Ranked from ACS 2023 5-Year
Lowest Salary Needed to Buy a Home in America
The counties where an ordinary income still buys the median home outright by the 28% rule, with the whole monthly bill counted: tax, insurance, utilities and maintenance included, not just the loan payment.
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 | Oglala Lakota County | SD | $23,500 | $543 | $45,600 |
| 2 | McDowell County | WV | $25,500 | $594 | $49,200 |
| 3 | Todd County | SD | $26,000 | $607 | $45,200 |
| 4 | Stewart County | GA | $28,500 | $670 | $53,000 |
| 5 | Cottle County | TX | $28,500 | $670 | $54,100 |
| 6 | Alexander County | IL | $29,000 | $674 | $58,700 |
| 7 | Breathitt County | KY | $29,000 | $677 | $61,800 |
| 8 | Stonewall County | TX | $29,500 | $684 | $54,700 |
| 9 | Wolfe County | KY | $30,000 | $697 | $66,400 |
| 10 | Allendale County | SC | $30,000 | $695 | $61,600 |
| 11 | Cochran County | TX | $30,000 | $700 | $57,700 |
| 12 | Hudspeth County | TX | $30,000 | $698 | $57,400 |
| 13 | Apache County | AZ | $31,000 | $723 | $68,500 |
| 14 | Chautauqua County | KS | $31,000 | $723 | $63,300 |
| 15 | Comanche County | KS | $31,000 | $729 | $59,900 |
| 16 | Elk County | KS | $31,000 | $723 | $60,900 |
| 17 | Mellette County | SD | $31,000 | $724 | $63,000 |
| 18 | Kusilvak Census Area | AK | $31,500 | $731 | $72,700 |
| 19 | Jewell County | KS | $31,500 | $732 | $62,100 |
| 20 | Letcher County | KY | $32,000 | $747 | $70,500 |
| 21 | Leslie County | KY | $32,500 | $762 | $74,100 |
| 22 | Willacy County | TX | $32,500 | $762 | $60,800 |
| 23 | Harlan County | KY | $33,000 | $771 | $73,100 |
| 24 | Knott County | KY | $33,000 | $765 | $74,600 |
| 25 | McKinley County | NM | $33,000 | $774 | $72,100 |
| 26 | Quay County | NM | $33,000 | $771 | $82,200 |
| 27 | Dickens County | TX | $33,000 | $768 | $65,000 |
| 28 | Lafayette County | AR | $33,500 | $778 | $74,600 |
| 29 | Wheeler County | GA | $33,500 | $787 | $74,600 |
| 30 | Wilcox County | GA | $33,500 | $780 | $71,200 |
| 31 | Edwards County | KS | $33,500 | $781 | $70,500 |
| 32 | Stanton County | KS | $33,500 | $777 | $64,200 |
| 33 | McCreary County | KY | $33,500 | $784 | $77,000 |
| 34 | Harding County | NM | $33,500 | $785 | $86,500 |
| 35 | Marlboro County | SC | $33,500 | $777 | $74,500 |
| 36 | Phillips County | AR | $34,000 | $796 | $76,200 |
| 37 | Pulaski County | IL | $34,000 | $798 | $81,000 |
| 38 | Fulton County | KY | $34,000 | $791 | $78,100 |
| 39 | Quitman County | MS | $34,000 | $794 | $68,600 |
| 40 | Tillman County | OK | $34,000 | $789 | $71,900 |
| 41 | Corson County | SD | $34,000 | $798 | $73,800 |
| 42 | Webster County | WV | $34,000 | $792 | $78,000 |
| 43 | Wyoming County | WV | $34,000 | $798 | $78,400 |
| 44 | Lee County | AR | $34,500 | $800 | $77,900 |
| 45 | Atkinson County | GA | $34,500 | $808 | $76,300 |
| 46 | Taliaferro County | GA | $34,500 | $806 | $73,100 |
| 47 | Owsley County | KY | $34,500 | $804 | $79,900 |
| 48 | Foard County | TX | $34,500 | $809 | $71,400 |
| 49 | Knox County | TX | $34,500 | $810 | $66,800 |
| 50 | Tensas Parish | LA | $35,000 | $819 | $80,300 |
| 51 | Pawnee County | NE | $35,000 | $814 | $74,800 |
| 52 | McIntosh County | ND | $35,000 | $816 | $80,300 |
| 53 | Harmon County | OK | $35,000 | $821 | $75,700 |
