Your house probably made more than you did last year

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Mar 18, 2022, 08:00 ET

Skyrocketing home values and rent make the jump to ownership even more challenging

2021 home value growth exceeded median income in 25 of 38 major metros studied.
Appreciation on the typical home ranged from the equivalent of an oral surgeon's annual wages in San Jose to that of a food preparation worker in St. Louis.
Annual rent payments grew by more than $3,000, while down payments increased by more than $10,000.

SEATTLE, March 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The term "household income" was given new meaning in 2021 as a banner year for home appreciation found houses themselves earning more than the median worker in major metros across the country, according to a new study by Zillow^®.

Zillow logo (PRNewsfoto/Zillow Group)

"More than anything, 2021 was a year of haves and have-nots, and the chasm between the two widening throughout," said Zillow economist Nicole Bachaud. "Those who owned a home saw their household wealth increase dramatically. But many renters witnessed that dream either soar out of reach or had to drastically adjust their expectations and plans."

Home value appreciation in 2021 was higher than median incomes in 25 of 38 major metropolitan areas studied by Zillow, with appreciation reaching higher than $100,000 in 11 of them. Though San Jose has the highest median income at $93,000, it also led all major metros in annual home value appreciation — with the typical home growing a whopping $229,277 over 2021, nearly what oral surgeons make.

Expensive coastal markets in California and Hawaii saw home value growth wallop local median incomes by the largest amounts. San Jose led but San Francisco closely followed, with homes earning $129,914 more than the median salary. Boise, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Phoenix rounded out the top 10.

Metropolitan areas with the lowest home price appreciation relative to median incomes were Detroit, St. Louis and Baltimore, though even the smallest home value growth among these metros, in St. Louis, was still higher than $27,000.

While homeowners watched their assets multiply in 2021, the chasm separating many renters from homeownership widened, as home prices skyrocketed and rising rents eroded their ability to save for a down payment.

Rents rose 16% across the U.S. in 2021 and upward of 25% in popular Sun Belt locales like Miami, Phoenix and Las Vegas. Locking in a one-year lease on a typical U.S. rental cost $3,072 more at the end of the year than the start of the year. It was $7,104 more in Miami, $4,644 more in Phoenix and $4,380 more in Las Vegas — major hits to a household budget, as that money can't be saved toward a down payment.

At the same time, down payments — often the highest hurdle to homeownership for first-time buyers — rose by more than $10,000 in 2021 for a typical 30-year fixed mortgage. Sticking with our metros used in the rent comparison, typical down payments rose nearly $14,500 in Miami, more than $20,600 in Phoenix and $16,700 in Las Vegas.

