West Virginia and Kansas had the lowest cost of living across all U.S. states, with composite costs being half of those found in Hawaii. This was according to a composite index that compares prices for various goods and services on a state-by-state basis. In West Virginia, the cost of living index amounted to 84.8 - well below the national benchmark of 100. Nevada - which had an index value of 100.1 - was only slightly above that benchmark. Expensive places to live included Hawaii, Massachusetts, and California Housing costs in the U.S. Housing is usually the highest expense in a household’s budget. In 2023, the average house sold for approximately 427,000 U.S. dollars, but house prices in the Northeast and West regions were significantly higher. Conversely, the South had some of the least expensive housing. In West Virginia, Mississippi, and Louisiana, the median price of the typical single-family home was less than 200,000 U.S. dollars. That makes living costs in these states significantly lower than in states such as Hawaii and California, where housing is much more expensive. What other expenses affect the cost of living? Utility costs such as electricity, natural gas, water, and internet also influence the cost of living. In Alaska, Hawaii, and Connecticut, the average monthly utility cost exceeded 500 U.S. dollars. That was because of the significantly higher prices for electricity and natural gas in these states.

In 2024, the western island state of Hawaii offered the most affordable homeowners insurance for homeowners in the United States. Homeowners in Hawaii paid annually 515 U.S. dollars in order to have insurance coverage for their homes. In the meantime, homeowners in the northeastern state of Delaware had to pay 870 U.S. dollars on an annual basis for the same sort of insurance.

In the United States, Hawaii was the state with the most expensive housing, with the typical value of single-family homes in the 35th to 65th percentile range exceeding 981,000 U.S. dollars. Unsurprisingly, Hawaii also ranked top as the state with the highest cost of living. Meanwhile, a property was the least expensive in West Virginia, where it cost under 167,000 U.S. dollars to buy the typical single-family home. Single-family home prices increased across most states in the United States between December 2023 and December 2024, except in Louisiana, Florida, and the District of Colombia. According to the Federal Housing Association, house appreciation in 13 states exceeded nine percent in 2023.

This map uses a two-color thematic shading to emphasize where areas experience the least to the most affordable housing across the US. This web map is part of the How Affordable is the American Dream story map.

Esri’s Housing Affordability Index (HAI) is a powerful tool to analyze local real estate markets. Esri’s housing affordability index measures the financial ability of a typical household to purchase an existing home in an area. A HAI of 100 represents an area that on average has sufficient household income to qualify for a loan on a home valued at the median home price. An index greater than 100 suggests homes are easily afforded by the average area resident. A HAI less than 100 suggests that homes are less affordable. The housing affordability index is not applicable in areas with no households or in predominantly rental markets . Esri’s home value estimates cover owner-occupied homes only. For a full demographic analysis of US growth refer to Esri's Trending in 2017: The Selectivity of Growth.

The pop-up is configured to show the following 2017 demographics for each County and ZIP Code:

Total Households 2010-17 Annual Pop Change Median Age Percent Owner-Occupied Housing Units Median Household Income Median Home Value Housing Affordability Index Share of Income to Mortgage

In 2023, the annual cost for a private room in an assisted living facility in the U.S. amounted to 64,200 U.S. dollars - the national median price. However, cost varied greatly from one state to another. The least expensive states for a private room in assisted living were Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama. While the most expensive states for assisted living were Hawaii and Maine.

First launched by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Department of Transportation (DOT) in November 2013, the Location Affordability Index (LAI) provides ubiquitous, standardized household housing and transportation cost estimates for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Because what is affordable is different for everyone, users can choose among eight household profiles—which vary by household income, size, and number of commuters—and see the impact of the built environment on affordability in a given location while holding household demographics constant.

Version 3 updates the constituent data sets with 2012-2016 American Community Survey data and makes several methodological tweaks, most notably moving to modeling at the Census tract level rather at the block group. As with Version 2, the inputs to the simultaneous equation model (SEM) include six endogenous variables—housing costs, car ownership, and transit usage for both owners and renters—and 18 exogenous variables, with vehicle miles traveled still modeled separately due to data limitations.To learn more about the Location Affordability Index (v.3) visit: https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/location-affordability-index/, for questions about the spatial attribution of this dataset, please reach out to us at GISHelpdesk@hud.gov. Date of Coverage: 2012-2016 Data Dictionary: DD_Location Affordability Indev v.3.0LAI Version 3 Data and MethodologyLAI Version 3 Technical Documentation

In 2023, the annual cost for a private room in an assisted living facility in the U.S. amounted to 64,200 U.S. dollars. However, costs varied greatly from one state to another. The most expensive states for a private room in assisted living was found in Hawaii, followed by Maine and Vermont.

