The cost of owning a home

Existing owners face a different housing bill depending on whether they have a mortgage. Census estimates include selected housing costs, rather than the price of buying a home today.

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United States Median costs as a share of income · owners with a mortgage

21%

percent of household income 2020–2024

Data from U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey

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Change, 2019–2023 to 2020–2024

+0.1 percentage points

The Census estimate covers 2020–2024. Adjacent five-year estimates overlap.

Changes over time

United States: Median costs as a share of income · owners with a mortgage

percent of household income · 2005–2009 to 2020–2024

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey American Default Research · americandefault.org/affordability/owner-housing-costs/
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Median costs as a share of income · owners with a mortgage by state

2020–2024 · percent of household income

17.3%–19.4%19.4%–19.8%20%–20.6%20.6%–21.9%21.9%–25.7%

Median costs as a share of income · owners with a mortgage · 2020–2024

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey American Default Research · americandefault.org/affordability/owner-housing-costs/

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey

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Available history

Median costs as a share of income · owners with a mortgage
Data periodUnited States (%)
2020–202421
2019–202320.9
2018–202220.9
2017–202120.9
2016–202021.1
2015–201921.3
2014–201821.6
2013–201722
2012–201622.5
2011–201523.1
2010–201423.7
2009–201324.2
2008–201224.7
2007–201125
2006–201025
2005–200924.8

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community SurveyDownload data (CSV)

Sources and method

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey supplies the figures shown.

Census selected monthly owner costs include mortgage payments where applicable, property tax, insurance, utilities and fuel. Owners with and without a mortgage are reported separately.

About these figures

ACS five-year estimates pool five years of responses. Adjacent estimates overlap and should not be read as single-year price changes.

Place comparisons use the same data period. An older common period is named beside the comparison. A missing or withheld value is never changed to zero.

90% margin of error for United States, 2020–2024: ±0.1 percentage points.

The CSV includes the original source notes, annotations and estimate margins where supplied. Original source data remain subject to their publishers’ terms.

We write with AI tools. Every figure comes from the data and sources named on this page, and automated checks compare it with them before it's published.