ATTOM’s latest U.S. Home Affordability Report for Q2 2025 puts numbers to what many already feel: homeownership just keeps getting tougher across the country. Nationally, median home prices hit a record $369,000, and the share of wages needed for typical homeownership expenses jumped to 33.7% , well above the 28% threshold generally considered affordable. But in the St. Louis metro area, affordability is holding up better than many might expect. According to ATTOM, most of the counties making up the St. Louis MSA still fall under the 28% affordability benchmark. Jefferson County, MO, St. Clair and Madison Counties in IL, and even the City of St. Louis all came in below the unaffordable mark. This makes St. Louis one of the few major markets in the country where average wage earners can still buy a median-priced home without crossing that affordability red line.
Digging deeper into Missouri and Illinois, St. Louis area counties are standing out for the right reasons. In the national context, where 99.3% of counties were less affordable than their historical averages, places like St. Louis County and surrounding areas haven’t seen the same kind of pressure. ATTOM’s data also shows that in over a third of U.S. counties, home price growth outpaced wage growth in Q2, but many counties in eastern Missouri and western Illinois managed to buck that trend. While places like San Mateo County, CA now require a staggering $408,000 income to afford a median home, many parts of the St. Louis region remain accessible to buyers earning under $100,000 annually. That’s not to say the region is immune, costs are rising, and ATTOM’s data shows that the percentage of wages needed for housing went up quarter-over-quarter in the majority of counties. Still, compared to national and even state-level peers, the St. Louis MSA is offering a level of affordability that’s becoming harder to find elsewhere.
