Los Angeles, California, ranked last in affordability among the 100 largest U.S. metros. Des Moines, Iowa, ranked first.
The Realtor.com report ranked Des Moines with an “A+” score at 83.4. Describing the score, the report said the city “permits 85% more new homes for construction than would be expected based on its population and the national average for permitting” and the “median earner spends just 27.5% of their income on a monthly payment for the median-priced home there.” It’s affordability score is well above the national average, 0.894 against a 0.675 average.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles received an F and a total score of 12.0. The median earner must spend 84.4% of their income to afford a mortgage payment in the area, the report explained. The average home price in the area is $1.129 million, a stark contrast to Des Moines’ $349,903.
Other cities with F’s include New York City, Providence, Rhode Island, Honolulu, Boston, San Francisco, San Diego, San Jose, Riverside, and Miami, among others.
A separate report from U.S. News & World Report 2026 Best States Rankings listed California as the nation’s least affordable state. States ranked the highest were Utah, South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Nebraska. Other states making it into the top ten were New Hampshire, Idaho, Florida, Washington, and Vermont.
California ranked last for opportunity, likely due to its ranking last for affordability. Its economic opportunity, however, was rated as 19. Interestingly, Utah, as the leading state, ranked number 7 for crime, second for its economy, sixth in education, and second again for fiscal stability. California, however, ranked 36 for crime, 26 for economy, 25 for healthcare, and 44 in fiscal stability.
