Growth, Wealth, and a Path Forward

If you’ve been on social media recently, there’s a good chance you’ve seen an image of the United States with individual states in shades of green to red. Green having the most affordable housing, and red having the least affordable. In the deepest, darkest shade of red on the map, lies Montana. We’re number No. 1, and not in a good way.

The data is from the National Association of Realtors report on affordability and homebuilding in each state[1]. The “Affordability Score” measures for-sale listings across incomes and looks at median sales prices in relation to median household incomes. Or, in plain speak, it looks at who can afford to buy a home. The deep, dark shade of red in Montana corresponds to a household needing an annual income of around $177,000 to purchase a three-bedroom home in our state. 

Read more at the Flathead Beacon.