Ranked from ACS 2023 5-Year
Highest Salary Needed to Buy a Home in America
What a household has to earn to buy the county's own median home under the standard 28% rule, meaning housing costs at no more than 28% of gross income, counting the full monthly bill rather than just the mortgage. These are the counties where the entry ticket is steepest.
Where does yours land?
Every county in America is somewhere on this scale, including the one you live in.
Top 100
| # | County | State | Income needed | Monthly to own | Median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Mateo County | CA | $448,000 | $10,456 | $1,494,500 |
| 2 | Marin County | CA | $423,000 | $9,864 | $1,390,000 |
| 3 | Santa Clara County | CA | $420,000 | $9,799 | $1,382,800 |
| 4 | San Francisco County | CA | $418,000 | $9,756 | $1,380,500 |
| 5 | Teton County | WY | $412,000 | $9,611 | $1,371,900 |
| 6 | Nantucket County | MA | $403,000 | $9,409 | $1,387,000 |
| 7 | New York County | NY | $349,500 | $8,160 | $1,108,900 |
| 8 | Pitkin County | CO | $337,000 | $7,863 | $1,131,200 |
| 9 | Dukes County | MA | $334,500 | $7,800 | $1,104,100 |
| 10 | Alameda County | CA | $325,500 | $7,599 | $1,057,400 |
| 11 | Falls Church city | VA | $323,000 | $7,535 | $1,005,400 |
| 12 | Santa Cruz County | CA | $308,000 | $7,185 | $1,015,200 |
| 13 | Summit County | UT | $290,500 | $6,783 | $1,000,400 |
| 14 | Orange County | CA | $280,000 | $6,537 | $915,500 |
| 15 | Arlington County | VA | $276,500 | $6,447 | $864,800 |
| 16 | Kings County | NY | $276,000 | $6,436 | $889,700 |
| 17 | Contra Costa County | CA | $260,000 | $6,069 | $830,800 |
| 18 | Napa County | CA | $258,500 | $6,031 | $838,800 |
| 19 | Honolulu County | HI | $258,000 | $6,017 | $873,000 |
| 20 | Summit County | CO | $253,000 | $5,899 | $850,700 |
| 21 | King County | WA | $253,000 | $5,901 | $811,200 |
| 22 | Maui County | HI | $250,500 | $5,839 | $858,600 |
| 23 | Eagle County | CO | $245,500 | $5,725 | $814,700 |
| 24 | San Diego County | CA | $244,500 | $5,707 | $791,600 |
| 25 | Los Angeles County | CA | $242,000 | $5,646 | $783,300 |
| 26 | Sonoma County | CA | $241,500 | $5,631 | $779,000 |
| 27 | San Luis Obispo County | CA | $240,500 | $5,610 | $777,200 |
| 28 | Kauai County | HI | $240,500 | $5,616 | $817,900 |
| 29 | Ventura County | CA | $237,500 | $5,542 | $768,400 |
| 30 | San Benito County | CA | $235,500 | $5,498 | $751,500 |
| 31 | Monroe County | FL | $234,500 | $5,467 | $723,800 |
| 32 | Fairfax County | VA | $228,500 | $5,329 | $699,700 |
| 33 | Santa Barbara County | CA | $227,000 | $5,298 | $735,700 |
| 34 | Alexandria city | VA | $227,000 | $5,294 | $696,800 |
| 35 | Nassau County | NY | $226,500 | $5,282 | $658,700 |
| 36 | Routt County | CO | $226,000 | $5,276 | $756,200 |
| 37 | Middlesex County | MA | $225,500 | $5,264 | $687,200 |
| 38 | Loudoun County | VA | $225,500 | $5,263 | $701,000 |
| 39 | Monterey County | CA | $223,500 | $5,210 | $723,100 |
| 40 | Queens County | NY | $223,500 | $5,219 | $699,200 |
| 41 | District of Columbia | DC | $221,000 | $5,156 | $724,600 |
| 42 | Westchester County | NY | $221,000 | $5,153 | $638,400 |
| 43 | San Juan County | WA | $220,500 | $5,145 | $726,500 |
| 44 | Fairfax city | VA | $220,000 | $5,129 | $677,400 |
| 45 | Boulder County | CO | $219,000 | $5,114 | $713,900 |
| 46 | Western Connecticut Planning Region | CT | $218,500 | $5,097 | $625,400 |
| 47 | Wasatch County | UT | $215,000 | $5,018 | $724,400 |
| 48 | Norfolk County | MA | $214,500 | $5,007 | $649,400 |
| 49 | Suffolk County | MA | $214,000 | $4,997 | $680,700 |
| 50 | Richmond County | NY | $212,500 | $4,954 | $658,500 |
| 51 | Williamson County | TN | $210,500 | $4,909 | $673,700 |
| 52 | Placer County | CA | $209,000 | $4,872 | $658,800 |
