 | $1,512 | $64,806 | $4,255 | 35.5% |
| 36 | Louisville, KY | $241,700 | $1,496 | $64,121 | $4,180 | 35.8% |
| 37 | St. Louis, MO | $214,500 | $1,360 | $58,269 | $3,887 | 35.0% |
| 38 | Pittsburgh, PA | $220,400 | $1,354 | $58,035 | $3,771 | 35.9% |
| 39 | Cleveland, OH | $109,600 | $742 | $31,821 | $2,238 | 33.2% |
| 40 | Detroit, MI | $95,900 | $644 | $27,600 | $1,896 | 34.0% |
How the income needed is calculated
Median home value and median property tax are the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates (tables B25077 and B25103, owner-occupied homes). The payment assumes a 20% down payment, a 30-year fixed loan at 6.76% — the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey average for the week of 2026-09-10, refreshed here every Thursday — plus the median property tax and homeowners insurance at 0.35% of the value a year. Income needed uses the conventional 28% front-end rule: the full payment (principal, interest, taxes, insurance) must not exceed 28% of gross income. Take-home pay at that income is computed by the paycheck engine for a single filer with no other deductions (2026 tables), so the last column shows what the payment really takes out of a monthly paycheck. A 10% down payment raises the income needed by roughly 12%; two incomes can share it. The full table is in open data (CSV, CC BY 4.0).
Frequently asked
How much income do I need to buy a house in the US?
About $96,247 a year for the median home ($360,600) at 6.76% with 20% down — a payment of $2,246 a month including property tax and insurance. Half of all homes cost less, and the number falls fast with a lower price or rate.
Which state needs the highest income to buy a home?
Hawaii: the median home is $875,900, which needs about $214,446 a year. West Virginia is the lowest at $43,302.
Why is the payment a bigger share of take-home than 28%?
Because 28% is measured against gross income; after federal, FICA and state tax the same payment is typically 35–45% of what actually lands in the bank, which is why the last column matters more than the rule.