
Based on home listing data for the month of September, Realtor.com has determined which of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas have the greatest share of homes affordable for the “middle-class”, defined here as a household earning a salary of $60,000 per year.
Assuming a maximum of 28% of that income is spent on housing, Realtor.com has determined that a family earning $60,000 a year could comfortably afford homes priced up to $257,400. Out of the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has the largest share of homes priced below this number at 64.3%, and a $179,100 median home price. Rochester, N.Y. came in second with 63.1% of homes priced below $257,400 and a median home price of $177,500.
"Generally, these aren't found in high-growth areas of the country ... [places] where we haven’t seen commensurate wage and salary growth," says Sean Snaith, an economics professor at the University of Central Florida. "You won’t find cities in California on this list."
Instead, for middle-class affordability, "you need to look toward areas where housing prices have not seen the same appreciation," he says.
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