Housing

Alabama vs California: Owner Costs to Income

Alabama has a lower owner costs to income ratio than California.

Alabama flag
Alabama
AL · South
Winner
14.8%
Median selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income (ACS 2023).
California flag
California
CA · West
21.0%
Median selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income (ACS 2023).

Visual comparison

Alabama14.8%
California21.0%

Difference: 6.20 percentage points — Alabama leads.

National Rankings

Where They Rank Nationally

See where both states fall among all 50 states for owner costs to income.

Alabama #4 · 14.8%
California #50 · 21.0%
Best Worst

10 Best States — Owner Costs to Income

Lower is better
#1 West Virginia flag West Virginia
13.3%
#2 Arkansas flag Arkansas
14.6%
#3 North Dakota flag North Dakota
14.7%
#4 Alabama flag Alabama
14.8%
#5 Mississippi flag Mississippi
15.2%
#6 South Carolina flag South Carolina
15.4%
#7 Indiana flag Indiana
15.5%
#8 Tennessee flag Tennessee
15.5%
#9 Kentucky flag Kentucky
15.6%
#10 Missouri flag Missouri
15.9%
Selected states
#50 California flag California
21.0%

Alabama ranks 4th and California ranks 50th nationally for owner costs to income.

Related context

Ownership Cost Burden

Lenders typically flag anything above 28% as stretched — here's how ownership stacks up against income.

MetricAlabamaCalifornia
Owner Costs w/ Mortgage $1,500/mo $3,001/mo
Owner Costs w/o Mortgage $469/mo $882/mo
Median Household Income $54,943 $84,097 Median Home Value $174,600 $693,700 Property Tax Rate 0.38% 0.70%

What this means

Alabama vs California: Owner Costs to Income in context

Alabama's owner costs to income is 14.8%, compared with 21.0% in California. Median selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income (ACS 2023).

Alabama
14.8%
California
21.0%
Difference
6.20 percentage points

People also ask

Alabama vs California Owner Costs to Income — common questions

QWhat is Alabama's owner costs to income?

Alabama's owner costs to income is 14.8%.

QWhat is California's owner costs to income?

California's owner costs to income is 21.0%.

QWhich state has a lower owner costs to income — Alabama or California?

Alabama has a lower owner costs to income ratio than California.

More comparisons: Alabama vs California

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Full comparison

Data source and freshness

Data period
ACS 2023 estimates
Dataset reviewed
July 23, 2026
Method note
State values or ratios calculated from ACS fields.