Sometimes there’s little comfort in being No. 1. For instance, when yours is the state that takes the longest for the average citizen to save for a home.
SelfStorage.com has come up with a ranking for those states with the biggest uphill climb for savers. When winnowing down the list, the site looked at the median home listing price in each state, as well as the median income of a state's citizens.
The company assumed would-be homeowners follow a common budgeting rule of thumb: that 50% of net monthly income goes to their needs, 30% goes to their wants and 20% goes to their savings.
“The time it takes to save for a house deposit in each U.S. state varies significantly, reflecting the diverse economic landscapes across the country,” commented Al Harris, the site's content manager. “In states with higher living costs like Massachusetts, Montana, Hawaii or New York, the duration to save for a deposit can stretch to almost a decade, making homeownership a daunting prospect for many.”
Nevertheless, he continued, the dream of one day owning a home does inspire Americans in all states to commit to an aggressive savings plan.
10. Florida
Coming in at 10th place is the Sunshine State, Florida.
With a median monthly income of $4,147, residents can save their 10% down payment on a median listed home in 7.54 years, more than two years ahead of residents in the worst states for ownership of their first homes.
One reason: While Florida’s median income falls in the middle of the pack for the ranking of worst states, the median listed home price in the state is the lowest of all of them, at $462,450.
9. Colorado
If residents live in Colorado, it takes 7.65 years to save their 10% deposit, which puts this state in ninth place.
Here, residents have a median monthly income of $4,981, and the median home price is $607,875.
8. Oregon
Landing in eighth place is Oregon.
With a median monthly income of $4,446, residents can put 10% down on a house in 7.9 years, as the median listing price of a home is $549,750.
7. Rhode Island
Rhode Island takes seventh place.
Residents can save their down payment here in 8.19 years, as they have a median monthly income of $3,869. The median house listing is $475,000.
6. California
In sixth place is California.
Residents who live in California need 8.32 years to save a 10% deposit on the median listed home of $731,250. The state's median monthly income is $5,858.
5. Idaho
Coming in at fifth place is Idaho. Yes, Idaho, thanks to one of the lower median wages of the states on this list and midrange home prices.
The median income per month in Idaho is $3,890, while the median listed home price is $564,900, and so it takes residents 8.5 years to put aside a down payment.
4. New York
New York takes fourth place, with residents needing 8.66 years to save 10% for a deposit.
The median listed home price in the Empire State is $596,500; the median monthly income is $4,953.
3. Hawaii
Hawaii lands third, with a client needing 9.40 years to save the down payment for a house listed at $848,750.
The median monthly income here is $5,936.
2. Montana
In second place, Montana.
Here, the same median client would need 9.56 years to save the 10% deposit on the median home listing price of $613,725.
1. Massachusetts
Residents of Massachusetts face the steepest uphill climb, as it takes nearly 10 years to save for a 10% deposit on the median-priced house.
In Massachusetts, the median monthly income is $5,093, and the median home price in is $676,000. By devoting all of their savings to a 10% down payment—$586 according to the formula—it would take clients 9.62 years to reach that $67,600 goal.
