According to ATTOM’s Q1 2026 U.S. Home Affordability Report, in the first quarter of 2026, homeownership was less affordable than historical norms in 97% of analyzed counties with sufficient data.
WATCH: ATTOM – Top 10 Counties with the Largest Annual Increase in Median Home Price in Q1 2026
The report also indicated that at the start of the year, typical monthly ownership costs for median-priced single-family homes and condos surpassed historical averages in 560 of the 580 counties analyzed by ATTOM. While that signals ongoing affordability challenges for prospective buyers, it represents a modest improvement from the prior quarter, when 98% of counties (567 of 580) were less affordable than their historical norms, and from the first quarter of 2025, when that figure stood at 564 of 580 counties.
ATTOM’s latest home affordability analysis revealed that since the first quarter of 2024, the national median home price has climbed 8%, rising from $333,438 to $360,000. Over the same period, average weekly wages increased by 6.4%, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data, which extends through the third quarter of 2025.
The report stated that the national median home price remained unchanged at $360,000 between the fourth quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026. However, year over year, median home prices increased in 61.7% (358) of the 580 counties analyzed by ATTOM. Counties qualified for inclusion if they had populations of at least 100,000, recorded a minimum of 50 single-family home sales in Q1 2026, and had sufficient available data.
The latest home affordability report found that among the 45 counties with populations exceeding 1 million, the largest annual increases in median home prices were recorded in Honolulu County, HI (up 12%), followed by Cuyahoga County, OH (up 5%), Tarrant County, TX (up 5%), Queens County, NY (up 4%), and Franklin County, OH (up 4%).
In this post, we take a more granular look at the data behind ATTOM’s latest U.S. Home Affordability Report to reveal the top 10 U.S. counties with the largest year-over-year increases in median home price in first quarter 2026. Among those counties with a population of at least 100,000 and at least 50 single-family home and condo sales in Q1 2026, those with the largest increase in median home price are:
#1 – Mercer County, Pennsylvania
- YOY Percentage Change in Median Home Price: 29%
- Q1 2006 Median Sales Price: $129.050
#2 – Warren County, Kentucky
- YOY Percentage Change in Median Home Price: 23%
- Q1 2006 Median Sales Price: $296,000
#3 – Fayette County, Georgia
- YOY Percentage Change in Median Home Price: 22%
- Q1 2006 Median Sales Price: $524,927
#4 – Richland County, Ohio
- YOY Percentage Change in Median Home Price: 22%
- Q1 2006 Median Sales Price: $187,000
#5 – Dallas County, Iowa
- YOY Percentage Change in Median Home Price: 21%
- Q1 2006 Median Sales Price: $336,000
#6 – Blair County, Pennsylvania
- YOY Percentage Change in Median Home Price: 21%
- Q1 2006 Median Sales Price: $156,000
#7 – Comanche County, Oklahoma
- YOY Percentage Change in Median Home Price: 20%
- Q1 2006 Median Sales Price: $154,000
#8 – Florence County, South Carolina
- YOY Percentage Change in Median Home Price: 18%
- Q1 2006 Median Sales Price: $193,236
#9 – Fairfield County, Ohio
- YOY Percentage Change in Median Home Price: 18%
- Q1 2006 Median Sales Price: $323,900
#10 – Stearns County, Minnesota
- YOY Percentage Change in Median Home Price: 17%
- Q1 2006 Median Sales Price: $312,177
Conclusion
ATTOM’s Q1 2026 Home Affordability Report shows that home prices continue to rise across much of the country, with annual increases in 61.7% of counties and affordability remaining below historical norms in 97% of markets.
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