How Much You Now Need To Earn To Buy A Home In MT Is Disgusting

The Shocking Income You Need to Buy a Home in Montana

Much has been made about the influx of new residents over the past 5 years here in Montana.

A ripple effect of all these new residents is the increase in buying a home, and honestly, it's a nightmare to see how much one needs to earn to buy an average house in today's housing market.

Is the Dream of Homeownership Slipping Away in Big Sky Country?

5 years ago the household income needed to buy an average house in America was $78,236; today that number has increased to $116,986.

According to Bankrate's housing affordability study for 2025, that's just about a 50% increase over that same 5-year period.

If you think that is a scary increase, just wait until you see just how much it went up for us looking to buy a house here in Montana.

Montana Ranks #2 for Home Price Increases Since 2020

In 2020 the annual household income needed to buy a median-priced home in Montana was $77,100.

As of January 2025, the average median home price in Montana cost 535,900, meaning your household now needs to make 142,316 to buy an AVERAGE home in Montana.

That's an 84.6% increase over the past 5 years, giving us the second biggest increase behind Utah.

Many potential home buyers feel as if owning a home in today's market is out of reach, and when you see the household income needed here in Montana, you can see why they would feel that way.

It also doesn't help when you see the home prices across the Treasure State. 👇