Sheet 1 of 1 · New US house vs median household income · 1984 to 2026
Data: Census, HUD, Freddie Mac
A new US house costs 33% more years of income than in 1984. The payment takes a smaller bite.
In 1984 a median new house cost 3.6 years of median household income. In 2025 it cost 4.75. Yet the mortgage payment ate 40% of income then and 29% now. Make your guess, then find out why, and what got worse.
Your call
In 1984 the first-year payment on a median new house (30-year fixed, 20% down) took 40.2% of median household income. What share did it take in 2025?
The drawing: scrub the years
Your numbers: what does one payment buy?
The same monthly payment (principal and interest, 20% down, 30 years) buys very different houses at different rates. Dashed line: the median new house price in 2026 Q3.