---
title: "Most Americans Can't Afford New Homes"
type: "News"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/286672971.md"
description: "A new analysis from the National Association of Home Builders reveals that 65% of U.S. households cannot afford newly built homes due to high prices and mortgage rates. In states like New Hampshire and Hawaii, over 80% of households are priced out. The affordability crisis is widespread, affecting even lower-cost states, indicating a significant gap between income growth and rising housing costs, making homeownership increasingly unattainable."
datetime: "2026-05-17T12:47:20.000Z"
locales:
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/286672971.md)
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286672971.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/286672971.md)
---

# Most Americans Can't Afford New Homes

Most Americans can’t afford a new home.

A new analysis from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) shows that**65% of U.S. households**are priced out of newly built homes, based on current prices and mortgage rates.

In some parts of the country, the situation is even more extreme. More than 80% of households can’t afford a new home, highlighting how widespread the affordability gap has become.

This map, via Visual Capitalist's Dorosthy Neufeld, shows where Americans are being priced out and where barriers to homeownership are highest.

## Ranked: Where Americans Are Most Priced Out of New Homes

At the extreme end, buying a new home is nearly out of reach. In New Hampshire,**83.4% of households**are priced out of a new median-priced home.

In total,**11 states**have at least**80%**of households locked out.

This table shows the share of households priced out of new homes by state in 2026. A household is considered “priced out” if total housing costs—principal, interest, taxes, and insurance—exceed 28% of income, based on median new home prices and a 6% mortgage rate.

State

% of Households  
Priced Out of New Homes

Median New Home Price

Income Needed to Qualify

New Hampshire

83.4%

$677,982

$211,080

Hawaii

83.0%

$884,781

$234,818

Maine

82.7%

$548,493

$160,714

Alaska

82.2%

$627,077

$188,313

Connecticut

81.8%

$696,752

$224,811

Wyoming

81.8%

$580,627

$164,982

Montana

81.5%

$495,610

$141,997

Oregon

81.0%

$608,135

$173,717

New York

80.5%

$656,108

$204,163

Vermont

80.1%

$580,627

$181,064

Pennsylvania

80.0%

$528,370

$160,900

Massachusetts

79.8%

$836,236

$246,370

Wisconsin

77.3%

$485,449

$149,085

Ohio

76.5%

$443,646

$137,310

Washington

76.1%

$649,812

$185,213

Colorado

75.1%

$644,149

$179,928

Kansas

73.4%

$401,237

$128,372

Rhode Island

72.9%

$578,724

$174,451

South Carolina

72.5%

$421,098

$118,180

New Mexico

71.7%

$362,847

$104,055

Illinois

71.3%

$428,712

$143,374

Michigan

71.3%

$371,503

$122,158

Kentucky

71.3%

$398,741

$109,299

Florida

71.1%

$429,644

$127,139

Indiana

70.7%

$418,993

$123,219

District of Columbia

70.1%

$836,441

$232,260

Iowa

70.0%

$348,337

$120,598

Arkansas

70.0%

$381,881

$100,780

Alabama

69.2%

$375,944

$106,586

New Jersey

69.1%

$527,069

$172,356

Utah

68.2%

$531,151

$145,638

Tennessee

67.7%

$399,580

$111,631

Oklahoma

67.6%

$351,771

$107,846

Arizona

66.6%

$446,796

$122,364

Missouri

66.6%

$371,515

$111,332

Idaho

66.4%

$430,280

$117,615

North Carolina

66.4%

$394,058

$112,263

Louisiana

66.2%

$318,728

$95,895

California

65.6%

$545,892

$153,471

Nevada

65.5%

$420,782

$115,555

West Virginia

64.8%

$308,607

$88,071

Texas

64.5%

$369,798

$117,131

Georgia

62.5%

$374,579

$109,329

Minnesota

62.1%

$402,209

$122,025

Nebraska

62.0%

$328,603

$107,185

South Dakota

62.0%

$346,894

$106,233

North Dakota

61.4%

$382,451

$116,480

Mississippi

61.1%

$266,837

$80,174

Virginia

58.9%

$429,184

$122,542

Maryland

58.5%

$432,949

$127,559

Delaware

56.0%

$376,478

$104,282

While high-cost states like Hawaii and Massachusetts rank among the least affordable, others such as Maine and Wyoming show that affordability pressures are no longer limited to major metro areas.

## Affordability Isn’t Just a Coastal Problem

The most striking takeaway is how universal the problem has become.

Even in lower-cost states like Mississippi ($267K) and West Virginia ($309K), a majority of households are still priced out new homes. While buyers need under $90,000 in income—compared to over $200,000 in the least affordable markets—that threshold remains out of reach for many.

In other words, moving to a cheaper state is no longer a reliable solution. Instead, the data points to a deeper issue, which is that incomes have not kept pace with rising housing costs across the country.

While existing homes can be more affordable than new construction, this data highlights a key constraint: much of the new housing supply entering the market is already out of reach for most households.

## The Bigger Picture

As new home prices continue to outpace income growth, the gap between who can and can’t afford newly built homes is widening. That shift is reshapingwhere Americans live, how they build wealth, and whether homeownership is attainable at all.

If even the most affordable states are out of reach for most households looking at new homes, the question becomes harder to ignore: where can buyers realistically go next?

## Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out thisgraphicon where wealth is moving in America.

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