The NAHB/Wells Fargo Cost of Housing Index (CHI) measures the share of a typical family’s income required to cover the mortgage payment on a median-priced home. In Q2 2026, a typical U.S. family needed to allocate 34% of pre-tax income for a new home and 36% for an existing home — figures that climb to 67% and 71%, respectively, for low-income households. The map illustrates significant regional variation, with darker red areas indicating the highest cost burdens, concentrated largely along the West Coast and parts of the Southeast. Of the 175 markets tracked, only 90 fall at or below the 30% threshold considered manageable, while the remaining markets leave families cost-burdened or severely so.