BUYING MORE AFFORDABLE THAN RENTING IN A MAJORITY OF COUNTIES, BUT HOME PRICES RISING FASTER THAN RENTS
Home ownership consumed less of residents' typical wages than renting in 57.7 percent of counties; Median home prices rose faster than rent in 69 percent of counties
IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- ATTOM, a leading curator of land, property data, and real estate analytics, today released its 2026 Rental Affordability Report, which shows that in more than half of counties analyzed, owning a home is more affordable than renting a three-bedroom property.
Typical home ownership expenses consumed a smaller share of residents' wages than renting would have in 57.7 percent (210) of the 364 counties with sufficient data to analyze.
While home ownership would prove more affordable in the long run for many Americans, it usually requires a large up-front deposit and 2025 ended with record high home prices that may make it hard for some potential buyers to make the leap. In more than two thirds of counties analyzed, median home prices rose faster than rents in 2025.
"Renters looking to put down roots, young families who need more space, professionals relocating for work, and many others are facing a very tough choice," said Rob Barber, CEO of ATTOM. "The data shows that buying is typically the most affordable long-term option, but as the housing market sets new record-high prices quarter after quarter, affording the initial investment becomes increasingly challenging."
Home price growth exceeds rent growth in more than two thirds of counties
Median prices on single-family homes rose at a greater rate (or declined at a lesser rate) than median rent on a three-bedroom property in 69 percent (251) of the 364 counties with sufficient data to analyze. Counties were included in the report if they had a population of 100,000 or more, sufficient single family home sales data for 2025, and sufficient three-bedroom rental data for 2025 and 2024.
The most populous counties where median home prices rose faster (or declined slower) than typical three-bedroom rent were Los Angeles County, CA; Harris County, TX; Maricopa County, AZ; San Diego County, CA; and Orange County, CA.
The most populous counties where rent increases outpaced home prices were Cook County, IL; Alameda County, CA; Palm Beach County, FL; Hillsborough County, FL; and Orange County, FL.
Buying more affordable in Midwest, renting more affordable in West
Counties in Midwestern states showed a strong tendency toward home ownership being more affordable than renting, while the opposite was true in Western states.
In the Midwest, it was more affordable to buy than rent in 81.5 percent of counties analyzed. In the South, that was true for 66.3 percent of counties. But in the Northeast, it was more affordable to buy than rent in 48.8 percent of the counties analyzed and in the West it was only more affordable to buy in 16.9 percent of counties.
The counties with the biggest affordability gaps in favor of home ownership were Collier County, FL (ownership expenses for homes purchased in 2025 consumed 70.1 percent of the typical resident's wages, compared to 119.4 percent for median three-bedroom rent); Suffolk County, NY (60.4 percent of typical wages to own versus 97.8 percent to rent); Taylor County, TX (28.6 percent of typical wages to own compared to 45.9 to rent); Mobile County, AL (15.1 percent of typical wages to own versus 29 percent to rent); and Harrison County, MS (30.3 percent of typical wages to own versus 44.2 percent to rent).
Besides Suffolk County, among counties with populations of at least 1 million, the largest affordability gaps favoring ownership were in Cook County, IL (30.5 percent of typical wages to own versus 37.5 to rent); Wayne County, MI (14.9 percent of typical wages to own versus 21.3 percent for rent); Allegheny County, PA (20.2 percent of typical wages to own versus 24.9 percent to rent); and Harris County, TX (24.1 percent of typical wages to own versus 28.3 percent to rent).
The counties with the largest affordability gaps in favor of renting were Alexandria City, VA (91.4 percent of typical wages to own versus 48.5 to rent); Maui County, HI (119.2 percent of typical wages to own versus 78.9 to rent); Santa Clara County, CA (61.7 percent of typical wages to own versus 27.1 to rent); Alameda County, CA (79.3 percent of typical wages to own versus 46 percent to rent); and Orange County, CA (104.1 percent of typical wages to own versus 71.9 to rent).
Big regional differences in ownership affordability
Home ownership expenses consumed more than a third of the typical resident's wages in 65.7 percent (239) of the 364 counties analyzed. Owning consumed more than a third of typical residents' wages in 96.9 percent of counties in Western states, 86 percent of counties in Northeastern states, 61 percent of counties in Southern states, and 29.7 percent of counties in Midwestern states.
The most affordable counties to own a home (assuming a 20 percent down payment on purchase) were Peoria County, IL (owning consumed 14.5 percent of typical wages); Wayne County, MI (14.9 percent); Mobile County, AL (15.1 percent); Jefferson County, AL (16.3 percent); and Montgomery County, AL (16.7 percent).