Graph and download economic data for Median Sales Price of Houses Sold for the United States (MSPUS) from Q1 1963 to Q4 2024 about sales, median, housing, and USA.

The housing affordability measure illustrates the relationship between income and housing costs. A household that spends 30% or more of its collective monthly income to cover housing costs is considered to be “housing cost-burden[ed].”[1] Those spending between 30% and 49.9% of their monthly income are categorized as “moderately housing cost-burden[ed],” while those spending more than 50% are categorized as “severely housing cost-burden[ed].”[2]

How much a household spends on housing costs affects the household’s overall financial situation. More money spent on housing leaves less in the household budget for other needs, such as food, clothing, transportation, and medical care, as well as for incidental purchases and saving for the future.

The estimated housing costs as a percentage of household income are categorized by tenure: all households, those that own their housing unit, and those that rent their housing unit.

Throughout the period of analysis, the percentage of housing cost-burdened renter households in Champaign County was higher than the percentage of housing cost-burdened homeowner households in Champaign County. All three categories saw year-to-year fluctuations between 2005 and 2023, and none of the three show a consistent trend. However, all three categories were estimated to have a lower percentage of housing cost-burdened households in 2023 than in 2005.

Data on estimated housing costs as a percentage of monthly income was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) 1-Year Estimates, which are released annually.

As with any datasets that are estimates rather than exact counts, it is important to take into account the margins of error (listed in the column beside each figure) when drawing conclusions from the data.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, instead of providing the standard 1-year data products, the Census Bureau released experimental estimates from the 1-year data in 2020. This includes a limited number of data tables for the nation, states, and the District of Columbia. The Census Bureau states that the 2020 ACS 1-year experimental tables use an experimental estimation methodology and should not be compared with other ACS data. For these reasons, and because data is not available for Champaign County, no data for 2020 is included in this Indicator.

For interested data users, the 2020 ACS 1-Year Experimental data release includes a dataset on Housing Tenure.

[1] Schwarz, M. and E. Watson. (2008). Who can afford to live in a home?: A look at data from the 2006 American Community Survey. U.S. Census Bureau.

[2] Ibid.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2023 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table B25106; generated by CCRPC staff; using data.census.gov; (17 October 2024).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2022 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table B25106; generated by CCRPC staff; using data.census.gov; (22 September 2023).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2021 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table B25106; generated by CCRPC staff; using data.census.gov; (30 September 2022).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2019 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table B25106; generated by CCRPC staff; using data.census.gov; (10 June 2021).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2018 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table B25106; generated by CCRPC staff; using data.census.gov; (10 June 2021).;U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2017 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table B25106; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (13 September 2018).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2016 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table B25106; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (14 September 2017).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2015 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table B25106; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (19 September 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2014 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table B25106; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2013 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table B25106; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2012 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table B25106; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table B25106; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table B25106; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2009 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table B25106; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2008 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table B25106; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; 16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2007 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table B25106; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2006 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table B25106; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2005 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table B25106; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; (16 March 2016).

Graph and download economic data for Housing Affordability Index (Fixed) (FIXHAI) from Jan 2024 to Jan 2025 about fixed, housing, indexes, and USA.

United States Private Housing Starts: 2 or More Units: Square Feet per Unit: Avg data was reported at 1,082.000 sq ft in Mar 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1,162.000 sq ft for Dec 2017. United States Private Housing Starts: 2 or More Units: Square Feet per Unit: Avg data is updated quarterly, averaging 1,174.000 sq ft from Mar 1999 (Median) to Mar 2018, with 77 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,342.000 sq ft in Sep 2007 and a record low of 1,073.000 sq ft in Mar 2011. United States Private Housing Starts: 2 or More Units: Square Feet per Unit: Avg data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.EA014: Private Housing Units: Started: By Purpose and Design.

The U.S. housing market has seen significant price growth since 2011, with the median sales price of existing single-family homes reaching a record high of 408,000 U.S. dollars in 2024. This represents a substantial increase of 133,000 over the past five years, highlighting the rapid appreciation of home values across the country. The trend of rising prices can also be observed in the new homes sold. Regional variations and housing shortage While the national median price provides a broad overview, regional differences in home prices are notable. The West remains the most expensive region, with prices twice higher than in the more affordable Midwest. This disparity persists despite efforts to increase housing supply. In 2024, approximately 982,000 building permits for single-family housing units were granted, showing a slight increase from previous years but still well below the 2005 peak of 1.68 million permits. The ongoing housing shortage continues to drive prices upward across all regions. Market dynamics and future outlook The number of existing home sales has plummeted since 2020, reflecting the growing cost of homeownership. Factors such as high home prices, unfavorable economic conditions, and aggressive increases in mortgage rates have contributed to affordability challenges for many potential homebuyers. Despite these challenges, forecasts suggest a potential recovery in the housing market by 2025, though transaction volumes are expected to remain below long-term averages.

