Most affordable counties in the United States
Affordability is local. A six-figure salary can feel tight in one county and comfortable two states away. This ranking compares the typical household income in each county with the typical home value in that same county, so you can see where earnings and housing costs actually line up.
| Rank | County, State | Index | Median income | Median home value | Median rent | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hutchinson County, TX | 100.0 | $62,211 | $96,500 | $881 | 4.3% |
| 2 | Boone County, WV | 99.8 | $56,182 | $87,300 | $735 | 9.8% |
| 3 | Willacy County, TX | 99.2 | $42,839 | $66,900 | $695 | 8.7% |
| 4 | Allegany County, NY | 97.4 | $58,725 | $93,200 | $735 | 7.3% |
| 5 | McKinley County, NM | 96.9 | $44,029 | $70,200 | $806 | 9.6% |
| 6 | Marion County, IL | 94.6 | $59,099 | $96,200 | $734 | 8.1% |
| 7 | Randolph County, IN | 94.0 | $59,674 | $97,600 | $758 | 5.6% |
| 8 | Montgomery County, IL | 93.0 | $61,796 | $102,000 | $684 | 5.6% |
| 9 | Apache County, AZ | 92.1 | $37,483 | $62,400 | $635 | 9.5% |
| 10 | Wyoming County, WV | 92.1 | $44,510 | $74,100 | $677 | 6.4% |
| 11 | McKean County, PA | 91.8 | $57,861 | $96,600 | $756 | 5.3% |
| 12 | Labette County, KS | 90.8 | $56,143 | $94,600 | $723 | 2.4% |
| 13 | Saline County, IL | 89.9 | $51,710 | $87,900 | $720 | 5.9% |
| 14 | Franklin County, IL | 89.0 | $51,031 | $87,500 | $725 | 6.7% |
| 15 | Gray County, TX | 88.9 | $54,563 | $93,600 | $846 | 5.4% |
| 16 | Letcher County, KY | 88.9 | $38,466 | $66,000 | $625 | 7.7% |
| 17 | Vermilion County, IL | 88.4 | $52,787 | $91,000 | $769 | 6.7% |
| 18 | Worth County, GA | 87.8 | $56,496 | $98,000 | $875 | 7.0% |
| 19 | Fulton County, IL | 87.2 | $57,223 | $99,800 | $782 | 6.8% |
| 20 | Montgomery County, KS | 86.8 | $51,513 | $90,200 | $747 | 4.7% |
| 21 | Marshall County, IA | 85.3 | $70,828 | $125,900 | $832 | 5.6% |
| 22 | Ford County, KS | 84.8 | $67,997 | $121,500 | $948 | 3.2% |
| 23 | Scott County, MS | 83.6 | $44,968 | $81,300 | $775 | 6.0% |
| 24 | Perry County, IL | 83.5 | $56,338 | $102,000 | $656 | 6.1% |
| 25 | Emanuel County, GA | 82.6 | $47,905 | $87,500 | $724 | 8.9% |
| 26 | Venango County, PA | 82.4 | $59,278 | $108,500 | $740 | 6.7% |
| 27 | Cattaraugus County, NY | 81.5 | $56,889 | $105,100 | $745 | 5.4% |
| 28 | Lincoln County, WV | 81.2 | $50,985 | $94,500 | $734 | 5.9% |
| 29 | Cowley County, KS | 80.5 | $55,726 | $104,000 | $776 | 5.3% |
| 30 | Bureau County, IL | 80.1 | $64,165 | $120,200 | $787 | 5.7% |
| 31 | Macoupin County, IL | 80.1 | $64,706 | $121,300 | $796 | 4.6% |
| 32 | Livingston County, IL | 79.9 | $68,175 | $128,100 | $836 | 3.7% |
| 33 | Wapello County, IA | 79.7 | $56,209 | $105,800 | $909 | 4.4% |
| 34 | Logan County, IL | 79.3 | $62,547 | $118,200 | $761 | 5.2% |
| 35 | Jackson County, OK | 79.3 | $60,954 | $115,200 | $842 | 4.2% |
| 36 | Miami County, IN | 79.1 | $59,551 | $112,800 | $776 | 4.5% |
| 37 | Fayette County, IN | 78.9 | $52,219 | $99,100 | $763 | 4.5% |
| 38 | Clay County, IN | 78.7 | $68,364 | $130,000 | $788 | 4.3% |
| 39 | Caddo County, OK | 78.6 | $52,443 | $99,900 | $686 | 6.0% |
| 40 | Shelby County, IL | 78.4 | $65,585 | $125,200 | $768 | 4.0% |
| 41 | Christian County, IL | 78.3 | $56,933 | $108,800 | $705 | 4.4% |
| 42 | Herkimer County, NY | 77.7 | $68,104 | $130,900 | $776 | 4.2% |
| 43 | Hale County, TX | 77.7 | $50,721 | $97,500 | $757 | 4.7% |
| 44 | Iroquois County, IL | 77.7 | $62,866 | $120,900 | $773 | 4.9% |
| 45 | Knox County, IL | 77.5 | $50,263 | $96,800 | $694 | 4.9% |
| 46 | Taylor County, FL | 77.3 | $46,239 | $89,300 | $909 | 5.8% |
| 47 | Steuben County, NY | 77.1 | $62,506 | $121,000 | $832 | 6.3% |
| 48 | Clay County, KY | 76.9 | $37,888 | $73,500 | $642 | 10.0% |
| 49 | Hancock County, WV | 76.8 | $57,515 | $111,700 | $731 | 8.5% |
| 50 | Jay County, IN | 76.7 | $52,231 | $101,500 | $771 | 4.4% |
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Take Matching QuizMethodology
We start from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for every county in the country: median household income, median home value, median gross rent, median real estate taxes and population.
For this ranking we divide median household income by median home value in the same county, then rescale the result to a 0-100 index where 100 is the strongest income-to-price relationship we observe. Counties with fewer than 20,000 residents are excluded because small-sample estimates swing too widely to rank fairly.
The index is a housing-cost comparison, not a quality-of-life score. It does not adjust for taxes, insurance, commuting or wage growth, and it is not personalised advice.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (5-year). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2022.
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Think Bigger Today keeps its editorial standards independent of commercial relationships. This review was written by our team using publicly available information, including regulatory filings and published rate sheets. the named company did not review, approve or endorse it, and is not responsible for its accuracy. Companies that work with us commercially get no preferential coverage, scoring or placement. This page may link to our free matching service, for which we can be paid a referral fee — that fee never decides what we publish, and you may or may not be matched with the named company. Figures can change without notice; always confirm the current terms with the provider. Nothing here is financial, legal or tax advice.