Home Prices and Housing Market by State
The typical U.S. home is worth $368,697, up 1.2% over the past year (Zillow, latest release). Hawaii is the most expensive state at $833,340 and West Virginia the cheapest at $179,496. A 20%-down mortgage on the typical home costs $1,897 a month and needs about $100,006 of income, which the median household clears in only 2 of 50 states.
Values fell over the year in 9 states and rose in 39. Renting beats a mortgage payment in 37 of the 50 largest metros, and 7 states are outright buyer's markets. Below, every state is ranked on home prices, price growth, housing affordability, average rent, mortgage payment and market temperature, with a housing market page for each state. How the data works → · Monthly report archive →
The U.S. Housing Market by the Numbers
The national picture behind the state rankings. Every figure is Zillow's published number for the United States as a whole, latest month.
Read the national overview
The typical U.S. home rose 1.2% over the past year to $368,697 and is up 20.3% over five years, according to Zillow's home value index for August. The median sale price was $383,633 and the median list price $408,333. The spread between states is 4.6×: a typical Hawaii home costs $833,340 against $179,496 in West Virginia, and the West carries the highest median state value ($479K) while the South carries the lowest ($270K). Set against what households actually earn, West Virginia is the most affordable state and California the least: buying the typical California home takes $197,262 of income against a median of $91,905. Prices are still climbing fastest in Alaska (+5.7%), New York (+5.6%), and Illinois (+5.3%) and falling hardest in Nevada (-1.8%), Texas (-1.6%), and Florida (-1.5%). On market temperature, 2 states still favor sellers and 7 favor buyers; Colorado has the most price cuts (32.3% of listings) and Florida the slowest sales (89 days to pending).
U.S. typical home value since 2000
Zillow Home Value Index, monthly. Every state page has the same chart for that state.
Housing Market Map: Every State at a Glance
Color the map by typical home value, one- or five-year change, the affordability gap (income needed to buy versus what the median household earns), or market temperature. Hover or tap a state for its figures; click through for its full housing page.
Which States Have the Cheapest and Most Expensive Homes?
Typical home value (Zillow Home Value Index), which tracks the middle third of homes in each state whether or not they sold. The small figures show the monthly mortgage payment at 20% down and the income that payment requires.
10 Cheapest States to Buy a House
10 Most Expensive States to Buy a House
The cheapest typical home, in West Virginia, carries a $924 monthly payment; the most expensive, in Hawaii, $4,288. Price alone can mislead: a cheap state with low incomes can be harder to buy in than a pricier state with high ones, which is what the affordability gap below measures. See all 50 states in the table →
How Much Income Do You Need to Buy a Home in Each State?
Housing affordability by state, measured against local incomes. The affordability gap is the income needed to buy the typical home (20% down, current rates, payment no more than 30% of income) compared with the state's median household income. A negative gap means the median household can afford the typical home; a positive gap is how far short it falls.
Most Affordable Relative to Income
Least Affordable Relative to Income
Where the Median Household Can Buy
2 of 50 states. Income needed ranges from $47K (West Virginia) to $202K (Hawaii).
Monthly payment as a share of median household income runs from 20.3% in West Virginia to 51.3% in California. Lenders generally cap total housing costs near 28–31%.
Run the numbers for your household →Is It Cheaper to Rent or Buy in Each State?
For each state's largest metro, Zillow's typical asking rent against the principal-and-interest payment on the typical home with 20% down. Renting is cheaper in 37 of 50 metros. The payment leaves out property tax, insurance and maintenance; renting leaves out equity.
Where Renting Saves the Most
Where Buying Is Cheaper Than Renting
Typical rent in the largest metros runs from $1,100 in Fargo to $3,615 in New York. National typical rent: $1,948, up 2.5% in a year.
Where Are Home Prices Rising and Falling?
Home price growth by state: change in the typical home value over one and five years. Nationally, values are up 1.2% over the year and up 20.3% over five years. 27 states are at an all-time high this month.
Fastest 1-year growth
Steepest 1-year declines
Fastest 5-year growth
Slowest 5-year growth
Arizona sits furthest below its peak, 9.6% below its July 2022 peak of $462,506. Every state page charts the typical value month by month since 2000, with the national line for comparison.
Is It a Buyer's or a Seller's Market?
