Ranked from ACS 2023 5-Year
Highest Salary Needed to Buy a Home in California
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.
California ranked
| # | County | Income needed | Monthly to own | Median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Mateo County | $448,000 | $10,456 | $1,494,500 |
| 2 | Marin County | $423,000 | $9,864 | $1,390,000 |
| 3 | Santa Clara County | $420,000 | $9,799 | $1,382,800 |
| 4 | San Francisco County | $418,000 | $9,756 | $1,380,500 |
| 5 | Alameda County | $325,500 | $7,599 | $1,057,400 |
| 6 | Santa Cruz County | $308,000 | $7,185 | $1,015,200 |
| 7 | Orange County | $280,000 | $6,537 | $915,500 |
| 8 | Contra Costa County | $260,000 | $6,069 | $830,800 |
| 9 | Napa County | $258,500 | $6,031 | $838,800 |
| 10 | San Diego County | $244,500 | $5,707 | $791,600 |
| 11 | Los Angeles County | $242,000 | $5,646 | $783,300 |
| 12 | Sonoma County | $241,500 | $5,631 | $779,000 |
| 13 | San Luis Obispo County | $240,500 | $5,610 | $777,200 |
| 14 | Ventura County | $237,500 | $5,542 | $768,400 |
| 15 | San Benito County | $235,500 | $5,498 | $751,500 |
| 16 | Santa Barbara County | $227,000 | $5,298 | $735,700 |
| 17 | Monterey County | $223,500 | $5,210 | $723,100 |
| 18 | Placer County | $209,000 | $4,872 | $658,800 |
| 19 | El Dorado County | $200,000 | $4,665 | $640,500 |
| 20 | Nevada County | $189,500 | $4,423 | $602,800 |
| 21 | Yolo County | $187,500 | $4,374 | $593,800 |
| 22 | Solano County | $186,000 | $4,335 | $589,600 |
| 23 | Mono County | $163,500 | $3,819 | $514,300 |
| 24 | Riverside County | $163,500 | $3,815 | $510,300 |
| 25 | Sacramento County | $159,000 | $3,707 | $498,900 |
| 26 | San Joaquin County | $158,000 | $3,681 | $494,500 |
| 27 | Mendocino County | $154,000 | $3,593 | $486,000 |
| 28 | San Bernardino County | $151,000 | $3,521 | $475,000 |
| 29 | Alpine County | $148,000 | $3,452 | $466,100 |
| 30 | Calaveras County | $141,000 | $3,295 | $441,800 |
| 31 | Stanislaus County | $136,500 | $3,188 | $426,600 |
| 32 | Amador County | $135,500 | $3,157 | $422,800 |
| 33 | Humboldt County | $133,500 | $3,114 | $418,800 |
| 34 | Butte County | $131,000 | $3,058 | $408,700 |
| 35 | Tuolumne County | $130,000 | $3,035 | $406,200 |
| 36 | Sutter County | $129,500 | $3,023 | $399,400 |
| 37 | Yuba County | $123,500 | $2,880 | $380,000 |
| 38 | Colusa County | $120,500 | $2,817 | $375,100 |
| 39 | Madera County | $119,000 | $2,778 | $367,700 |
| 40 | Merced County | $119,000 | $2,775 | $368,400 |
| 41 | Fresno County | $118,000 | $2,757 | $362,600 |
| 42 | Mariposa County | $116,000 | $2,705 | $358,000 |
| 43 | Shasta County | $113,000 | $2,637 | $347,200 |
| 44 | Inyo County | $110,500 | $2,577 | $338,400 |
| 45 | Sierra County | $110,000 | $2,567 | $334,100 |
| 46 | Glenn County | $109,500 | $2,561 | $338,400 |
| 47 | Plumas County | $107,500 | $2,505 | $327,400 |
| 48 | Trinity County | $105,500 | $2,466 | $329,000 |
| 49 | Kern County | $104,500 | $2,438 | $310,600 |
| 50 | Lake County | $104,500 | $2,433 | $316,800 |
| 51 | Del Norte County | $103,500 | $2,415 | $319,600 |
| 52 | Tehama County | $103,000 | $2,400 | $315,600 |
| 53 | Kings County | $101,500 | $2,363 | $305,700 |
| 54 | Tulare County | $100,000 | $2,338 | $303,000 |
| 55 | Imperial County | $94,500 | $2,201 | $279,500 |
| 56 | Siskiyou County | $94,000 | $2,194 | $284,500 |
| 57 | Lassen County | $87,000 | $2,035 | $259,500 |
| 58 | Modoc County | $73,000 | $1,699 | $212,000 |
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.
Nationwide
Highest Salary Needed to Buy a Home across all 3,133 US counties · Every county in California