Ranking the Markets

As usual, no California community was among the most affordable housing markets. Indeed, San Francisco remains unchallenged as the least-affordable housing market. But for the first time in four years, a major metropolitan area--Kansas City--tops a list of the nation’s most affordable housing markets. One other major Midwestern metropolitan area, Minneapolis, was among the 10 most affordable. Twelve of the most expensive housing markets were in California. Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Oregon and Washington each had one.

Here are the 25 most affordable and 25 least affordable U.S. housing markets in the third quarter, according to the National Assn. of Home Builders. The number corresponding to each area is the percentage of homes sold that were within reach of a median-income household at the prevailing mortgage interest rate.

MOST AFFORDABLE

Metro Area / Percentage

Kansas City: 86.2%

Binghamton, N.Y.: 83.9

Elkhart, Ind.: 83.8

Lincoln, Neb.: 82.3

Lima, Ohio: 82.1

Mansfield, Ohio: 82.0

Vineland, N.J.: 81.7

Minneapolis: 81.7

Springfield, Ill.: 81.3

Kokomo, Ind.: 81.2

Elmira, N.Y.: 81.0

Jackson, Miss.: 80.5

Lakeland, Fla.: 80.0

Tallahassee, Fla.: 79.7

Fort Pierce, Fla.: 79.6

Duluth, Minn.: 79.2

Fort Wayne, Ind.: 79.2

Pensacola, Fla.: 79.1

Ocala, Fla.: 78.9

Lancaster, Pa.: 78.8

Oklahoma City: 78.6

Rockford, Ill.: 78.6

Utica, N.Y.: 78.4

Reading, Pa.: 78.4

Melbourne, Fla.: 77.9

LEAST AFFORDABLE

Metro Area / Percentage

San Francisco: 19.3%

Salinas, Calif.: 27.4

Laredo, Texas: 27.7

Honolulu: 31.0

Santa Rosa, Calif.: 31.3

Santa Cruz: 32.0

New York: 32.9

El Paso: 35.5

Portland, Ore.: 36.5

Albuquerque: 37.7

New Bedford, Mass.: 39.2

San Jose: 40.0

San Diego: 40.0

Jersey City, N.J.: 40.4

San Luis Obispo: 40.9

Reno: 41.0

Provo, Utah: 41.6

Oakland: 43.1

Lowell, Mass.: 43.4

Los Angeles: 43.7

Santa Barbara: 44.1

Danbury, Conn.: 44.9

Yakima, Wash.: 45.4

Yuba City, Calif.: 45.5

Yolo, Calif.: 46.1

Source: National Assn. of Home Builders