| 53 | Bergen County | NJ | $209,000 | $4,875 | $593,200 |
| 54 | Douglas County | CO | $207,500 | $4,847 | $674,000 |
| 55 | Elbert County | CO | $202,500 | $4,726 | $664,600 |
| 56 | Snohomish County | WA | $202,000 | $4,709 | $644,600 |
| 57 | Monmouth County | NJ | $201,500 | $4,703 | $566,500 |
| 58 | Rockland County | NY | $200,500 | $4,679 | $564,200 |
| 59 | El Dorado County | CA | $200,000 | $4,665 | $640,500 |
| 60 | Ouray County | CO | $200,000 | $4,667 | $670,100 |
| 61 | Montgomery County | MD | $200,000 | $4,663 | $615,200 |
| 62 | Morris County | NJ | $199,000 | $4,643 | $557,000 |
| 63 | Blaine County | ID | $198,500 | $4,637 | $663,800 |
| 64 | Broomfield County | CO | $196,500 | $4,588 | $631,600 |
| 65 | Howard County | MD | $194,500 | $4,538 | $576,700 |
| 66 | Essex County | MA | $193,500 | $4,519 | $584,000 |
| 67 | Suffolk County | NY | $193,500 | $4,521 | $539,500 |
| 68 | Gallatin County | MT | $190,500 | $4,439 | $604,900 |
| 69 | Somerset County | NJ | $190,000 | $4,430 | $523,900 |
| 70 | Nevada County | CA | $189,500 | $4,423 | $602,800 |
| 71 | Yolo County | CA | $187,500 | $4,374 | $593,800 |
| 72 | Newport County | RI | $187,000 | $4,363 | $559,700 |
| 73 | Solano County | CA | $186,000 | $4,335 | $589,600 |
| 74 | Jefferson County | CO | $185,500 | $4,327 | $604,400 |
| 75 | San Miguel County | CO | $183,500 | $4,278 | $613,100 |
| 76 | Barnstable County | MA | $183,500 | $4,286 | $575,900 |
| 77 | Hudson County | NJ | $183,500 | $4,283 | $508,600 |
| 78 | Clackamas County | OR | $183,500 | $4,280 | $577,900 |
| 79 | Deschutes County | OR | $183,500 | $4,279 | $596,000 |
| 80 | Hunterdon County | NJ | $183,000 | $4,269 | $498,800 |
| 81 | Essex County | NJ | $181,500 | $4,241 | $494,400 |
| 82 | Morgan County | UT | $181,500 | $4,240 | $600,900 |
| 83 | Union County | NJ | $180,000 | $4,205 | $488,800 |
| 84 | Travis County | TX | $180,000 | $4,198 | $487,600 |
| 85 | Chaffee County | CO | $179,500 | $4,189 | $598,500 |
| 86 | Denver County | CO | $179,500 | $4,190 | $586,700 |
| 87 | Gunnison County | CO | $179,000 | $4,182 | $597,200 |
| 88 | Teton County | ID | $178,500 | $4,163 | $595,900 |
| 89 | Valley County | ID | $178,500 | $4,162 | $599,500 |
| 90 | Washington County | OR | $177,500 | $4,141 | $558,500 |
| 91 | Douglas County | NV | $177,000 | $4,136 | $587,400 |
| 92 | Hood River County | OR | $175,500 | $4,096 | $571,200 |
| 93 | Kendall County | TX | $175,000 | $4,080 | $489,800 |
| 94 | Fauquier County | VA | $175,000 | $4,087 | $543,700 |
| 95 | Plymouth County | MA | $174,500 | $4,069 | $513,000 |
| 96 | Clear Creek County | CO | $174,000 | $4,064 | $572,800 |
| 97 | Bronx County | NY | $171,000 | $3,986 | $517,000 |
| 98 | Multnomah County | OR | $170,000 | $3,966 | $528,000 |
| 99 | Clarke County | VA | $169,000 | $3,938 | $538,900 |
| 100 | Putnam County | NY | $168,500 | $3,936 | $448,000 |
Every figure is modelled on the county's own median home with 20% down at 7.03%. Property tax and electricity are county and state specific; homeowners insurance uses the NAIC average premium for that state, which ranges from 0.16% of home value in Hawaii to 1.16% in Oklahoma. Maintenance and water are national estimates. Full methodology.
Highest Salary Needed to Buy a Home by state
The same ranking within a single state.
Alabama67Alaska26Arizona15Arkansas75California58Colorado64Florida67Georgia159Idaho44Illinois102Indiana92Iowa99Kansas105Kentucky120Louisiana64Maine16Maryland24Massachusetts14Michigan83Minnesota87Mississippi82Missouri115Montana56Nebraska93Nevada16New Jersey21New Mexico33New York62North Carolina100North Dakota53Ohio88Oklahoma77Oregon36Pennsylvania67South Carolina46South Dakota65Tennessee95Texas250Utah29Vermont14Virginia133Washington39West Virginia55Wisconsin72Wyoming23