75% of U.S. Homes are Now Unaffordable as Dave Ramsey Calls This ‘The Most Unrealistic Real Estate Market in 100 Years’

That is the frustrating math facing many U.S. buyers in 2026. Mortgage rates may ease. Some markets may show better affordability. Incomes may rise. But for the typical household trying to buy a home, the numbers still often do not work.

Axios reported that more than 75% of U.S. homes for sale were unaffordable to the typical household, citing a Bankrate analysis. The median U.S. household earns roughly $80,000 a year, while the analysis found that about $113,000 in annual income was needed to afford a $435,000 median-priced home under its assumptions.

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HSH.com’s first-quarter 2026 analysis told a similar story from another angle. It found that buying a $404,200 median-priced home with a 20% down payment, using a 30-year mortgage at 6.11%, required annual income of $103,419.69 once typical taxes and insurance were included.

That was actually an improvement from the previous quarter and from a year earlier. But “improved” does not mean affordable for millions of households.