The Most and Least Affordable Cities for Homebuyers in Michigan

24/7 Wall St. Insights

• Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply and demand dynamics have sent home prices surging by nearly 38%.
• Coupled with historically high mortgage rates, rising home prices have made homeownership prohibitively expensive for large segments of the population. 
• Still, when accounting for income, some cities in Michigan are far more affordable for prospective home buyers than others.
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The United States is facing a housing affordability crisis. While overall inflation has cooled to 2.5% from a multi-decade high of 9.1% in June 2022 — at 5.4% as recently as August 2024, the Consumer Price Index for housing remains stubbornly high. And in much of the country, home prices are well above what millions of Americans can afford.

According to data from Realtor.com, the median list price for a single-family home in the U.S. was $437,450 in July 2024 — up about $118,500 from the start of the pandemic. In addition to the surge in list prices, most homebuyers are further burdened by historically high borrowing costs. For the first time since 2008, the average interest rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage exceeded 6% in September 2022, and it has remained above that threshold for the last two years. (Here is a look at the 23 cities where most homes are selling for less than $125,000.)

Even though the cost of homeownership has soared in recent years, the question of affordability also hinges on earnings and wealth. Multiple recent studies have found that it would take an annual income of over $100,000 to comfortably afford a typical home in the United States — and most American workers are making less than half that amount. As of May 2023, the median annual wage across all occupations in the U.S. was just $48,060, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Based on these numbers, the typical American home now costs about 9.1 times more than a typical worker’s annual earnings. Still, because both incomes and home prices vary across the country, housing affordability does too. In Michigan, for example, housing is generally more affordable than it is nationwide. The typical home in Michigan is listed for $308,450, about 6.6 times more than the state’s median annual wage of $46,940.

Even within Michigan, housing affordability varies considerably by market. Of the 14 metropolitan areas in the state with available data from both Realtor.com and the BLS, median home prices are anywhere from about 4.6 to 10.8 times higher than the median annual wage. (These are 10 things to consider before buying a home for retirement.)

Accounting for both incomes and home prices, these are the most (and least) affordable housing markets in Michigan, ranked. Supplemental data on median home size and year-over-year price changes are also from Realtor.com.

Why It Matters

Fueled by supply shortages and rising demand, home prices have surged since the start of the pandemic. More recently, the financial burden of higher home prices has been exacerbated by historically high mortgage rates, pricing millions of Americans out of the market. Still, housing affordability is contingent upon income, and some major markets in Michigan are far more affordable for prospective buyers than others.

14. Flint, MI

• Income to home price ratio: 4.6 to 1
• Median home list price in July 2024: $199,950 (35.2% lower than median home price in Michigan)
• Median annual wage across all occupations: $43,020 (8.4% lower than median wage in Michigan)
• Median size of a listed home in July 2024: 1,390 square feet (15.9% smaller than a typical home in Michigan)
• 1-year change in median home list price: -3.6%

13. Saginaw, MI

• Income to home price ratio: 5.0 to 1
• Median home list price in July 2024: $219,575 (28.8% lower than median home price in Michigan)
• Median annual wage across all occupations: $43,590 (7.1% lower than median wage in Michigan)
• Median size of a listed home in July 2024: 1,641 square feet (0.7% smaller than a typical home in Michigan)
• 1-year change in median home list price: +69.0%

12. Bay City, MI

• Income to home price ratio: 5.2 to 1
• Median home list price in July 2024: $207,500 (32.7% lower than median home price in Michigan)
• Median annual wage across all occupations: $39,930 (14.9% lower than median wage in Michigan)
• Median size of a listed home in July 2024: 1,591 square feet (3.7% smaller than a typical home in Michigan)
• 1-year change in median home list price: +13.8%

11. Lansing-East Lansing, MI

• Income to home price ratio: 5.3 to 1
• Median home list price in July 2024: $259,900 (15.7% lower than median home price in Michigan)
• Median annual wage across all occupations: $49,250 (4.9% higher than median wage in Michigan)
• Median size of a listed home in July 2024: 1,757 square feet (6.4% larger than a typical home in Michigan)
• 1-year change in median home list price: +0.8%

