It’s possible that young Americans have a point when they complain they’ve been priced out of the housing market. A Social Explorer analysis of Census data finds that the inflation-adjusted value of a typical U.S. home has climbed almost $92,000 over the last 50 years. Inflation-adjusted prices have soared most in some of the nation’s most expensive regions, including Nantucket County, Mass. (+$845,092 from $211,408), San Francisco (+$831,673 from $177,827), and San Mateo County, Calif. ($799,137 from $194,963).

Relatively speaking, homes are more affordable now than in 1970 in 65 U.S. counties, with Martinsville City, Va., having lost the most value (-$23,524 from $110,324). Large counties that lost value include Cuyahoga County, Cleveland (-$21,070, from $149,070), Clayton County, Ga. (-$14,379 from $112,179), and Wayne County, Mich. (-$12,645, from $115,345).  To see how inflation-adjusted housing values have changed in your county, use Social Explorer’s award-winning interactive tools.

Inflation-Adjusted Housing Values, 1970-2018. Click here to explore further.

Author: Frank Bass