How Many Years It Takes to Buy a Home in Each U.S. State

Buying a home in the United States has become increasingly difficult—but the level of difficulty varies widely depending on where you live.

At the low end, states like Iowa require 8.7 years to save money to buy a house. This makes it the most affordable housing market that requires the shortest time to buy a property out of all states in the USA. On the other hand, California stands at the extreme, which requires 25.1 years to save for a house.

As far as housing prices are concerned, West Virginia is known to offer the cheapest property, costing approximately $239,900. Meanwhile, California offers the highest-priced homes at an average cost of $832,400.

📋 Years Required to Save for a Home by State

The table below shows how long it takes to save for a home across all 50 states, along with median home prices.

Rank	State	Years to Save	Median Home Price ($)
1	Iowa	8.7	$247,400
2	Ohio	9.9	$261,700
3	Texas	10.3	$339,400
4	Maryland	10.3	$439,300
5	North Dakota	10.6	$298,200
6	Kansas	10.6	$292,600
7	Oklahoma	10.7	$252,900
8	Illinois	10.7	$303,300
9	Alaska	10.9	$402,800
10	Indiana	11	$276,000
11	South Dakota	11.1	$326,800
12	Pennsylvania	11.5	$306,800
13	Alabama	11.9	$293,600
14	Minnesota	11.9	$363,600
15	Missouri	12	$280,100
16	Michigan	12	$284,600
17	Nebraska	12	$303,600
18	Delaware	12.3	$359,500
19	Wisconsin	12.7	$337,900
20	Arkansas	12.8	$267,800
21	Mississippi	12.8	$263,400
22	Georgia	12.9	$374,500
23	Kentucky	12.9	$271,000
24	Virginia	13.1	$456,400
25	New Hampshire	13.5	$510,700
26	Louisiana	13.7	$253,200
27	Tennessee	13.9	$392,000
28	West Virginia	14.1	$239,900
29	New Jersey	14.1	$564,200
30	Nevada	14.2	$460,300
31	Utah	14.2	$589,000
32	Connecticut	14.5	$461,700
33	Arizona	14.8	$446,900
34	North Carolina	14.8	$379,900
35	Washington	15.3	$631,100
36	South Carolina	15.4	$382,600
37	Idaho	16	$495,800
38	Vermont	16.3	$428,500
39	Florida	16.5	$404,300
40	New Mexico	17.1	$415,600
41	Colorado	17.8	$617,500
42	Maine	18.3	$395,700
43	Oregon	18.6	$507,800
44	Massachusetts	18.7	$639,300
45	Rhode Island	18.7	$570,100
46	Wyoming	20.3	$448,300
47	Hawaii	21	$744,400
48	New York	23.1	$573,000
49	Montana	24.4	$548,500
50	California	25.1	$832,400

Source: Consumer Affairs

🧾 Methodology
This study by ConsumerAffairs estimates how long it would take an average person in each U.S. state to save enough for a 10% down payment on a typical home.
To estimate this, ConsumerAffairs used information about the median income of households, tax payments, and average living expenses (food, rent or mortgage, transport, and medical care). After subtracting these basic expenses, they calculated how much income is left each year. So, the remaining amount represents what a person can realistically save toward buying a home.
We then compared this savings capacity with the median home price in each state. The model assumes that a person saves a portion of their remaining income every year until they reach the required down payment.

⏳ U.S. States Where Buying a Home Takes Less Time

In several states, buying a home is still relatively achievable within a decade of saving. These are mostly located in the Midwest and parts of the South.

States such as Iowa, Ohio, Kansas, and Oklahoma take about 9-11 years of saving period to buy a house. The home costs in these states are usually cheaper, with an overall lower cost of living. This enables individuals to achieve homeownership at a much quicker rate compared to the national average.

This makes these states attractive not just for first-time buyers, but also for people looking to relocate for affordability.

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⏱️ U.S. States Where Buying a Home Takes the Longest Time

At the other extreme, some states require nearly two decades or more of saving to buy a house. California, Montana, New York, and Hawaii stand out as the most unaffordable housing markets. In these states, it can take anywhere from 20 to 25 years to save for a home.

These lengthy timelines are primarily driven by extremely high home prices, particularly in major cities and coastal regions. Even relatively high incomes are often not enough, as rising home prices increase faster than wages,

Additionally, some of the most well-known states give a clear picture of the broader U.S. housing challenge.

• Texas remains a relatively affordable housing market, with a median home ownership time of 10.3 years for a household.
• Florida and Arizona are moderately affordable, taking around 14 to 16 years of saving to buy a home, due to an increase in demand recently.
• New York and California, which have two of the largest economies in the United States, are among the least affordable, taking more than 23 and 25 years, respectively.

💰 The Role of Home Prices

The cost of a house is one of the key determinants of the time needed to save money. For instance, in states where homes are cheap, like West Virginia, Iowa, and Mississippi, less time is needed to save for homes. In contrast, states with high prices—like California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts—push the required savings period much higher.

In summary, the more expensive the home, the more time it will take to buy it. Income levels do matter too; they often do not rise fast enough to match the increase in housing costs.

🧾 Conclusion

The U.S. housing market is deeply divided. In some states, buying a home is still achievable within a decade. In some cases, it can even take almost an entire career’s worth of time to buy a house.

The primary reason for the discrepancy is the difference in home prices, which fluctuate wildly from state to state. Some states near the coasts continue to push affordability out of reach, while many central states remain accessible.