Mapped: The World’s Least Affordable Housing Markets in 2024

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1 hour ago

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June 24, 2024 Graphics/Design:

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The World’s Least Affordable Housing Markets in 2024

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Many cities around the world have become very expensive to buy a home in, but which ones are the absolute most unattainable?

In this graphic, we highlight a number of housing markets that are deemed to be “impossibly unaffordable” in 2024, ranked by their median price-to-income ratio.

This data comes from the Demographia International Housing Affordability Report, which is produced by the Chapman University Center for Demographics and Policy.

Data and Key Takeaway

The median price-to-income ratio compares median house price to median household income within each market. A higher ratio (higher prices relative to incomes) means a city is less affordable.

See the following table for all of the data we used to create this graphic. Note that this analysis covers 94 markets across eight countries: Australia, Canada, China, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

RankMetropolitan MarketCountryMedian price-to-income
ratio 1Hong Kong (SAR)🇨🇳 China16.7 2Sydney🇦🇺 Australia13.8 3Vancouver🇨🇦 Canada12.3 4San Jose🇺🇸 U.S.11.9 5Los Angeles🇺🇸 U.S.10.9 6Honolulu🇺🇸 U.S.10.5 7Melbourne🇦🇺 Australia9.8 8San Francisco🇺🇸 U.S.9.7 9Adelaide🇦🇺 Australia9.7 10San Diego🇺🇸 U.S.9.5 11Toronto🇨🇦 Canada9.3 12Auckland🇳🇿 New Zealand8.2

According to the Demographia report, cities with a median price-to-income ratio of over 9.0 are considered “impossibly unaffordable”.

We can see that the top city in this ranking, Hong Kong, has a ratio of 16.7. This means that the median price of a home is 16.7 times greater than the median income.

Which Cities are More Affordable?

On the flipside, here are the top 12 most affordable cities that were analyzed in the Demographia report.

RankMetropolitan MarketCountryMedian price-to-income
ratio 1Pittsburgh🇺🇸 U.S.3.1 2Rochester🇺🇸 U.S.3.4 2St. Louis🇺🇸 U.S.3.4 4Cleveland🇺🇸 U.S.3.5 5Edmonton🇨🇦 Canada3.6 5Buffalo🇺🇸 U.S.3.6 5Detroit🇺🇸 U.S.3.6 5Oklahoma City🇺🇸 U.S.3.6 9Cincinnati🇺🇸 U.S.3.7

Visualizing the Wealth of Americans Under 40 (1989-2023)

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5 hours ago

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June 18, 2024 Graphics/Design:

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Visualizing the Wealth of Americans Under 40 (1989-2023)

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Millennials have been often referred to as a “broke generation.” Whether in conversations or on the news, it is common to hear how those born in the 1980s or 1990s are struggling in today’s economy, particularly when it comes to entering the housing market or saving for retirement.

However, data shows that the wealth of Americans under 40 years old has hit historic highs after the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that millennials have accumulated more wealth by their 40s than previous generations.

To illustrate this, the graphic above shows the average wealth per household, adjusted for inflation, for Americans under 40 years old from Q4 1989 to Q4 2023 (in December 2023 dollars). The data is sourced from the Federal Reserve and accessed via the Center for American Progress.

Post-Pandemic Recovery

Data indicates that younger Americans have reaped the most benefits from the strong economic recovery after the pandemic, enjoying low unemployment rates and rapid wage growth.

The average wealth of U.S. households under 40 was $259,000 in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2023, compared to $164,000 in Q4 1989 and $182,000 in Q4 2000.

QuarterAverage Wealth for Those Under 40 (USD) Q4 1990152K Q4 1995146K Q4 2000182K Q4 2005184K Q4 2010100K Q4 2015148K Q4 2020231K Q4 2023259K

Looking specifically at millennial households, inflation-adjusted wealth has more than doubled during the same period.

The increase in younger Americans’ wealth is not concentrated in a single area. Average housing wealth—house values minus mortgage debt—rose by $22,000 from 2019 to 2023. Younger Americans also saw gains in liquid assets, such as bank deposits and money market mutual funds, business ownership, and financial assets, mainly stocks and mutual funds.

Additionally, non-housing debt, such as credit card and student loan debt, fell for this age group after the pandemic.