Market temperature is our label from three Zillow signals compared with the national market: price cuts by state (share of listings with a cut, national 26.4%), days on market by state (days from listing to pending, national 53), and whether homes for sale are up from a year ago. All three pointing cooler than the nation is a cold, buyer's market; none is a hot, seller's market.
🌤️ Warm
211 of 3 signals cooler
🌥️ Cool
202 of 3 signals cooler
🧊 Cold
73 of 3 signals cooler than national
Most price cuts
Colorado (32.3%), Utah (31.5%), Tennessee (31.4%), Washington (31.0%), and Indiana (30.6%). Fewest: New York (17.3%), Hawaii (19.2%), and Wisconsin (19.5%).
Slowest and fastest sales
Longest days to pending: Florida (89), Hawaii (83), Arkansas (80), and Louisiana (80). Fastest: Connecticut (24), Ohio (28), Rhode Island (28), and New Hampshire (28).
All 50 States Ranked by Home Value
Average home price by state, as Zillow's typical home value, with rent, mortgage payment, income needed, affordability gap and market temperature for every state. Click any column header to re-sort, search for a state, or filter by region, affordability or market temperature. The # column is always the home-value rank (1 = most expensive), even after you filter.
| # | State | Home value▼ | 1 yr | Gap | Market |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HawaiiHI | $833,340 | +1.1% | +114% | |
| 2 | CaliforniaCA | $764,158 | +0.4% | +115% | |
| 3 | MassachusettsMA | $661,896 | +2.3% | +75% | |
| 4 | WashingtonWA | $591,879 | -0.3% | +72% | |
| 5 | New JerseyNJ | $580,353 | +3.9% | +73% | |
| 6 | UtahUT | $534,582 | +1.5% | +52% | |
| 7 | ColoradoCO | $532,748 | -1.4% | +52% | |
| 8 | New YorkNY | $526,714 | +5.6% | +73% | |
| 9 | New HampshireNH | $516,306 | +2.9% | +30% | |
| 10 | Rhode IslandRI | $511,233 | +3.4% | +71% | |
| 11 | OregonOR | $496,113 | -0.1% | +68% | |
| 12 | IdahoID | $478,744 | +2.0% | +71% | |
| 13 | MontanaMT | $471,746 | +2.0% | +66% | |
| 14 | ConnecticutCT | $450,873 | +5.0% | +41% | |
| 15 | NevadaNV | $442,027 | -1.8% | +56% | |
| 16 | MarylandMD | $428,308 | 0.0% | +18% | |
| 17 | ArizonaAZ | $417,990 | -1.1% | +40% | |
| 18 | MaineME | $415,552 | +1.6% | +43% | |
| 19 | VirginiaVA | $414,662 | +2.2% | +26% | |
| 20 | DelawareDE | $406,074 | +1.3% | +23% | |
| 21 | VermontVT | $399,053 | +1.0% | +53% | |
| 22 | AlaskaAK | $398,663 | +5.7% | +32% | |
| 23 | FloridaFL | $375,470 | -1.5% | +51% | |
| 24 | WyomingWY | $371,854 | +1.4% | +33% | |
| 25 | MinnesotaMN | $350,752 | +2.5% | +16% | |
| 26 | WisconsinWI | $339,699 | +5.1% | +32% | |
| 27 | North CarolinaNC | $334,773 | 0.0% | +31% | |
| 28 | TennesseeTN | $334,108 | +0.7% | +34% | |
| 29 | GeorgiaGA | $330,817 | -0.5% | +27% | |
| 30 | South DakotaSD | $321,574 | +2.5% | +25% | |
| 31 | New MexicoNM | $318,241 | +1.7% | +45% | |
| 32 | South CarolinaSC | $306,323 | +1.0% | +27% | |
| 33 | TexasTX | $299,367 | -1.6% | +21% | |
| 34 | IllinoisIL | $297,573 | +5.3% | +19% | |
| 35 | North DakotaND | $292,293 | +5.2% | +10% | |
| 36 | PennsylvaniaPA | $290,401 | +2.4% | +12% | |
| 37 | NebraskaNE | $280,673 | +3.1% | +13% | |
| 38 | MissouriMO | $267,879 | +3.5% | +14% | |
| 39 | MichiganMI | $266,292 | +4.0% | +8% | |
| 40 | IndianaIN | $260,095 | +3.0% | +7% | |
| 41 | KansasKS | $249,603 | +3.8% | +7% | |
| 42 | OhioOH | $248,803 | +3.4% | +12% | |
| 43 | AlabamaAL | $241,613 | +1.9% | +7% | |
| 44 | IowaIA | $239,547 | +3.5% | -3% | |
| 45 | KentuckyKY | $232,577 | -0.4% | +4% | |
| 46 | ArkansasAR | $227,264 | +3.6% | +8% | |
| 47 | OklahomaOK | $223,261 | +2.8% | +8% | |
| 48 | LouisianaLA | $217,039 | +2.1% | +16% | |
| 49 | MississippiMS | $197,606 | +2.3% | +5% | |
| 50 | West VirginiaWV | $179,496 | +3.1% | -14% |
