You’re least likely to own a home in these Texas cities
(NEXSTAR) — Whether you’re a beleaguered millennial who’s given up on the dream of homeownership or a still-hopeful member of Gen Z, for most younger U.S. adults the possibility of owning a home still seems like an uphill battle.
And in many U.S. cities, for average wage earners, homeownership is nearly unattainable. That’s according to financial news and data outlet FinanceBuzz, which recently analyzed government and housing industry data for the 100 largest cities to find the U.S. cities where you’re least likely to own a home.
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Even though the Texas cities included didn’t rank among the most expensive states (Texas’ first entry is 20th on the list), some of the Lone Star State’s most prime destinations for work and play are pretty pricey.
The top 10 Texas cities where homeownership is more difficult to obtain, according to FinanceBuzz:
City | Home attainability score | Median household income | Median home sale price | Percent of monthly income spent on mortgage |
Dallas | 61.9 | $65,400 | $385,700 | 41% |
Houston | 58.6 | $60,426 | $345,600 | 40% |
Irving | 54.6 | $78,326 | $385,700 | 32% |
San Antonio | 53.2 | $58,829 | $332,200 | 34% |
Arlington | 53.1 | $70,433 | $385,700 | 31% |
Lubbock | 52.4 | $56,910 | $230,200 | 35% |
El Paso | 52.0 | $52,645 | $254,600 | 33% |
Fort Worth | 50.3 | $71,527 | $385,700 | 33% |
Corpus Christi | 50.0 | $60,958 | $279,500 | 35% |
Garland | 48.7 | $71,191 | $385,700 | 29% |
As you’ll see in the chart above, these Texas cities were found to have monthly mortgage costs that were higher than 28% of gross income — experts say 28% is the highest mortgage-to-income percentage potential homeowners should even consider.
You might have noticed the omission of Austin, especially as Texas’ capital city often makes headlines for its home un-affordability. Well, don’t get too excited. FinanceBuzz determined Austin’s home attainability score to be 47.2, with a median household income of $89,415 against a median home sale price of $485,700. This means Austin has a mortgage-to-income percentage of 33%.
Austin comes in 11th down the line of Texas cities on the list.
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And while Texas has plenty of metros currently considered unaffordable by the study, a few other Texas cities ranked as attainable.
Plano actually placed sixth nationally for cities where homeownership is most attainable, according to FinanceBuzz. Researchers found residents of Plano, located in north Texas, have a median household income of $103,916 and that homes sell for a median price of $385,700. All-in-all, this Dallas-Fort Worth area city was found to have the second-lowest income-to-home price in the U.S., with a 3.7 — which means median home sale prices are only 3.7 times the median household income.
Gilbert, Arizona, was determined to be the city where you’re most likely to own a home. The state of Arizona is the top contender here, as it’s the only state with three cities in the top 10 list of cities where homeownership if most attainable.
Visit FinanceBuzz to see the full study of U.S. cities where it’s most (and least) likely for you to own a home.
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