Besides Wayne County, the most affordable counties to own with populations over 1 million were Allegheny County, PA (20.2 percent); Cuyahoga County, OH (20.5 percent); Harris County, TX (24.1 percent); and Duval County, FL (27.7 percent).
The least affordable counties for ownership were Maui County, HI (119.2 percent); Orange County, CA (104.1 percent); Honolulu County, HI (95.2 percent); Monterey County, CA (93.4 percent); and San Luis Obispo County, CA (92.5 percent).
Renting requires a third of wages in three quarters of counties
Renting a three-bedroom property, meanwhile, consumed more than a third of a typical resident's wages in 76.9 percent (280) of the 364 counties analyzed. Renting consumed more than a third of wages in 95.4 percent of analyzed counties in the West, 90.7 percent of counties in the Northeast, 77.7 percent of counties in the South, and 40.7 percent of counties in the Midwest.
The most affordable counties for renting were Jefferson County, AL (renting consumed 20.2 percent of a typical resident's wages); Wayne County, MI (21.3 percent); Shelby County, TN (22.1 percent); Black Hawk County, IA (22.3 percent); and Peoria County, IL (22.4 percent).
Besides Wayne County, the counties with populations over 1 million where it was most affordable to rent were Cuyahoga County, OH (24.2 percent); Allegheny County, PA (24.9 percent); Philadelphia County, PA (25.1 percent); and Santa Clara County, CA (27.1 percent).
The least affordable markets for renting were Collier County, FL (119.4 percent); Suffolk County, NY (97.8 percent); Monterey County, CA (80.2 percent); Maui County, HI (78.9 percent); and Westchester County, NY (75.4 percent).
In addition to Suffolk County, the counties with populations over 1 million that were least affordable for renting were Orange County, CA (71.9 percent); Nassau County, NY (68.5 percent); Riverside County, CA (67.7 percent); and Los Angeles County, CA (65.5 percent).
Wages outpacing rents and home prices
Average wages increased more (or declined less) than rent for three-bedroom properties in 76.1 percent (277) of the 364 counties with sufficient data to analyze.
The most populous counties where wages outpaced rent increases were Los Angeles County, CA; Harris County, TX; Maricopa County, AZ; San Diego County, CA; and Orange County, CA.
The largest counties where rent outpaced wages were Cook County, IL; Nassau County, NY; Allegheny County, PA; Salt Lake County, UT; and Fairfax County, VA.
Wages increased more (or declined less) than median home prices in 59.1 percent (215) of the 364 counties.
The most populous counties where wages outpaced home prices were Harris County, TX; Maricopa County, AZ; San Diego County, CA; Orange County, CA; and Miami-Dade County, FL.
The largest counties where home prices outpaced wages were Los Angeles County, CA; Cook County, IL; King County, WA; San Bernardino County, CA; and Santa Clara County, CA.
Key Takeaways from ATTOM's 2026 Rental Affordability Report
ATTOM's 2026 Rental Affordability Report finds that owning a home is more affordable than renting a three-bedroom property in 57.7% of U.S. counties analyzed, despite high upfront costs. The report also shows that median home prices rose faster than rents in 69% of counties, creating added challenges for prospective buyers. Regional gaps remain pronounced, with ownership most affordable in the Midwest and least affordable in the West.
Methodology
For this report, ATTOM looked at median three-bedroom rents in 2025 along with second-quarter 2024 and 2025 average weekly wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (the most recent data available) and 2025 single-family home price data from ATTOM's publicly recorded sales deed data in 364 counties nationwide.
Rental affordability represents the median fair market rent for a three-bedroom property as a percentage of the average monthly wage (based on average weekly wages). Home-buying affordability represents the monthly house payment for a median-priced home (including mortgage, based on a 20 percent down payment, plus property tax, homeowner's insurance and private mortgage insurance) as a percentage of the average monthly wage.
About ATTOM
ATTOM powers innovation across industries with premium property data and analytics covering 158 million U.S. properties—99% of the population. Our multi-sourced real estate data includes property tax, deed, mortgage, foreclosure, environmental risk, natural hazard, neighborhood and geospatial boundary information, all validated through a rigorous 20-step process and linked by a unique ATTOM ID.
From flexible delivery solutions—such as Property Data APIs, Bulk File Licenses, ATTOM Cloud, Real Estate Market Trends—to AI-Ready datasets, ATTOM fuels smarter decision-making across industries including real estate, mortgage, insurance, government, and more.
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