Home value is the Zillow Home Value Index (typical home, middle third of the market). Payment is principal and interest on that home with 20% down at current rates. Income needed keeps the payment at 30% of income or less; Gap compares it with the state's median household income (Census ACS), negative meaning the median household can afford the typical home. Rent is the typical asking rent in the state's largest metro. Market compares price cuts, days to pending and inventory with the national market. Source: Zillow Research, latest release.
How to Read This Data
Every housing figure on this page comes from Zillow Research's public monthly files; median household income comes from the Census Bureau. Here is what each number means and what it leaves out.
The Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) is the typical value of homes in the 35th to 65th percentile of a market, smoothed and seasonally adjusted, whether or not they sold. It is a modeled estimate, not a government statistic, and it is not a median sale price; both sale and list prices are in the table for comparison.
Zillow's monthly principal-and-interest payment on the typical home with 20% down at the average 30-year rate for the month. It excludes property tax, homeowners insurance, mortgage insurance and HOA dues, so the true monthly cost is higher everywhere and the gap varies by state.
The household income at which that payment equals 30% of income, Zillow's standard affordability threshold. It assumes a 20% down payment already saved; a smaller down payment raises both the payment and the income needed.
Income needed minus the state's median household income from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, shown in dollars and as a percentage of that income. Negative means the median household clears the bar. It is a state-level average; metros inside a state can differ sharply.
Zillow does not publish a statewide rent index, so rent is the Zillow Observed Rent Index for the state's largest metro (typical asking rent, all home types) set against Zillow's mortgage payment for that same metro. It is a monthly cash comparison only: no taxes, insurance, maintenance, appreciation or equity.
Our label, from three Zillow signals compared with the national figures: share of listings with a price cut (national 26.4%), mean days from listing to pending (national 53), and whether for-sale inventory is up from a year ago. Cold = all three point cooler; Hot = none do.
Zillow publishes these files free each month for the prior month. This page is rebuilt from the newest files (latest month: August; checked September 2026). Because the value index is a consistent monthly series back to 2000, changes over 1, 5 and 10 years and the history charts are real, not modeled.
Forecasts (we publish none), county and ZIP detail, and any figure for Washington, DC. Cities appear on state pages only where Zillow publishes a city-level index, which covers most but not all of the 1,000 cities we track.
Our housing rankings score states on a Census and FHFA median home price, cost of living and price-to-income ratio, so those figures will not match the Zillow values here. The affordability calculator adds property tax, utilities, childcare and groceries for a full household budget. Zillow Research data →
Key Takeaways
Patterns in the Zillow data that the table alone does not show.
A typical home costs 4.6× more in Hawaii than in West Virginia
Hawaii ($833K), California ($764K), and Massachusetts ($662K) have the most expensive typical homes; West Virginia ($179K), Mississippi ($198K), and Louisiana ($217K) the cheapest. The national typical home is worth $369K. Two of the three priciest states are in the West. The West has the highest median state value at $479K; the South the lowest at $270K.
The median household earns enough to buy the typical home in only 2 of 50 states
Zillow's income-needed figure assumes 20% down at current rates and a payment of no more than 30% of income. Set against each state's median household income, the gap is widest in California (needs $197K, median earns $92K), Hawaii (needs $202K, median earns $95K), and Massachusetts (needs $177K, median earns $101K). Income covers the payment in West Virginia and Iowa.
