Housing Affordability

Thirteen of the 25 most affordable housing markets were found in the Midwest during the first quarter, according to the National Assn. of Home Builders index*. San Francisco maintained its rank as the least affordable of the 179 metropolitan areas surveyed, a position it has held every quarter since early 1991. No California cities were among the most affordable; 13 ranked among the least affordable.

Most Affordable Metro Area / Percentage Elkhart, Ind.: 86.3% Kokomo, Ind.: 85.3% Elmira, N.Y.: 83.7% Lima, Ohio: 82.8% Minneapolis: : 82.7% Davenport, Iowa: 82.4% Binghamton, N.Y.: 82.3% Kansas City, Mo.: 82.3% Pensacola, Fla.: 82.2% Lakeland, Fla.: 81.5% Rockford, Ill.: 81.3% Utica, N.Y.: 80.9% Youngstown, Ohio: 80.7% Peoria, Ill.: 80.7% Mansfield, Ohio: 80.6% Duluth, Minn.: 80.2% Brazoria, Tex.: 80.2% Melbourne, Fla.: 79.9% Ocala, Fla.: 79.8% Ft. Wayne, Ind.: 79.2% Syracuse, N.Y.: 79.1% Daytona Beach, Fla.: 78.8% Oklahoma City: 78.6% Jamestown, N.Y.: 78.2% Lincoln, Neb.: 78.1%

Least Affordable Metro Area / Percentage San Francisco: 20.8% Laredo, Tex.: 24.0% Salinas, Calif.: 25.1% Santa Rosa, Calif.: 28.1% Santa Cruz: 29.5% New York: 37.7% Honolulu: 38.6% El Paso: 39.2% Albuquerque, N.M.: 39.5% San Luis Obispo: 39.5% San Diego: 40.6% San Jose: 41.1% Provo, Utah: : 41.5% Los Angeles: : 41.6% Portland, Ore.: 42.1% Santa Barbara: 43.0% Reno: : 43.6% Oakland: 44.4% Yuba City, Calif.: 44.9% Stamford, Conn.: 45.2% Orange County: 47.8% Vallejo, Calif.: 49.1% Barnstable, Me.: 49.4% Austin, Tex.: 50.6% Fayetteville, Ark.: 50.7%

* The index measures the percentage of homes sold in a specific market that a family earning the median income in that market could afford to buy. It also takes into consideration differences in property tax rates and property insurance rates in each community.