The 17 U.S. counties where a home costs the most years of income
Teton County, WY — home to Jackson Hole — tops the nation at about 12 years of median household income to buy the median home, according to the Census Bureau's 2019–2023 American Community Survey. California holds 7 of the 17 spots on this list — more than any other state — and the rest reads like a highlight reel of expensive real estate: Martha's Vineyard, Marin County, and Maui all rank in the top ten too.
Home price to income is how many years of a household's income it would take to buy the median home — this figure is from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019–2023 American Community Survey.
Highest home price to income
17 of 17| # | County | State | Home price to income (years) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Teton † | WY | 12.2 |
| 2 | Kings | NY | 11.3 |
| 3 | Dukes ‡ | MA | 10.8 |
| 4 | New York | NY | 10.6 |
| 5 | Bronx | NY | 10.5 |
| 6 | San Francisco | CA | 9.8 |
| 7 | Marin | CA | 9.7 |
| 8 | San Mateo | CA | 9.6 |
| 9 | Santa Cruz | CA | 9.3 |
| 10 | Maui | HI | 9.0 |
| 11 | Los Angeles | CA | 8.9 |
| 12 | Monroe | FL | 8.8 |
| 13 | Kauai | HI | 8.7 |
| 13 | Santa Clara | CA | 8.7 |
| 15 | Chaffee | CO | 8.4 |
| 15 | Alameda | CA | 8.4 |
| 15 | Honolulu | HI | 8.4 |
- †Teton County's home value figure carries a margin of error of about 15.0% of the estimate — treat its 12.2 figure as an approximate range, not a precise point number, in any headline.
- ‡Dukes County's income figure carries a margin of error of about 14.4% of the estimate — treat its 10.8 figure as an approximate range, not a precise point number, in any headline.
Methodology & sources
"Home price to income" is median home value (Census Table B25077) divided by median household income (S1901/B19013), from the 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates — expressed as years of income it would take to buy the median home outright. Cite the specific data.census.gov detailed-table page (ACSST5Y2023/ACSDT5Y2023), not census.gov's QuickFacts tool — QuickFacts has since rolled forward to the newer 2020–2024 vintage and will show different numbers for the same county. Figures pulled directly from the U.S. Census Bureau's own ACS 2019–2023 5-Year detailed tables (B19013 household income, B25064 median gross rent, B25077 median home value), each carrying its own published margin of error. Faithfully reproduced from the Bureau's release, not independently re-measured.
This ranking is one slice of the full data. The County List with Demographics carries median income, rent, and home value for all 3,221 U.S. counties in one CSV.
- The County List with Demographics page has a free 100-row sample — download it to see the columns first.
- Get the County List with Demographics ($199) for the complete file.
More county affordability rankings
Every figure fact-checked against the Census Bureau's 2019–2023 American Community Survey.
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