Affordability · 2026
Most affordable counties for actual homeowners
For first-time buyers, downshifters, and remote workers leaving expensive metros. 75 counties where the typical home sells under $250,000 and the property tax rate is below 1.20% — meaning the all-in cost of ownership is genuinely low, not just one side of the equation.
| # | County | State | Median home | Effective rate | Median bill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercer County | WV West Virginia | $110,000 | 0.46% | $506 |
| 2 | Raleigh County | WV West Virginia | $120,000 | 0.46% | $552 |
| 3 | Pulaski County | IN Indiana | $137,800 | 0.43% | $588 |
| 4 | Clay County | IN Indiana | $102,000 | 0.58% | $589 |
| 5 | Marion County | WV West Virginia | $125,000 | 0.49% | $613 |
| 6 | Cabell County | WV West Virginia | $125,000 | 0.50% | $625 |
| 7 | Wood County | WV West Virginia | $135,000 | 0.48% | $648 |
| 8 | McKinley County | NM New Mexico | $130,000 | 0.50% | $650 |
| 9 | Calhoun County | AL Alabama | $155,000 | 0.42% | $651 |
| 10 | Kanawha County | WV West Virginia | $130,000 | 0.51% | $663 |
| 11 | Harrison County | WV West Virginia | $140,000 | 0.49% | $686 |
| 12 | Fulton County | IN Indiana | $121,000 | 0.61% | $744 |
| 13 | Morgan County | AL Alabama | $200,000 | 0.38% | $760 |
| 14 | Orange County | IN Indiana | $117,400 | 0.65% | $763 |
| 15 | Blackford County | IN Indiana | $76,000 | 1.02% | $779 |
| 16 | Greene County | IN Indiana | $115,000 | 0.69% | $794 |
| 17 | Warren County | IN Indiana | $134,600 | 0.59% | $794 |
| 18 | Fountain County | IN Indiana | $118,000 | 0.69% | $820 |
| 19 | Cass County | IN Indiana | $102,000 | 0.81% | $824 |
| 20 | Montgomery County | AL Alabama | $185,000 | 0.45% | $833 |
| 21 | Martin County | IN Indiana | $117,500 | 0.71% | $834 |
| 22 | White County | IN Indiana | $165,800 | 0.51% | $845 |
| 23 | Switzerland County | IN Indiana | $138,900 | 0.61% | $847 |
| 24 | Crawford County | IN Indiana | $105,000 | 0.81% | $851 |
| 25 | Starke County | IN Indiana | $124,300 | 0.69% | $858 |
| 26 | Parke County | IN Indiana | $132,100 | 0.65% | $859 |
| 27 | Hamblen County | TN Tennessee | $210,900 | 0.41% | $862 |
| 28 | Fayette County | IN Indiana | $89,000 | 0.99% | $878 |
| 29 | Mobile County | AL Alabama | $195,000 | 0.45% | $878 |
| 30 | Steuben County | IN Indiana | $173,400 | 0.51% | $884 |
| 31 | Greene County | TN Tennessee | $207,500 | 0.43% | $890 |
| 32 | Huntington County | IN Indiana | $122,000 | 0.74% | $905 |
| 33 | Jay County | IN Indiana | $92,000 | 0.99% | $911 |
| 34 | Eddy County | NM New Mexico | $185,000 | 0.50% | $925 |
| 35 | Knox County | IN Indiana | $110,000 | 0.85% | $935 |
| 36 | Tuscaloosa County | AL Alabama | $235,000 | 0.40% | $940 |
| 37 | Washington County | IN Indiana | $137,200 | 0.69% | $947 |
| 38 | Carroll County | IN Indiana | $142,000 | 0.67% | $954 |
| 39 | Hawkins County | TN Tennessee | $176,300 | 0.54% | $956 |
| 40 | Wabash County | IN Indiana | $122,700 | 0.78% | $957 |
| 41 | Perry County | IN Indiana | $121,500 | 0.79% | $960 |
