What is the 28% rule for mortgages?

A standard affordability guideline: your monthly housing payment should not exceed 28% of your gross monthly income. Lenders use it as a first screen alongside the total debt-to-income ratio.

How many states can you buy a home in on a $75,000 salary?

Based on June 2026 Zillow typical home values, 18 states have a required income at or below $75,000 — mostly in the South and Midwest, including Ohio, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and West Virginia at just $44,543.

Do these figures include property taxes and insurance?

No — they cover principal and interest only, so real requirements are somewhat higher, especially in high-property-tax states like Texas, New Jersey and Illinois. The state ranking, however, changes very little.

The Salary You Need to Buy a Typical Home in Every US State (2026 Data)

Q: What salary do you need to buy a house in the US?

It ranges enormously by state: from about $44,500 in West Virginia to $204,000 in Hawaii for a typical home, assuming a 10% down payment, a 6.5% 30-year mortgage and keeping the payment at 28% of gross income.

Published 13 August 2026 · Original data analysis · Source: Zillow Home Value Index, June 2026

How much do you need to earn to buy a typical home where you live? We took the latest Zillow Home Value Index (June 2026) for all 50 states plus DC and computed the household income required, using the classic lender math: 10% down, a 30-year mortgage at 6.5%, and the 28% rule (housing payment ≤ 28% of gross income).

The spread is staggering: $44,543 in West Virginia versus $203,996 in Hawaii — a 4.6× gap for the same milestone. The US median household income sits near the requirement of states in the middle of our table, which is exactly why homeownership feels effortless in some states and impossible in others.

Method in one line: required salary = 12 × monthly principal-and-interest on 90% of the state's typical home value ÷ 0.28. Property taxes, insurance and HOA fees are excluded (see method notes) — real requirements run higher, especially in high-tax states.

All 50 States + DC, Ranked by Required Salary

#	State	Typical home value	P&I payment /mo	Salary needed
1	Hawaii	$836,741	$4,760	$203,996
2	California	$775,549	$4,412	$189,077
3	Massachusetts	$672,867	$3,828	$164,043
4	Washington	$603,303	$3,432	$147,084
5	New Jersey	$584,681	$3,326	$142,544
6	District of Columbia	$579,332	$3,296	$141,240
7	Colorado	$543,435	$3,091	$132,488
8	Utah	$541,692	$3,081	$132,063
9	New York	$525,947	$2,992	$128,225
10	New Hampshire	$522,944	$2,975	$127,492
11	Rhode Island	$517,078	$2,941	$126,062
12	Oregon	$504,432	$2,870	$122,979
13	Idaho	$482,199	$2,743	$117,559
14	Montana	$476,115	$2,708	$116,076
15	Connecticut	$455,424	$2,591	$111,031
16	Nevada	$448,215	$2,550	$109,274
17	Maryland	$436,104	$2,481	$106,321
18	Maine	$424,107	$2,413	$103,396
19	Arizona	$422,822	$2,405	$103,083
20	Virginia	$419,920	$2,389	$102,376
21	Delaware	$412,252	$2,345	$100,506
22	Vermont	$402,017	$2,287	$98,011
23	Alaska	$400,659	$2,279	$97,680
24	Florida	$378,126	$2,151	$92,186
25	Wyoming	$372,526	$2,119	$90,821
26	Minnesota	$356,887	$2,030	$87,008
27	Wisconsin	$342,279	$1,947	$83,447
28	North Carolina	$340,430	$1,937	$82,996
29	Tennessee	$338,769	$1,927	$82,591
30	Georgia	$335,358	$1,908	$81,760
31	South Dakota	$325,618	$1,852	$79,385
32	New Mexico	$321,186	$1,827	$78,304
33	South Carolina	$309,323	$1,760	$75,412
34	Texas	$302,999	$1,724	$73,871
35	Illinois	$298,871	$1,700	$72,864
36	Pennsylvania	$294,099	$1,673	$71,701
37	North Dakota	$293,556	$1,670	$71,568
38	Nebraska	$284,464	$1,618	$69,352
39	Missouri	$271,597	$1,545	$66,215
40	Michigan	$269,972	$1,536	$65,818
41	Indiana	$262,265	$1,492	$63,940
42	Kansas	$252,794	$1,438	$61,631
43	Ohio	$251,502	$1,431	$61,316
44	Alabama	$241,517	$1,374	$58,881
45	Iowa	$241,255	$1,372	$58,817
46	Kentucky	$235,363	$1,339	$57,381
47	Arkansas	$228,662	$1,301	$55,747
48	Oklahoma	$225,437	$1,282	$54,961
49	Louisiana	$217,968	$1,240	$53,140
50	Mississippi	$198,428	$1,129	$48,376
51	West Virginia	$182,704	$1,039	$44,543

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What Jumps Out of the Data

The $100k wall: in 21 states and jurisdictions you now need a six-figure household income for a typical home. A generation ago that was true almost nowhere.
The affordable belt: West Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas all clear at under $56,000 — below the income of many dual-earner households anywhere in the country. Remote workers have noticed.
Hawaii vs West Virginia: the identical 10%-down buyer needs 4.6× the income. No other everyday purchase varies this much by geography.
The middle is moving: states like Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina — affordable a decade ago — now sit in the $80–100k band, squeezing out local first-time buyers.

How Far Does Your Salary Go?

Flip the question: what does your current income buy?

$50,000: a typical home in just 2 states — West Virginia and Mississippi (Louisiana misses by ~$3,000).
$75,000: opens up 18 states, mostly in the South and Midwest.
$100,000: 30 states are within reach — but not Colorado, Utah, Washington, or the coasts.
$150,000: everything except Massachusetts, California and Hawaii.

Check your own take-home pay first — the 28% rule uses gross income, but your budget lives on net. Our US salary take-home tables show the after-tax reality for every salary from $30,000 to $300,000.

Method Notes

Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), all-homes smoothed seasonally-adjusted, June 2026, by state — the "typical" mid-market home, not the median sale price. Mortgage math: 10% down payment, 30-year fixed at 6.5%, standard amortization; principal and interest only. Income requirement: P&I capped at 28% of gross household income. Excludes property tax, homeowners insurance, PMI (which applies below 20% down) and HOA fees, so treat these as lower bounds. Computed by Tabutility, August 2026. You're welcome to cite or reproduce this table with a link to this page.

FAQs

What salary do you need to buy a house in the US?

Between roughly $45,000 and $204,000 depending on the state, for a typical home with 10% down at 6.5%.

What is the 28% rule?

Keep your housing payment at or below 28% of gross monthly income — the standard lender affordability screen.

Do these numbers include property taxes and insurance?

No — principal and interest only. Add roughly 15–25% to the required salary in high-property-tax states.

Can two incomes count?

Yes — these are household income figures. Two $55,000 earners qualify where $110,000 is required.

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