United States Private Housing Unit Authorized But Not Started: sa: 5 or More Units data was reported at 131.000 Unit th in Jan 2025. This stayed constant from the previous number of 131.000 Unit th for Dec 2024. United States Private Housing Unit Authorized But Not Started: sa: 5 or More Units data is updated monthly, averaging 58.000 Unit th from Jan 1999 (Median) to Jan 2025, with 313 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 164.000 Unit th in Feb 2023 and a record low of 27.000 Unit th in Sep 2010. United States Private Housing Unit Authorized But Not Started: sa: 5 or More Units data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.EA012: Private Housing Units: Authorized But Not Started: Seasonally Adjusted.

New Orleans was the most affordable city for backpackers in the United States as of January 2025. According to the source, backpackers could expect to spend around 94.93 U.S. dollars per day in the city. This figure includes a dorm bed at a cheap hostel, three budget meals, two public transportation rides, one paid cultural attraction, and three cheap beers (as an “entertainment fund”).

This web map shows the potential relationship between Esri's housing affordability index (HAI) and median household income in the United States for CBSA metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas. It also shows Total Household Growth between 2010-2018. The data can be used to determine the impact between income earned in relationship to housing affordability. For example;Which areas experience very affordable housing and earn high median household incomesWhich areas experience affordable housing but earn relatively low median household incomesWhich areas experience the least affordable housing but earn relatively high median household incomesWhich areas experience the least affordable housing along and below US median household incomes

United States Private Housing Units Under Construction: 5 or More Units data was reported at 593.300 Unit th in Sep 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 588.100 Unit th for Aug 2018. United States Private Housing Units Under Construction: 5 or More Units data is updated monthly, averaging 332.650 Unit th from Dec 1969 (Median) to Sep 2018, with 586 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 919.700 Unit th in Aug 1973 and a record low of 108.900 Unit th in Aug 1993. United States Private Housing Units Under Construction: 5 or More Units data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.EA009: Private Housing Units: Under Construction and Completed.

Key information about House Prices Growth

• US house prices grew 5.2% YoY in Sep 2024, following an increase of 6.2% YoY in the previous quarter.
• YoY growth data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 1992 to Sep 2024, with an average growth rate of 5.5%.
• House price data reached an all-time high of 17.7% in Sep 2021 and a record low of -12.4% in Dec 2008.

United States Housing Vacancy Rate: By Structure: Homeowner: 5 or More Units data was reported at 3.300 % in Jun 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 4.200 % for Mar 2018. United States Housing Vacancy Rate: By Structure: Homeowner: 5 or More Units data is updated quarterly, averaging 7.450 % from Mar 1972 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 182 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 21.100 % in Jun 1977 and a record low of 3.100 % in Jun 1999. United States Housing Vacancy Rate: By Structure: Homeowner: 5 or More Units data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.EB008: Housing Vacancy and Home Ownership Rate.

The Housing Affordability Index value in the United States plummeted in 2022, surpassing the historical record of 107.1 index points in 2006. In 2024, the housing affordability index measured 98.1 index points, making it the second-worst year for homebuyers since the start of the observation period. What does the Housing Affordability Index mean? The Housing Affordability Index uses data provided by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). It measures whether a family earning the national median income can afford the monthly mortgage payments on a median-priced existing single-family home. An index value of 100 means that a family has exactly enough income to qualify for a mortgage on a home. The higher the index value, the more affordable a house is to a family. Key factors that drive the real estate market Income, house prices, and mortgage rates are some of the most important factors influencing homebuyer sentiment. When incomes increase, consumer power also increases. The median household income in the United States declined in 2022, affecting affordability. Additionally, mortgage interest rates have soared, adding to the financial burden of homebuyers. The sales price of existing single-family homes in the U.S. has increased year-on-year since 2011 and reached 389,000 U.S. dollars in 2023.

Child and Adult Care Food Participation plays a vital role in improving the quality of day care for children and elderly adults by making care more affordable for many low-income families. Through CACFP, nearly 3 million children and 90,000 adults receive nutritious meals and snacks each day as part of the day care they receive. The data set contains participation; meals served, and cash payments to states.