How much money you need to earn to afford a home in 49 U.S. cities

Let's start with the good news: U.S. workers' pay is up roughly 4% this year, with median household income in April reaching roughly $88,000, according to government data. Now for the bad: That's still nearly $30,000 short of what online real estate firm Redfin estimates Americans need to earn to afford a home. Households need annual income of $116,780 to afford the average home, the firm said in a recent report , noting that this figure is down from a peak of $122,000 in mid-2025. …