Metro Area*	Home Value Growth December 2020 – December 2021	Median Pretax Income, 2021**	Home Value Growth Minus Median Income	2021 Rise in Full-Year Rent Payments	U.S. Profession's Mean Annual Wage Closest to 2021 Home Value Growth***
United States	$52,667	$50,000	$2,667	$3,072	Directors, religious activities and education
New York– Newark— Jersey City	$63,928	$60,000	$3,928	$4,656	Judicial law clerks
Los Angeles– Long Beach– Anaheim	$131,979	$50,000	$81,979	$3,924	Judges, magistrates
Chicago– Naperville– Elgin	$34,918	$57,000	-$22,082	$2,028	Other protective service workers
Dallas–Fort Worth– Arlington	$69,488	$50,000	$19,488	$3,156	Human resource specialists
Houston– The Woodlands– Sugar Land	$45,250	$50,000	-$4,750	$2,004	Dental laboratory technicians
Washington, D.C.– Arlington- Alexandria	$56,163	$75,000	-$18,837	$2,700	Loading machine operators, underground mining
Miami– Fort Lauderdale– West Palm Beach	$72,053	$40,000	$32,053	$7,104	Public relations specialists
Philadelphia– Camden– Wilmington	$39,994	$60,000	-$20,006	$2,160	Supervisors of food preparation and serving workers
Atlanta– Sandy Springs– Roswell	$73,036	$50,000	$23,036	$4,008	Soil and plant scientists
Phoenix– Mesa– Scottsdale	$103,470	$52,000	$51,470	$4,644	Education administrators, K–2
Boston– Cambridge– Newton	$76,616	$66,852	$9,764	$3,948	Arbitrators, mediators
San Francisco– Oakland-Hayward	$204,914	$75,000	$129,914	$3,540	General internal medicine physicians
Riverside– San Bernardino– Ontario	$111,014	$45,000	$66,014	$4,560	Air transportation workers
Detroit– Warren– Dearborn	$29,675	$57,000	-$27,325	$1,644	Gambling cage workers
Seattle– Tacoma– Bellevue	$131,129	$65,000	$66,129	$3,816	Computer and information research scientists
Minneapolis– St. Paul– Bloomington	$39,942	$60,000	-$20,058	$1,020	Gambling surveillance officers
San Diego— Carlsbad	$160,493	$54,703	$105,790	$4,932	Computer and information systems managers
Tampa– St. Petersburg– Clearwater	$74,754	$46,000	$28,754	$5,292	Criminal justice teachers, postsecondary
Denver– Aurora– Lakewood	$108,922	$65,000	$43,922	$2,928	Electrical engineers
St. Louis	$27,741	$50,000	-$22,259	$1,428	Cooks and food preparation workers
Baltimore– Columbia– Towson	$36,984	$60,000	-$23,016	$2,316	Medical assistants
Charlotte– Concord– Gastonia	$71,804	$57,000	$14,804	$3,384	Commercial divers
Orlando– Kissimmee– Sanford	$64,638	$44,384	$20,254	$4,380	Set and exhibit designers
San Antonio– New Braunfels	$54,769	$46,966	$7,803	$2,292	Counselors
Portland– Hillsboro– Vancouver	$83,283	$60,000	$23,283	$2,520	Speech-language pathologists
Las Vegas– Henderson– Paradise	$83,894	$46,000	$37,894	$4,380	Nuclear technicians
Kansas City	$40,846	$50,000	-$9,154	$1,368	Mixing and blending machine setters, operators
San Jose– Sunnyvale– Santa Clara	$229,277	$93,000	$136,277	$3,108	Oral and maxillofacial surgeons
Nashville– Davidson– Murfreesboro– Franklin	$84,395	$50,000	$34,395	$3,372	Emergency management directors
Providence– Warwick	$66,657	$55,000	$11,657	$2,364	Court reporters and simultaneous captioners
Oklahoma City	$26,866	$44,044	-$17,178	$1,584	Food preparation workers
New Orleans– Metairie	$31,945	$47,000	-$15,055	$2,628	Textile machine setters, operators and tenders
Salt Lake City	$119,539	$53,638	$65,901	$3,156	Computer network architects
Birmingham– Hoover	$31,968	$50,000	-$18,032	$1,476	Helpers - production workers
Urban Honolulu	$138,254	$51,000	$87,254	$2,820	Operations specialties managers
Omaha– Council Bluffs	$31,114	$50,000	-$18,886	$1,236	Funeral attendants
Albuquerque	$47,215	$45,000	$2,215	$2,736	Educational instruction and library workers, all others
Boise City	$124,979	$50,000	$74,979	$3,240	Health specialties teachers, postsecondary

*Table ordered by size rank

** Median inflation-adjusted pretax wage and salary income data from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement

*** Occupation wage data from May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates United States

About Zillow Group
Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z and ZG) is reimagining real estate to make it easier to unlock life's next chapter. As the most visited real estate website in the United States, Zillow^® and its affiliates offer customers an on-demand experience for selling, buying, renting or financing with transparency and ease.

Zillow Group's affiliates and subsidiaries include Zillow^®, Zillow Offers^®, Zillow Premier Agent^®, Zillow Home Loans™, Zillow Closing Services™, Zillow Homes, Inc., Trulia^®, Out East^®, ShowingTime^®, Bridge Interactive^®, dotloop^®, StreetEasy^® and HotPads^®. Zillow Home Loans, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender, NMLS #10287 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org).

SOURCE Zillow