U.S. Housing Alignment Score Rises to 74.9% as 311,000 Affordable Listings Remain Missing
Updated
Updated · Real Estate News · May 20
U.S. Housing Alignment Score Rises to 74.9% as 311,000 Affordable Listings Remain Missing
1 articles · Updated · Real Estate News · May 20
March’s new NAR-Realtor.com Listing-Income Alignment Score reached 74.9%, up from 66.7% a year earlier but still below the 84.4% pre-pandemic baseline, showing many homes remain priced beyond what local incomes can support.
The gap stems from inventory clustering at higher price points: NAR estimates the U.S. needs about 311,000 more listings under $261,000 to give middle-income households a balanced share of available homes.
Los Angeles ranked as the most misaligned market at 39.4%, where households earning $100,000 can access just 4% of listings; Toledo, Ohio, was the most aligned among markets studied.
Inventory growth has improved some markets—Lakeland, Florida, led gains over the past year—yet only seven markets were considered well aligned this year, up from one in March 2025 and down from 20 seven years ago.
NAR and Realtor.com said the shortage of entry-level and middle-market homes is still holding home sales below pre-pandemic levels despite broader affordability and inventory improvements.
With millions 'locked-in' by low mortgage rates, what could unleash a wave of new home listings?
Why are home prices so resilient when sales have plummeted to a 30-year low?
Can new housing laws break the cycle of building only for the wealthy and help middle-income buyers?