Think Bigger Today index

Mortgage Affordability Stress Index

MASI combines the weekly Freddie Mac 30-year fixed rate with Census median home values and median household incomes to show how much of a typical paycheck a typical mortgage now takes in each state. A score of 0 means a payment near 15% of income; 100 means 65% or more.

AffordableSevere
19.1
Excellent
National average MASI

Based on a 30-year fixed rate of 6.67% and a 20% down payment.

Most stressed

Hawaii

50% of median income goes to the mortgage

Least stressed

Iowa

16% of median income goes to the mortgage

Income needed

$170,147

To keep the Hawaii median payment at 28% of gross income

States scored

52

Updated every week with the new mortgage rate print

Ranked

Every state by mortgage stress

Higher scores mean the median mortgage payment eats a larger share of the median household income.

  1. 1
    Hawaii$3,970/mo70.1
  2. 2
    California$3,649/mo62.4
  3. 3
    District of Columbia$3,628/mo55.6
  4. 4
    New York$2,742/mo46.5
  5. 5
    Washington$2,672/mo38.9
  6. 6
    Oregon$2,167/mo36.3
  7. 7
    Colorado$2,450/mo35.5
  8. 8
    Massachusetts$2,665/mo34.8
  9. 9
    Nevada$1,942/mo34.7
  10. 10
    Puerto Rico$646/mo32.7
  11. 11
    Montana$1,648/mo29.5
  12. 12
    Utah$2,137/mo28.5
  13. 13
    Idaho$1,714/mo28.2
  14. 14
    Florida$1,567/mo25.0
  15. 15
    Arizona$1,673/mo24.5
  16. 16
    Rhode Island$1,780/mo22.6
  17. 17
    New Jersey$2,152/mo22.5
  18. 18
    Wyoming$1,556/mo20.8
  19. 19
    Virginia$1,974/mo19.5
  20. 20
    Maryland$2,015/mo17.6
  21. 21
    Delaware$1,584/mo17.5
  22. 22
    Connecticut$1,803/mo17.3
  23. 23
    Vermont$1,447/mo16.0
  24. 24
    Tennessee$1,255/mo15.8
  25. 25
    New Hampshire$1,722/mo15.1
  26. 26
    Maine$1,309/mo15.1
  27. 27
    North Carolina$1,275/mo14.9
  28. 28
    New Mexico$1,100/mo14.6
  29. 29
    Alaska$1,604/mo14.4
  30. 30
    South Carolina$1,157/mo13.2
  31. 31
    Georgia$1,311/mo12.8
  32. 32
    Minnesota$1,494/mo11.6
  33. 33
    Louisiana$1,024/mo11.6
  34. 34
    Texas$1,257/mo10.4
  35. 35
    Wisconsin$1,206/mo9.4
  36. 36
    North Dakota$1,200/mo9.0
  37. 37
    Pennsylvania$1,217/mo8.6
  38. 38
    Illinois$1,286/mo8.3
  39. 39
    South Dakota$1,087/mo7.8
  40. 40
    Alabama$937/mo7.0
  41. 41
    Michigan$1,061/mo6.6
  42. 42
    Missouri$1,027/mo6.5
  43. 43
    Kentucky$932/mo6.4
  44. 44
    Arkansas$853/mo5.7
  45. 45
    Nebraska$1,058/mo4.9
  46. 46
    Mississippi$781/mo4.7
  47. 47
    Ohio$979/mo4.5
  48. 48
    Kansas$1,024/mo4.1
  49. 49
    Oklahoma$878/mo4.0
  50. 50
    Indiana$971/mo3.9
  51. 51
    West Virginia$777/mo3.3
  52. 52
    Iowa$959/mo2.2

Payment assumes a 20% down payment on the state median home value, 30-year term, principal and interest only.

How MASI is built

We amortise 80% of the state median home value over 360 months at the latest 30-year fixed rate, then divide that payment by one twelfth of the state median household income. That share of income is rescaled onto a 0–100 index between 15% (comfortable) and 65% (severe).

Because the mortgage rate refreshes weekly and the Census inputs refresh annually, the index reacts to rate moves in real time while holding local price and income levels constant.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (state median household income and median home value); Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey via FRED (weekly 30-year fixed rate). Latest observation 2026-08-13.

Related: Financial Stress Score · True Cost of Living Index