10. Battle Creek, MI

• Income to home price ratio: 5.6 to 1
• Median home list price in July 2024: $263,573 (14.5% lower than median home price in Michigan)
• Median annual wage across all occupations: $46,680 (0.6% lower than median wage in Michigan)
• Median size of a listed home in July 2024: 1,622 square feet (1.8% smaller than a typical home in Michigan)
• 1-year change in median home list price: +9.9%

9. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

• Income to home price ratio: 5.7 to 1
• Median home list price in July 2024: $279,950 (9.2% lower than median home price in Michigan)
• Median annual wage across all occupations: $48,950 (4.3% higher than median wage in Michigan)
• Median size of a listed home in July 2024: 1,531 square feet (7.3% smaller than a typical home in Michigan)
• 1-year change in median home list price: +4.1%

8. Jackson, MI

• Income to home price ratio: 6.0 to 1
• Median home list price in July 2024: $268,475 (13.0% lower than median home price in Michigan)
• Median annual wage across all occupations: $44,950 (4.2% lower than median wage in Michigan)
• Median size of a listed home in July 2024: 1,796 square feet (8.7% larger than a typical home in Michigan)
• 1-year change in median home list price: +9.6%

7. Midland, MI

• Income to home price ratio: 6.4 to 1
• Median home list price in July 2024: $303,750 (1.5% lower than median home price in Michigan)
• Median annual wage across all occupations: $47,830 (1.9% higher than median wage in Michigan)
• Median size of a listed home in July 2024: 1,747 square feet (5.8% larger than a typical home in Michigan)
• 1-year change in median home list price: -2.0%

6. Monroe, MI

• Income to home price ratio: 6.8 to 1
• Median home list price in July 2024: $304,900 (1.2% lower than median home price in Michigan)
• Median annual wage across all occupations: $44,720 (4.7% lower than median wage in Michigan)
• Median size of a listed home in July 2024: 1,743 square feet (5.5% larger than a typical home in Michigan)
• 1-year change in median home list price: +3.4%

5. Muskegon, MI

• Income to home price ratio: 8.0 to 1
• Median home list price in July 2024: $323,700 (4.9% higher than median home price in Michigan)
• Median annual wage across all occupations: $40,320 (14.1% lower than median wage in Michigan)
• Median size of a listed home in July 2024: 1,484 square feet (10.2% smaller than a typical home in Michigan)
• 1-year change in median home list price: +4.4%

4. Kalamazoo-Portage, MI

• Income to home price ratio: 8.7 to 1
• Median home list price in July 2024: $396,950 (28.7% higher than median home price in Michigan)
• Median annual wage across all occupations: $45,820 (2.4% lower than median wage in Michigan)
• Median size of a listed home in July 2024: 2,028 square feet (22.8% larger than a typical home in Michigan)
• 1-year change in median home list price: +22.1%

3. Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI

• Income to home price ratio: 9.2 to 1
• Median home list price in July 2024: $424,900 (37.8% higher than median home price in Michigan)
• Median annual wage across all occupations: $46,290 (1.4% lower than median wage in Michigan)
• Median size of a listed home in July 2024: 2,038 square feet (23.4% larger than a typical home in Michigan)
• 1-year change in median home list price: +2.6%

2. Niles-Benton Harbor, MI

• Income to home price ratio: 10.1 to 1
• Median home list price in July 2024: $427,700 (38.7% higher than median home price in Michigan)
• Median annual wage across all occupations: $42,360 (9.8% lower than median wage in Michigan)
• Median size of a listed home in July 2024: 1,962 square feet (18.8% larger than a typical home in Michigan)
• 1-year change in median home list price: +6.9%

1. Ann Arbor, MI

• Income to home price ratio: 10.8 to 1
• Median home list price in July 2024: $538,791 (74.7% higher than median home price in Michigan)
• Median annual wage across all occupations: $49,690 (5.9% higher than median wage in Michigan)
• Median size of a listed home in July 2024: 2,146 square feet (29.9% larger than a typical home in Michigan)
• 1-year change in median home list price: +1.7%

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