Housing

California vs Massachusetts: Owner Costs to Income

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

California flag
California
CA · West
21.0%
Median selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income (ACS 2023).
Massachusetts flag
Massachusetts
MA · Northeast
Winner
19.5%
Median selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income (ACS 2023).

Visual comparison

California21.0%
Massachusetts19.5%

Difference: 1.50 percentage points — Massachusetts leads.

National Rankings

Where They Rank Nationally

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

California #50 · 21.0%
Massachusetts #47 · 19.5%
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%
#47 Massachusetts flag Massachusetts
19.5%

California ranks 50th and Massachusetts ranks 47th 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.

MetricCaliforniaMassachusetts
Owner Costs w/ Mortgage $3,001/mo $2,755/mo
Owner Costs w/o Mortgage $882/mo $1,069/mo
Median Household Income $84,097 $96,505 Median Home Value $693,700 $510,400 Property Tax Rate 0.70% 1.07%

What this means

California vs Massachusetts: Owner Costs to Income in context

Massachusetts's owner costs to income is 19.5%, compared with 21.0% in California. Median selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income (ACS 2023).

California
21.0%
Massachusetts
19.5%
Difference
1.50 percentage points

People also ask

California vs Massachusetts Owner Costs to Income — common questions

QWhat is California's owner costs to income?

California's owner costs to income is 21.0%.

QWhat is Massachusetts's owner costs to income?

Massachusetts's owner costs to income is 19.5%.

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

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

More comparisons: California vs Massachusetts

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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.