2026年6月30日 / 美国东部时间下午1:39 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻（CBS News）
作者：梅根·塞鲁洛 记者，MoneyWatch频道
梅根·塞鲁洛是驻纽约的CBS MoneyWatch记者，报道小企业、职场、医疗保健、消费支出和个人理财话题。她定期做客CBS News 24/7频道讨论其报道内容。
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一项最新的LendingTree分析报告显示，对许多美国人来说，购买首套房仍然遥不可及，仅有不到四成非业主家庭能够负担一套典型的入门级住房。
一套典型的入门级住房售价为20万美元，LendingTree将入门级住房定义为处于住房市场25%价位区间的自住型房产。分析显示，仅有38%尚未拥有住房的家庭能够负担这类房产。
相较于高价住房，入门级住房通常面积更小，需要更多维修或翻新，但它们往往为购房者提供了首次积累资产净值的机会。无法获得入门级住房的话，一些美国人可能会错失被视为最重要的财富积累机会之一。
另一项近期研究发现，美国已有242个城市的入门级住房售价至少达到100万美元。房产平台Zillow本月早些时候公布的数据显示，入门级房产售价达到七位数的城市数量自2020年以来增长了两倍。
收入缺口显著
非业主家庭需要年收入略高于6.2万美元才能负担得起入门级住房。但据LendingTree的分析，这类家庭的薪资中位数为5.5万美元，收入缺口超过7000美元，约合13%。
LendingTree首席消费者金融分析师马特·舒尔茨表示，弥补这一差额可能难如登天。
“可以说，大多数人每年都拿不到7099美元的加薪，”他在一份声明中说道。“这意味着要填补这一缺口，可能需要做兼职、打第二份工或是做出其他牺牲。但这很难做到，尤其是考虑到人们已经有太多其他时间安排上的牵绊。”
部分州的收入缺口更大。例如在加利福尼亚州，非业主家庭的收入中位数为7.29万美元，相较于负担平均48.2万美元入门级住房所需的14.0676万美元，缺口达到6.7776万美元，LendingTree的数据显示。
“对很多人来说，买房感觉完全遥不可及，”舒尔茨说道。“这很遗憾，因为购房可以成为强大的财富积累工具，也是家庭真正的稳定支柱。但相关的数字门槛令人望而生畏，以至于许多人看不到切实可行的入市途径。”
入门级住房更实惠的地区
罗德岛州是全美入门级住房购房者负担能力最差的州，仅有16.5%的家庭能够负担得起入门级住房。犹他州和夏威夷州分列第二和第三位。
相比之下，南部各州为将购房列为首要目标的家庭提供了更实惠的置业途径。
在密西西比州，近62%的家庭能够负担得起入门级住房，其次是西弗吉尼亚州（58%）、阿肯色州（54%）和阿拉巴马州（54%）。
本文编辑：艾米·皮基
Less than 40% of U.S. households can afford a starter home, study finds
June 30, 2026 / 1:39 PM EDT / CBS News
By Megan Cerullo Reporter, MoneyWatch
Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.
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Buying a first home remains out of reach for many Americans, with fewer than 4 in 10 non-homeowner households able to afford a typical starter home, a new LendingTree analysis found.
A typical starter home costs $200,000, with LendingTree defining entry-level homes as owner-occupied properties valued at the 25th percentile of the housing market. The analysis found that only 38% of households that don’t already own a home could afford one.
Starter homes tend to be smaller and require more repairs or updates than higher-priced homes, but they often provide buyers with their first opportunity to build equity. Without access to entry-level homes, some Americans may be missing out on what is considered to be one of the biggest wealth-building opportunities.
Another recent study found that 242 cities across the U.S. now have starter homes that cost at least $1 million. The number of cities where entry-level properties cost at least seven figures has tripled since 2020, Zillow said earlier this month.
Incomes falling short
Non-homeowners need to earn just over $62,000 to afford a starter home. Still, their median salary is $55,000, leaving an income gap of more than $7,000, or about 13%, according to LendingTree’s analysis.
Overcoming that deficit can be difficult to impossible, according to LendingTree chief consumer finance analyst Matt Schulz.
“It’s safe to say that most people don’t get raises of $7,099 each year,” he said in a statement. “That means that bridging that gap might require a side hustle, a second job or other sacrifices. That’s tough, however, especially with how many other demands people already have on their time.”
The gap is even larger in some states. In California, for example, the median non-homeowner household earns $72,900, or $67,776 less than the $140,676 needed to afford the average $482,000 starter home, according to LendingTree.
“For so many, it feels completely out of reach,” Schulz said. “It’s a shame because homeownership can be a powerful wealth-building tool and a real stabilizing force for families. However, the numbers involved are so daunting that many people don’t see a realistic way to get into the market.”
Where starter homes are more affordable
In Rhode Island, the nation’s least affordable state for prospective starter-home buyers, just 16.5% of households can afford an entry-level home. Utah and Hawaii ranked second and third.
Southern states, by contrast, offer a more affordable path to homeownership for households that rank it as a top priority.
In Mississippi, nearly 62% can afford a starter home, followed by West Virginia (58%), Arkansas (54%) and Alabama (54%).
Edited by Aimee Picchi
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