What does this owner cost burden ranking show?

It orders states by Mortgage owners spending 30%+ of income on housing. It is a comparison of this one published measure, not an overall ranking of where to live.

Where do these figures come from?

U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year supplies this measure. States without a comparable published value are shown as not ranked rather than estimated.

How should I use this ranking?

Use it to narrow a search, then open a state or county profile for the underlying figures, source dates and caveats. A statewide number may not describe every neighbourhood.

Rankings · Housing

Lowest owner cost burden by state

Mortgage owners spending 30%+ of income on housing.

Share of owner-occupied households with a mortgage whose selected monthly owner costs are 30% or more of household income. It is intentionally limited to mortgage owners because ACS publishes their denominator separately; owners without a mortgage face a different cost structure. Census ACS 5-year table B25091.

How to read this ranking

West Virginia has the lowest published owner cost burden in this comparison, at 19.4%. The next states shown are Indiana (20.1%) and Iowa (20.3%).

The table orders 51 states by mortgage owners spending 30%+ of income on housing. It describes one published measure, not an overall judgment about where to live.

Use the result as a starting point, then compare the underlying source, dates, and local county figures before making a decision. Share of owner-occupied households with a mortgage whose selected monthly owner costs are 30% or more of household income. It is intentionally limited to mortgage owners because ACS publishes their denominator separately; owners without a mortgage face a different cost structure. Census ACS 5-year table B25091.

1West Virginia19.4%
2Indiana20.1%
3Iowa20.3%
4North Dakota20.8%
5Ohio21.1%
6Missouri21.8%
7Kansas22.1%
8Nebraska22.2%
9Arkansas22.3%
10Wisconsin22.4%
11Kentucky22.5%
12Minnesota23.2%
13South Dakota23.2%
14Michigan23.3%
15Alabama23.6%
16Pennsylvania23.6%
17Oklahoma24.3%
18North Carolina24.4%
19Tennessee24.5%
20Virginia25.0%
21District of Columbia25.1%
22Utah25.1%
23South Carolina25.4%
24Delaware25.7%
25Georgia26.1%
26Mississippi26.2%
27Wyoming26.3%
28Illinois26.5%
29Maryland26.6%
30Maine26.9%
31Arizona27.3%
32Idaho27.4%
33Louisiana27.8%
34New Hampshire27.8%
35New Mexico28.4%
36Vermont28.5%
37Alaska28.8%
38Texas28.8%
39Montana29.5%
40Washington29.5%
41Connecticut29.7%
42Colorado29.8%
43Massachusetts30.0%
44Oregon30.5%
45Rhode Island30.7%
46Nevada31.2%
47New Jersey32.2%
48New York33.1%
49Florida35.0%
50California38.0%
51Hawaii40.1%

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Frequently asked questions

What does this ranking show?: It orders states by Mortgage owners spending 30%+ of income on housing. It is one measure, not an overall verdict on where to live.
Where do the figures come from?: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year. States without a comparable published figure are listed as not ranked rather than estimated.
How should I use it?: Use it to narrow your search, then open a state or county profile for the source date, caveats and local context.

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Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year. · How this is built

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