Renting beats a 20%-down mortgage in 37 of the 50 largest metros
In each state's largest metro, we set Zillow's typical asking rent against the principal-and-interest payment on the typical home. Los Angeles (California) has the widest gap in favor of renting: $2,941 rent vs. $4,901 payment, a $1,960/month difference before taxes, insurance and maintenance. Buying is cheaper in 13 metros, led by Charleston (West Virginia), where the payment is $452 below rent.
Home values fell over the past year in 9 states and rose in 39
The steepest declines are in Nevada (-1.8%), Texas (-1.6%), and Florida (-1.5%). The fastest gains are in Alaska (+5.7%), New York (+5.6%), and Illinois (+5.3%). Nationally, the typical home rose 1.2% over the year and is up 20.3% over five years. 27 states are at an all-time high; Arizona sits furthest below its peak, 9.6% below its July 2022 peak of $462,506.
Connecticut has the fastest five-year growth at +40.3%
Over five years the biggest gains are Connecticut (+40.3%), New Hampshire (+35.6%), New Jersey (+35.4%), and Rhode Island (+33.6%), all well above the national +20.3%. The slowest are Louisiana (+1.1%), Idaho (+6.2%), and Colorado (+6.8%).
7 states are buyer's markets right now; 2 still favor sellers
We call a market cold when price cuts, days to pending and inventory all point cooler than the national market. The coldest: Utah, Arizona, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. The hottest: California and North Dakota. Colorado has the most price cuts (32.3% of listings) and Florida the slowest sales (89 days to pending), while Connecticut moves fastest at 24 days.
Home Values by Region
Median of the state typical values in each Census region, with the median one-year change.
Regions follow the Census Bureau groupings used across this site.
Housing Market Data for Every State
Each state page charts the typical home value month by month since 2000, gives a rent-vs-buy and affordability verdict, reads the market temperature, and lists home values and rents for the state's largest cities.
Go Deeper
What you'd keep after housing, taxes and childcare
→The affordability calculator ranks every state by take-home after costs for your household and income.
Compare West Virginia and Hawaii
→The cheapest and most expensive housing markets, head-to-head on every category and metric.
Monthly housing market reports
→One report per month of Zillow data, back a full year: where prices fell, where sellers cut, and who could still afford to buy.
Home Prices by State: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median home price in the United States?
$383,633 was the U.S. median sale price and $408,333 the median list price in the latest Zillow Research release. The typical U.S. home value, the Zillow Home Value Index this page ranks states by, is $368,697, up 1.2% over the past year and up 20.3% over five years. A 20%-down mortgage on the typical home runs $1,897 a month in principal and interest, which takes about $100,006 of household income.
What is the cheapest state to buy a house?
West Virginia is the cheapest state to buy a house, with a typical home value of $179,496 in the latest Zillow Research release, followed by Mississippi ($197,606), Louisiana ($217,039), Oklahoma ($223,261), and Arkansas ($227,264). A 20%-down mortgage on the typical West Virginia home is $924 a month, and buying it takes about $47,071 of income against a median household income of $54,515.
Which state has the most expensive homes?
Hawaii has the most expensive typical home at $833,340, then California ($764,158), Massachusetts ($661,896), Washington ($591,879), and New Jersey ($580,353). Buying the typical Hawaii home takes about $202,402 of household income; the state's median household earns $94,814.
Which states are most affordable relative to income?
West Virginia is the most affordable state relative to what households actually earn: buying the typical home takes $47,071 of income and the median household earns $54,515. The next most affordable are Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Kansas. The least affordable is California, where the income needed ($197,262) is 114.6% above the median household income.
How much income do you need to buy a house in each state?
It ranges from $47,071 in West Virginia to $202,402 in Hawaii, using Zillow's assumptions of 20% down at current mortgage rates and a payment of no more than 30% of income. Nationally the figure is $100,006. The median household earns enough to clear that bar in 2 states and falls short in 48. The full figure for every state is in the table above.
What is the average mortgage payment by state?
The monthly principal-and-interest payment on the typical home with 20% down ranges from $924 in West Virginia to $4,288 in Hawaii; the national figure is $1,897. The cheapest payments are in West Virginia ($924), Mississippi ($1,017), Louisiana ($1,117), and Oklahoma ($1,149). These exclude property tax, insurance and HOA dues, which vary widely by state.
