8 US Locations Where Saving for a Down Payment Could Take Over 20 Years

1 day ago 3

Gabrielle Olya

Fri, February 20, 2026 astatine 9:17 AM CST 2 min read

Saving to bargain a location is pugnacious — but successful immoderate cities, it’s astir impossible.

A caller Realtor.com investigation recovered that it present takes the emblematic U.S. household 7 years to prevention for a emblematic down outgo — that’s down from a precocious of 12 years successful 2022. However, determination are inactive galore metro areas wherever the emergence successful median location prices is acold outpacing median incomes — and successful immoderate cities, it would instrumentality the mean household implicit 20 years to spend a emblematic down payment, based connected a idiosyncratic savings complaint of 5.1%.

Here’s a look astatine the metro areas wherever it would instrumentality implicit 20 years for the mean household to prevention up for a down payment.

Median down outgo (January-November 2025): $245,466
Median household income (2025): $132,568
Annual savings: $6,717
Years to prevention a down payment: 36.5

Find Out: 12 Midwest Cities Where Rent Costs 30% oregon Less of a Middle-Class Income

Read Next: How Middle-Class Earners Are Quietly Becoming Millionaires — and How You Can, Too

Median down outgo (January-November 2025): $304,623
Median household income (2025): $166,033
Annual savings: $8,412
Years to prevention a down payment: 36.2

Median down outgo (January-November 2025): $170,035
Median household income (2025): $98,329
Annual savings: $4,982
Years to prevention a down payment: 34.1

Median down outgo (January-November 2025): $167,814
Median household income (2025): $110,114
Annual savings: $5,579
Years to prevention a down payment: 30.1

Median down outgo (January-November 2025): $121,796
Median household income (2025): $102,807
Annual savings: $5,209
Years to prevention a down payment: 23.4

Median down outgo (January-November 2025): $133,937
Median household income (2025): $117,158
Annual savings: $5,936
Years to prevention a down payment: 22.6

Median down outgo (January-November 2025): $124,094
Median household income (2025): $119,567
Annual savings: $6,058
Years to prevention a down payment: 20.5

Median down outgo (January-November 2025): $103,770
Median household income (2025): $101,407
Annual savings: $5,138
Years to prevention a down payment: 20.2

More From GOBankingRates

Trump's $2K Dividend: Who Qualifies and How You'll Get It
6 Must-Have Winter Clothing Items To Buy astatine Costco
How Middle-Class Earners Are Quietly Becoming Millionaires -- and How You Can, Too
5 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected GOBankingRates.com: 8 US Locations Where Saving for a Down Payment Could Take Over 20 Years

Read Entire Article