2026-07-298brief

Mortgage payments consumed more income in 1979–80 than in 2024

For a median new home with 20% down, Riedl calculates principal and interest consumed 31.1% of median household income in 2024—below 35.4% in 1979, 40.9% in 1980 and 34.8% in 1990.

Mortgage principal and interest as a share of median household income