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Alabama Housing Affordability Index | MonitorBankRates (MBR-HAI)

Alabama Housing Affordability Index

Alabama’s MBR Housing Affordability Index score is 133.7 (Highly Affordable) as of October 15, 2026, ranking 3rd most affordable of 51 states, compared with a national score of 97.1. On a median-priced $209,900 home in Alabama with 20% down, the current 7.30% 30-year fixed rate means a monthly principal and interest payment of about $1,151, or 22% of the state’s $63,999 median household income.

Daily MBR Housing Affordability Index (MBR-HAI) score for Alabama compared to the national average. Updated every night using live mortgage rates and U.S. Census Bureau income and home value data. A score of 100 equals the national average; higher scores mean homeownership is more affordable.

Current Score
Alabama
133.7
Highly Affordable
MBR-HAI • October 15, 2026
0 vs. prior day
National Average
97.1
Near National Average
MBR-HAI • October 15, 2026
0 vs. prior day
National Rank #3 of 51 states
vs. National Average +36.5 points
30-yr Rate Used 7.300%
Median Home Value $209,900
Median Household Income $63,999

Housing Affordability Across U.S. States

MBR-HAI score for every state as of October 15, 2026, with Alabama outlined. Green states are more affordable than the national baseline of 100; red states are less affordable. Hover for the rank; click through to any state.

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming District of Columbia District of Columbia
Highly Affordable (120+) More Affordable (110-119) Near Average (90-109) Moderately Less (70-89) Significantly Less (50-69) Least Affordable (under 50)

National baseline = 100 (computed at the 6.5% reference rate). Scores update every morning. Hover any state for its rank; click to open that state's page.

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Alabama Affordability Ranking

#3 of 51 states · October 15, 2026 Top 20% most affordable
Most Affordable Least Affordable
More affordable than: 48 of 51 states (94%)
Less affordable than: 2 of 51 states (4%)
MBR-HAI Score: 133.7 vs. national 97.1 (+36.5 points)
Nearby States
#1 WV 144.5
#2 AR 135.1
#3 Alabama ◀ 133.7
#4 MS 130.8
#5 IA 125.3
↓ 46 less affordable states below
Top 5 Most Affordable
#1 WV 144.5
#2 AR 135.1
#3 AL ◀ 133.7
#4 MS 130.8
#5 IA 125.3
Bottom 5 Least Affordable
#47 OR 77.8
#48 DC 77.3
#49 MA 76.0
#50 HI 69.1
#51 CA 67.3

View full 51-state rankings →

Alabama MBR-HAI · 90-Day Trend

Alabama
National Average

Dashed line = national average. Amber dashed line = 100 baseline. Score updates each morning after the nightly rate aggregation run.

Key Affordability Factors · Alabama

$209,900
Median Home Value
U.S. median: varies by state
$63,999
Median Household Income
U.S. median: $80,734
3.3x
Price-to-Income Ratio
Home value ÷ income
$897/mo
Median Owner Costs
16.8% of income annually
$918/yr
Median Property Tax
0.44% effective rate
71.2%
Homeownership Rate
U.S. average: 65.7%
23.6%
Owner Cost Burden
% spending 30%+ of income on housing
7.300%
30-yr Mortgage Rate
State average • October 15, 2026

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey and Current Population Survey. Mortgage rate from MBR live rate database.

How Alabama Ranks Among All States

#3
of 51 states
Least Affordable Most Affordable
Alabama is more affordable than 96% of U.S. states, Highly Affordable
133.7
MBR-HAI Score
Rank State MBR-HAI Score Affordability
1 West Virginia 144.5 Highly Affordable
2 Arkansas 135.1 Highly Affordable
3 Alabama You are here 133.7 Highly Affordable
4 Mississippi 130.8 Highly Affordable
5 Iowa 125.3 Highly Affordable
6 Louisiana 124.7 Highly Affordable
▼ See all 51 state rankings →

Showing states ranked near Alabama · October 15, 2026 • View complete national rankings →

Download Alabama HAI Data

Alabama History (CSV)
Daily score vs. national • all dates
date,state,hai_score,national_score,rate_used
2026-10-15,AL,133.7,97.1,7.300
Download AL History (CSV)
All 51 States (CSV)
Compare Alabama to every state

Daily scores for all 51 states, filter by state or date in Excel or Google Sheets.

