September 10, 2025
Talker Research found that Americans consider $74,000 to be the perfect salary.
A survey conducted by Talker Research found that most Americans’ ideal annual pay still does not stretch far enough to buy a home.
Talker Research found that Americans consider $74,000 to be the perfect salary. After analysis, Realtor.com examined what that income can actually buy in today’s housing market; spoiler, it won’t get you far.
Factoring in a 20% down payment and a 6.56% mortgage rate, the analysis shows that this income allows a buyer to afford a median-priced home only in Louisiana and West Virginia, where the median home prices are roughly $285,000.
That number is far below the national median home price of $410,800 in the second quarter of 2025, as recorded by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Even in Louisiana’s Baton Rouge area, where housing is relatively affordable, a buyer earning $74,000 would still require four years of saving to cover just the down payment. These figures do not include closing costs, removal and moving fees, and other expenses.
Realtor.com’s study calculated the probability of homebuying with double the “ideal salary.” Even with $148,000 in earnings, homeownership remains out of reach in 13 states.
Data shows that the income needed to afford an average home today averages about $114,000—a 70% increase compared with 2019.
Redfin’s analysis puts that income requirement even higher, at roughly $117,000, making it the highest level since 2012, and noting that typical U.S. households earn around $84,000.
As the income needed for homeownership climbs, many Americans face a widening gap between hopes and reality. Seventy-four thousand may feel like the perfect salary to many. However, it no longer guarantees access to the housing market in the majority of U.S. states. Homeownership remains a lofty goal, even for earners well above the national average.
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