Which states have the cheapest and the highest rent?
$1,100 a month is the lowest typical asking rent among each state's largest metro, in Fargo (North Dakota), followed by Wichita ($1,205), Charleston ($1,229), and Little Rock ($1,265). The highest is $3,615 in New York (New York). The national typical rent is $1,948, up 2.5% over the year.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in most states?
Renting is cheaper than a 20%-down mortgage payment in 37 of the 50 largest metros we compare, one per state. The widest gap in favor of renting is in Los Angeles (California), where rent is $2,941 and the payment $4,901. Buying is cheaper in 13 metros, most clearly in Charleston (West Virginia). The comparison is principal and interest against asking rent, so it leaves out property tax, insurance, maintenance and the equity a buyer builds.
Which states had the biggest home price increases over five years?
Connecticut leads with a +40.3% rise in the typical home value over five years, followed by New Hampshire (+35.6%), New Jersey (+35.4%), Rhode Island (+33.6%), and Wisconsin (+31.1%). The national increase is +20.3%. The slowest five-year growth is in Louisiana (+1.1%), Idaho (+6.2%), and Colorado (+6.8%).
Where are home prices falling?
Typical home values are down from a year ago in 9 states, led by Nevada (-1.8%), Texas (-1.6%), Florida (-1.5%), Colorado (-1.4%), and Arizona (-1.1%). Values are still rising in 39 states, fastest in Alaska (+5.7%), New York (+5.6%), and Illinois (+5.3%). Nationally the typical home rose 1.2% over the year.
Which states have the most homes for sale and the most price cuts?
Florida has the most homes listed for sale (175K), followed by Texas (163K), California (97K), and Georgia (59K). The largest share of listings with a price cut is in Colorado at 32.3%, then Utah (31.5%), Tennessee (31.4%), and Washington (31.0%); the national share is 26.4%. New York has the fewest at 17.3%.
Which states are buyer's markets and which are seller's markets?
7 states are buyer's markets and 2 are seller's markets by our reading of Zillow Research data. We compare three Zillow signals with the national market: the share of listings with a price cut, days from listing to pending, and whether for-sale inventory is up from a year ago. 7 states are cold (all three point toward buyers), led by Utah, Arizona, North Carolina, and Tennessee, and 2 are hot (all three favor sellers), including California and North Dakota. Nationally 26.4% of listings cut price and homes go pending in 53 days.
Why do home values vary so much by state?
A 4.6× spread separates the most and least expensive states, and land supply, incomes, population growth and building rules drive it. The typical home in Hawaii is worth $833,340 against $179,496 in West Virginia. Income explains part of it: Hawaii's median household earns $94,814 against $54,515 in West Virginia, but the price gap is far larger than the income gap, which is why the affordability gap column matters more than the raw price.
Is median home value the same as median sale price?
No. The Zillow Home Value Index, the "typical home value" used here, is the typical value of all homes in the middle third of a market (35th to 65th percentile), whether or not they sold. The median sale price covers only homes that closed in the month, so it swings with what happened to sell. Nationally the typical home value is $368,697 and the median sale price $383,633. This page uses the value index for rankings and history because it is stable month to month and covers every state; sale and list prices are shown alongside for context.
Are there hidden costs in the cheapest states?
Yes. The mortgage payment shown here is principal and interest only, so the true monthly cost of owning is higher in every state. Property tax adds the most: West Virginia's effective rate is 0.55% of value, while the highest-tax states charge more than twice that. Homeowners insurance, utilities and, in some states, high income or sales taxes also change the picture. Use the affordability calculator for the full monthly cost of a household in any state, and the state pages for taxes and utilities.
Where does this housing data come from and how current is it?
Home values, rents, mortgage payments, income needed, inventory, price cuts, days to pending and sale and list prices all come from Zillow Research, which publishes them free each month for the prior month. Median household income is from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. We rebuild this page from the newest Zillow files as they are released, so the figures always reflect the latest Zillow Research release; the latest month shown is August.
Home values, rents, mortgage payments, income needed, inventory, price cuts, days to pending and sale and list prices are published by Zillow Research and shown here as released, with attribution. Zillow is a source for this page, not an affiliate.