If you dream of owning a home, you’ll have a much easier time achieving it in certain parts of the U.S.
A new Bankrate analysis finds that Pittsburgh, Detroit and Birmingham, Alabama offer the largest selection of homes that the typical homebuyer can afford.
Affordability is much rarer in coastal metros. In places like New York, Boston, Seattle and Los Angeles, you’ll need well over a six-figure salary – in the $200,000 to $350,000 range – to avoid being priced out.
To determine the best and worst markets for homebuyers, we ranked large U.S. metros by two factors: First, we looked at the share of homes for sale that a typical household couldn’t afford, and second, we calculated the income needed to buy a median-priced home in each market.
Overall, Bankrate’s analysis of housing and income statistics found that homeownership has become a luxury in many of America’s largest cities. It showed that metro areas in the South and in the Rust Belt had much more to offer the typical homebuyer than other parts of the country.
Dive into Bankrate’s housing affordability data
| Metro | Share of Affordable Homes | 2025 Median Household Income | Income to Afford Median-Priced Home | Maximum Target Price* |
| Miami, FL | 0.4% | $74,274 | $174,162 | $72,000 |
| Los Angeles, CA | 0.5% | $91,380 | $227,315 | $276,000 |
| San Diego, CA | 1.6% | $103,066 | $221,930 | $347,000 |
| New Orleans, LA | 2.7% | $61,991 | $101,557 | $92,000 |
| Boston, MA | 4.8% | $109,295 | $198,561 | $349,000 |
| New York, NY | 4.9% | $94,960 | $212,479 | $248,000 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino, CA | 6.9% | $86,146 | $144,771 | $301,000 |
| San Francisco, CA | 7.3% | $133,542 | $353,517 | $448,000 |
| Seattle, WA | 8.3% | $113,456 | $206,007 | $399,000 |
| Lincoln, NE | 9.6% | $72,157 | $92,968 | $201,000 |
| Portland, OR-WA | 9.8% | $94,748 | $141,181 | $345,000 |
| Tampa, FL | 11.0% | $73,079 | $107,084 | $213,000 |
| Orlando, FL | 11.1% | $74,895 | $112,273 | $234,000 |
| Dallas, TX | 12.0% | $88,783 | $122,114 | $263,000 |
| Las Vegas, NV | 14.0% | $72,504 | $106,117 | $286,000 |
| Houston, TX | 15.3% | $78,845 | $100,856 | $236,000 |
| Phoenix, AZ | 16.3% | $87,718 | $109,960 | $347,000 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | 16.4% | $99,172 | $129,915 | $403,000 |
| Denver, CO | 16.6% | $106,833 | $148,054 | $385,000 |
| San Antonio, TX | 22.2% | $73,281 | $88,001 | $241,000 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 22.6% | $71,503 | $84,537 | $218,000 |
| Charlotte, NC | 23.9% | $81,514 | $102,905 | $321,000 |
| Chicago, IL | 26.1% | $86,627 | $110,461 | $262,000 |
| Philadelphia, PA | 29.8% | $88,483 | $90,235 | $293,000 |
| Washington DC | 30.7% | $123,209 | $151,845 | $459,000 |
| Minneapolis, MN | 31.1% | $96,855 | $108,780 | $340,000 |
| Atlanta, GA | 31.4% | $87,947 | $102,156 | $334,000 |
| Louisville, KY | 36.8% | $72,566 | $78,472 | $263,000 |
| Cincinnati, OH | 40.3% | $80,109 | $84,447 | $296,000 |
| Birmingham, AL | 41.4% | $71,644 | $80,845 | $272,000 |
| Detroit, MI | 42.1% | $72,493 | $66,693 | $246,000 |
| Baltimore, MD | 43.4% | $95,068 | $104,807 | $368,000 |
| St. Louis, MO | 49.7% | $79,869 | $80,244 | $295,000 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 54.6% | $72,935 | $70,120 | $275,000 |
Note: Ordered from worst to best markets.
*Source: Bankrate analysis of Realtor.com data. Target Price refers to the maximum advisable home purchase price for a household earning the median income in that market.
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