Idaho is in the top six least affordable states for the middle income bracket.
Like in most other U.S. markets, housing costs in Idaho are rising quickly, putting homeownership out of reach for almost all of the state’s middle-income households.
According to reporting by Margaret Carmel for BoiseDev, a report from the National Association of Realtors found that the percentage of homes affordable to buyers making between $75,000 and $100,000 dropped from nearly 50 percent in 2019 to 21.5 percent in March 2025. “The report found as of March 2025, only 5.6% of homes listed for sale in Idaho were affordable for households making $75,000.” Just five other states had worse affordability for this income bracket.
According to the report, “middle-income buyers face the biggest gap in homes available for them to purchase and what a “balanced” market should offer a range of buyers. To correct this imbalance, the country would need to add at least two homes priced up to $255,000 for every one listed above $680,000.”
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Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association