| 42 | Rapides County | LA Louisiana | $175,000 | 0.55% | $963 |
| 43 | Lea County | NM New Mexico | $175,000 | 0.55% | $963 |
| 44 | Henry County | IN Indiana | $105,000 | 0.93% | $977 |
| 45 | Newton County | IN Indiana | $137,600 | 0.71% | $977 |
| 46 | Jefferson County | TN Tennessee | $229,300 | 0.43% | $978 |
| 47 | Clinton County | IN Indiana | $119,000 | 0.82% | $979 |
| 48 | Delaware County | IN Indiana | $108,000 | 0.92% | $997 |
| 49 | Robeson County | NC North Carolina | $105,000 | 0.95% | $998 |
| 50 | Grant County | IN Indiana | $105,000 | 0.95% | $1,000 |
| 51 | LaGrange County | IN Indiana | $152,000 | 0.66% | $1,003 |
| 52 | Owen County | IN Indiana | $142,200 | 0.71% | $1,010 |
| 53 | Lauderdale County | MS Mississippi | $130,000 | 0.78% | $1,014 |
| 54 | Benton County | IN Indiana | $122,000 | 0.84% | $1,024 |
| 55 | Jennings County | IN Indiana | $132,000 | 0.78% | $1,029 |
| 56 | Randolph County | IN Indiana | $99,100 | 1.04% | $1,029 |
| 57 | Harrison County | IN Indiana | $175,000 | 0.59% | $1,033 |
| 58 | Sullivan County | IN Indiana | $113,700 | 0.91% | $1,035 |
| 59 | Gibson County | TN Tennessee | $156,900 | 0.66% | $1,039 |
| 60 | Wells County | IN Indiana | $158,400 | 0.66% | $1,045 |
| 61 | Jefferson County | IN Indiana | $152,000 | 0.69% | $1,049 |
| 62 | Ohio County | IN Indiana | $169,800 | 0.62% | $1,052 |
| 63 | Caddo County | LA Louisiana | $165,000 | 0.65% | $1,073 |
| 64 | Calcasieu County | LA Louisiana | $195,000 | 0.55% | $1,073 |
| 65 | Ouachita County | LA Louisiana | $165,000 | 0.65% | $1,073 |
| 66 | Sebastian County | AR Arkansas | $165,000 | 0.65% | $1,073 |
| 67 | Garland County | AR Arkansas | $195,000 | 0.55% | $1,073 |
| 68 | White County | AR Arkansas | $165,000 | 0.65% | $1,073 |
| 69 | Lonoke County | AR Arkansas | $195,000 | 0.55% | $1,073 |
| 70 | Aiken County | SC South Carolina | $215,000 | 0.50% | $1,075 |
| 71 | Wayne County | IN Indiana | $113,500 | 0.95% | $1,078 |
| 72 | Lawrence County | IN Indiana | $138,400 | 0.78% | $1,080 |
| 73 | Noble County | IN Indiana | $152,800 | 0.71% | $1,085 |
| 74 | Anderson County | SC South Carolina | $200,000 | 0.55% | $1,100 |
| 75 | DeKalb County | IN Indiana | $162,000 | 0.69% | $1,117 |
Why both numbers matter
A county with $150K homes and a 2.5% rate isn’t affordable — that’s a $3,750 annual tax bill on a modest house. A county with $400K homes and a 0.50% rate isn’t cheap to live in either — that’s $400K of mortgage. Real affordability requires both a reachable home price and a property tax bill that doesn’t eat the savings.
This list filters for that combination: median home value under $250,000 (affordable mortgage on a household income of $60-80K) AND effective rate under 1.20% (below US median of ~1.0%, with margin). Counties on this list typically have stable or declining populations, mature housing stock, and historically low cost of living — meaning the affordability isn’t about boom-bust speculation but about structural conditions.
For other angles: 100 lowest-tax counties, cheapest county in each metro, or compare any two counties directly.