All States (CSV)
Cite the Alabama MBR-HAI
Editorial / press citation
“MonitorBankRates (MBR) Housing Affordability Index, MonitorBankRates.com, October 15, 2026. Alabama score: 133.7 (Highly Affordable), ranked #3 of 51 states. Methodology: monitorbankrates.com/housing-affordability-index-methodology”
APA 7th edition (academic)
Monitor Bank Rates LLC. (2026, October 15). MonitorBankRates (MBR) Housing Affordability Index: Alabama [Data set]. https://www.monitorbankrates.com/housing-affordability-index/alabama/

Press & Citation Resources · Alabama

Ready-to-publish sentences using today's Alabama data, an email template you can send to clients, and direct contact for press inquiries or custom data requests.

Ready-to-Publish Sentences

Each sentence updates daily with the live Alabama score. Free for editorial use with attribution to MonitorBankRates.

News Lead · AP-style, factual

In Alabama, the MonitorBankRates (MBR) Housing Affordability Index stood at 133.7 on October 15, 2026, ranking #3 of 51 U.S. states for homeownership affordability and indicating highly affordable conditions relative to the national baseline. The state-level reading combines Alabama's 30-year mortgage rate average of 7.300% with U.S. Census Bureau housing values, household income, property taxes, and cost burden data.

Analyst Quote · with voice, attributable

“Alabama's MonitorBankRates (MBR) Housing Affordability Index score of 133.7 places it #3 of 51 nationwide. Above the 100 baseline, that means buyer purchasing power in Alabama is stronger than the long-run national average computed at a 6.5% mortgage rate. The state's 30-year average is currently 7.300%, and the index outperforms the national average.”

Brian McKay, MonitorBankRates

Social Media · concise, share-friendly

🏠 MonitorBankRates (MBR) Housing Affordability Index. Alabama: 133.7 (Highly Affordable), rank #3 of 51 states. 30-yr mortgage avg: 7.30%. National baseline = 100. Updated daily · via @MonitorBankRates → https://www.monitorbankrates.com/housing-affordability-index/alabama/

Casual / Blog · conversational

Housing affordability in Alabama is currently sitting at 133.7 on the MonitorBankRates (MBR) Housing Affordability Index, ranking it #3 of 51 U.S. states. With 100 representing the long-term national baseline at a 6.5% reference rate, Alabama's 30-year mortgage rate of 7.30% reflects highly affordable conditions for local buyers. The state outperforms the national average as a whole.

Mortgage Broker Email Template

Pre-written client update for Alabama homebuyers. Personalize the bracketed fields and send.

SubjectHousing affordability snapshot for Alabama: what it means for your search
Hi [Client Name], Wanted to share a quick affordability snapshot for Alabama from the MonitorBankRates (MBR) Housing Affordability Index, a daily-updated composite that tracks how affordable U.S. homeownership is right now. Alabama's current reading: 133.7 (Highly Affordable), rank #3 of 51 states National reading: 97.130-year mortgage rate average in Alabama: 7.300% The index baseline of 100 represents long-run typical conditions at a 6.5% reference rate. Alabama currently outperforms the national average. For full state context (including the 90-day trend, key affordability factors, and how Alabama compares to neighboring states) see: https://www.monitorbankrates.com/housing-affordability-index/alabama/ Always happy to discuss what this means for your specific situation. Best, [Your Name]

For Press & Researchers

The Alabama MBR-HAI is free to cite for editorial, academic, and policy use with attribution. We're happy to provide additional support:

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