The Average House Price by State in 2026

The median sale price for a U.S. home in Q1 2026 was $403,200, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, down from $423,100 a year earlier. State-level typical home values ranged from $173,639 in West Virginia to $832,071 in Hawaii in Q1 2026, based on Zillow data.

U.S. median home sale price: $403,200 in Q1 2026

The median U.S. home sale price has declined for five quarters in a row, and was $403,200 in the first quarter of 2026, according to data from the Census Bureau. The median is the middle price of homes sold during the period, and is less sensitive to high-end outliers than an average.

The five-quarter decline in median sale prices reflects softening demand, but prices remain well above pre-2021 levels. The median in Q1 2026 is still $74,200 above Q1 2020's $329,000, a 22.6% increase over six years.

Two factors are keeping home prices from falling further: historically low inventory and homeowners with mortgages below 4% that have little financial incentive to sell into a higher-rate environment.

Here's how the median home sales price has changed over time.

U.S. average home sale price: $514,600 in Q1 2026

The average home sale price in Q1 2026 was $514,600, down from $534,000 in the prior quarter, and essentially flat compared to a year ago, according to Census Bureau data.

The average home sale price in the U.S. has stayed above $500,000 in all but two quarters since the second quarter of 2022.

Here's how the average home sales price has changed over time.

The mean home sale price is higher than the median and tends to fluctuate more because it's pulled up by a small number of high-value transactions. Neither value is wrong -- they measure the housing market from different angles.

Home values by state: from $173,639 in West Virginia to $832,071 in Hawaii

Home values vary widely depending on the state, with lowest sitting below $300,000 and the highest reaching well over $600,000, according to the Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI). The ZHVI estimates what a typical mid-tier home in an area is currently worth, not what homes recently sold for. It includes state-level data, which the Census Bureau does not.

The national ZHVI for the first quarter of 2026 is $365,452, and 27 states fall below that. The five states with the lowest home values, according to Zillow, are: West Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

Hawaii has the highest home values, according to Zillow, followed by California, Massachusetts, Washington, and Washington, D.C.

In most states, typical home values equal between three and five years of median household income, but the range is wide. Iowa and Kansas sit at the low end, at 2.7 and 2.8 years, respectively, while Hawaii reaches 8.5 years and California 7.7 years. This ratio measures how far local incomes stretch relative to home prices -- it does not account for mortgage rates, down payments, or other costs of ownership.

What the data shows about U.S. home prices

Home prices vary sharply across state lines, but the gap between prices and local incomes varies just as much. A state with below-average home values is not necessarily affordable if household incomes are also low, and several high-income states carry home values that still outpace earnings by a wide margin.

For buyers, the state-level data points to where purchasing power goes furthest. Iowa, Kansas, and Ohio have some of the most favorable price-to-income ratios -- home values in those states represent roughly 2.7 to 3.0 years of median household income.

Mortgage rates remain a significant variable independent of home prices. Buyers who find a home at an acceptable price can explore whether current rates make ownership viable. Comparing mortgage lenders on rate, fees, and loan type can affect the total cost of a purchase significantly. First-time buyers in high-cost states may find more options through state-level down payment assistance programs or FHA loans, which allow lower down payments than conventional financing.

Homeowners in states where values have increased significantly since purchase may also want to review current rates with refinance lenders to assess whether their existing loan still makes sense.