This is the salary needed to afford a typical US home in 2026

Key Points:

• Americans need nearly $110,000 annually to comfortably afford the median-priced home in the U.S., with the required income remaining almost unchanged from a year ago despite modest improvements in housing affordability.
• Median household income rose 4% to $87,599, while median home prices increased 2.2%, and mortgage rates stayed in the mid-6% range, keeping borrowing costs high and leaving a substantial income gap for many buyers.
• About 34.2% of homes for sale are affordable to median-income households, up from 30.5% last year, but affordability remains below pre-2022 levels when over half of listings were within reach.
• Affordability improved in 24 of 46 major metro areas, with Seattle, San Jose, and Portland seeing notable income requirement declines, but West Coast markets like San Francisco remain highly unaffordable, requiring incomes over $450,000.
• Only St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh have median household incomes exceeding the income needed to afford typical local homes, highlighting persistent affordability challenges nationwide.