Ranked: U.S. Cities with the Highest Rent in 2024

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June 11, 2024 Graphics/Design:

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Ranked: U.S. Cities with the Highest Rent in 2024

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Rental prices have surged in several American cities in recent years. Factors such as inflation, a limited housing inventory, a changing workforce, and barriers to homeownership have all contributed to the increase in rent costs.

This graphic shows the top 10 American cities with the highest rental costs as of May 2024, according to the Zumper National Rent Index. Prices are for 1-bedroom units.

NYC Prices: $4,200 for One-Bedroom

New York tops the list with an average monthly cost of $4,200 for a one-bedroom apartment. Not only is it expensive, but due to high demand, living in the Big Apple can be competitive.

While half of all renters in the U.S. spend more than 30% of their income on rent, residents in New York can spend more than 40% of their income renting a place.

RankingCityPrice in 2024Price in 2023YOY change 1New York, NY$4,200$3,78011.1% 2Jersey City, NJ$3,330$3,1814.7% 3San Francisco, CA$2,950$3,001-1.7% 4Boston, MA$2,830$2,7004.8% 5Miami, FL$2,770$2,900-4.5% 6San Jose, CA$2,570$2,630-2.3% 7Arlington, VA$2,380$2,2993.5% 8San Diego, CA$2,370$2,401-1.3% 9Washington, DC$2,300$2,371-3.0% 9Los Angeles, CA$2,300$2,421-5.0%

Across the Hudson River, Jersey City ranks second, with one-bedroom suites priced at $3,330.

On the West Coast, San Francisco leads with $2,950 for a one-bedroom unit. Four of the 10 most expensive cities to rent are in California.

According to a study by Harvard University, the pandemic has intensified the housing affordability crisis in the United States. While high-end market supply may offer some relief to middle and higher-income renters, lower-income households will continue to struggle due to high construction costs and market dynamics.

What are the most valuable housing markets in the United States? We ranked housing markets in this chart to find out.

Mapped: The Income a Family Needs to Live Comfortably in Every U.S. State

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2 hours ago

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May 22, 2024 Graphics/Design:

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The Income a Family Needs to Live Comfortably in Every U.S. State

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Families in the top five most expensive U.S. states require an annual income exceeding $270,000 to live comfortably.

This visualization illustrates the income necessary for two working adults with two children to maintain a comfortable lifestyle in each state.

“Comfortable” is defined as the income needed to cover a 50/30/20 budget, with 50% allocated to necessities like housing and utilities, 30% to discretionary spending, and 20% to savings or investments.

The calculations for family income needed in each state were done by SmartAsset, using the cost of necessities sourced from the MIT Living Wage Calculator, last updated on Feb. 14, 2024.

Massachusetts Tops the List

Massachusetts is the most expensive state to live comfortably in, requiring a total family income of about $301,184. Hawaii ($294,611) comes in second, followed by Connecticut ($279,885).

Housing is one main reason Massachusetts is an expensive state to live in, particularly in the Boston area. In addition, the state also has a high cost of living, including expenses such as healthcare and utilities.

RankStateIncome for 2 working adults raising 2 children 1Massachusetts$301,184 2Hawaii$294,611 3Connecticut$279,885 4New York$278,970 5California$276,723 6Colorado$264,992 7Washington$257,421 8Oregon$257,338 9New Jersey$251,181 10Rhode Island$249,267 11Vermont$248,352 12Minnesota$244,774 13New Hampshire$244,109 14Alaska$242,611 15Maryland$239,450 16Nevada$237,286 17Virginia$235,206 18Illinois$231,962 19Arizona$230,630 20Pennsylvania$230,464 21Maine$229,549 22Delaware$228,966 23Wisconsin$225,056 24Utah$218,483 25Michigan$214,490 26Nebraska$213,075 27Georgia$212,826 28Montana$211,411 28Iowa$211,411 30Idaho$211,245 31North Carolina$209,331 31Ohio$209,331 33Florida$209,082 34Indiana$206,003 35New Mexico$203,923 36Wyoming$203,424 37Missouri$202,259 38North Dakota$202,176 39Texas$201,344 40South Carolina$200,762 41Kansas$196,768 42Tennessee$195,770 43Oklahoma$194,106 44Alabama$193,606 45South Dakota$192,608 46Kentucky$190,112 47Louisiana$189,613