| 54 | Dewey County | SD | $35,000 | $811 | $75,400 |
| 55 | Bullock County | AL | $35,500 | $834 | $79,400 |
| 56 | Monroe County | AR | $35,500 | $830 | $82,200 |
| 57 | Warren County | GA | $35,500 | $830 | $78,000 |
| 58 | Republic County | KS | $35,500 | $833 | $76,000 |
| 59 | Bell County | KY | $35,500 | $829 | $83,000 |
| 60 | Lee County | KY | $35,500 | $830 | $82,100 |
| 61 | Benson County | ND | $35,500 | $823 | $83,100 |
| 62 | Sioux County | ND | $35,500 | $826 | $87,400 |
| 63 | Jefferson County | OK | $35,500 | $833 | $77,500 |
| 64 | Covington city | VA | $35,500 | $826 | $80,200 |
| 65 | Lowndes County | AL | $36,000 | $844 | $80,600 |
| 66 | Appling County | GA | $36,000 | $843 | $81,400 |
| 67 | Lewis County | KY | $36,000 | $845 | $86,100 |
| 68 | Martin County | KY | $36,000 | $846 | $84,900 |
| 69 | Claiborne Parish | LA | $36,000 | $840 | $82,400 |
| 70 | Holmes County | MS | $36,000 | $843 | $76,500 |
| 71 | Grant County | OK | $36,000 | $845 | $79,500 |
| 72 | Dillon County | SC | $36,000 | $840 | $84,400 |
| 73 | Gilmer County | WV | $36,000 | $838 | $83,300 |
| 74 | Jenkins County | GA | $36,500 | $848 | $81,100 |
| 75 | Harper County | KS | $36,500 | $849 | $77,300 |
| 76 | Woodson County | KS | $36,500 | $849 | $77,100 |
| 77 | Clay County | KY | $36,500 | $857 | $87,300 |
| 78 | Claiborne County | MS | $36,500 | $855 | $80,800 |
| 79 | Grant County | ND | $36,500 | $851 | $85,800 |
| 80 | Marion County | SC | $36,500 | $854 | $86,800 |
| 81 | McPherson County | SD | $36,500 | $849 | $78,400 |
| 82 | Edwards County | TX | $36,500 | $855 | $78,300 |
| 83 | Hardeman County | TX | $36,500 | $849 | $76,500 |
| 84 | Lamb County | TX | $36,500 | $851 | $76,600 |
| 85 | Mingo County | WV | $36,500 | $850 | $85,600 |
| 86 | Sumter County | AL | $37,000 | $865 | $84,100 |
| 87 | Wilcox County | AL | $37,000 | $867 | $84,200 |
| 88 | Nevada County | AR | $37,000 | $860 | $85,700 |
| 89 | Taylor County | GA | $37,000 | $858 | $82,900 |
| 90 | Decatur County | KS | $37,000 | $860 | $78,500 |
| 91 | Magoffin County | KY | $37,000 | $867 | $88,300 |
| 92 | Tallahatchie County | MS | $37,000 | $867 | $82,200 |
| 93 | Wilkinson County | MS | $37,000 | $869 | $80,200 |
| 94 | Wibaux County | MT | $37,000 | $867 | $92,300 |
| 95 | Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | AK | $37,500 | $876 | $87,800 |
| 96 | Clay County | AR | $37,500 | $876 | $88,100 |
| 97 | Jackson County | AR | $37,500 | $874 | $87,300 |
| 98 | Prairie County | AR | $37,500 | $879 | $87,500 |
| 99 | St. Francis County | AR | $37,500 | $875 | $87,700 |
| 100 | Calhoun County | GA | $37,500 | $870 | $82,200 |
Every figure is modelled on the county's own median home with 20% down at 7.24%. 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.
Lowest Salary Needed to Buy a Home by state
The same ranking within a single state.
Alabama67Alaska26Arizona15Arkansas75California58Colorado64Florida67Georgia159Idaho44Illinois102Indiana92Iowa99Kansas105Kentucky120Louisiana64Maine16Maryland24Massachusetts14Michigan83Minnesota87Mississippi82Missouri115Montana56Nebraska93Nevada16New Jersey21New Mexico33New York62North Carolina100North Dakota53Ohio88Oklahoma77Oregon36Pennsylvania67South Carolina46South Dakota65Tennessee95Texas250Utah29Vermont14Virginia133Washington39West Virginia55Wisconsin72Wyoming23