Department of Numbers

Oregon Home Affordability

The data below quantifies Oregon home affordability by using home prices and home price indices to calculate price-to-income and price-to-rent ratios.1 The maximum affordable loan amount for the median household income is also calculated. You can also compare Oregon home affordability to other states.

Oregon Home Price-to-Income Ratios

The home price-to-income ratio for Oregon comes from the Federal Housing Finance Agency's relatively new state median price series and their purchase only index combined with Oregon annual median household income data. The FHFA home price series yields a dollar ratio (top chart) while the index results in an index ratio (bottom chart). Based on the latest FHFA state home prices in June 2010, the price-to-income ratio for Oregon was 4.10.

Home Price-to-Income Dollar Ratio: FHFA

Chart of Oregon home price-to-income ratio using FHFA median price

Home Price-to-Income Index Ratio: FHFA

Chart of Oregon home price-to-income ratio using FHFA HPI

Note: Index set to 100 in Q1 of 2000

Oregon Home Price-to-Income Ratio History

Date FHFA
(Dollar Ratio)
FHFA
(Index Ratio)
December 2012 121.2
September 2012 119.5
June 2012 117.0
March 2012 113.9
December 2011 113.7
September 2011 113.3
June 2011 112.7
March 2011 114.3
December 2010 119.4
September 2010 121.9

Oregon Home Price-to-Rent Ratios

The price-to-rent ratio for Oregon is determined for both the FHFA median price and the purchase only index by calculating a ratio with the median contract rent. The price-to-adjusted rent value takes into account CPS reported household size to attempt to correct for quality differences in renter and owner occupied homes. More on that process here. Again, the median price ratio is a dollar ratio and the HPI ratio is an index ratio defined to be 100 in Q1 2000. The adjusted price-to-rent ratio for Oregon was 22.47 in June 2010.

Home Price-to-Rent Dollar Ratio: FHFA, FHFA Adjusted Rent

Chart of Oregon home price-to-rent ratio using FHFA median price

Home Price-to-Rent Index Ratio: FHFA

Chart of Oregon home price-to-rent ratio using FHFA HPI

Note: Index set to 100 in Q1 of 2000

Oregon Home Price-to-Rent Ratio History

Date FHFA
(Dollar Ratio)
FHFA Adjusted
(Dollar Ratio)
FHFA
(Index Ratio)
December 2012 110.6
September 2012 109.0
June 2012 106.7
March 2012 103.9
December 2011 103.8
September 2011 103.3
June 2011 102.8
March 2011 104.2
December 2010 109.5

Oregon Inferred Affordable Mortgage

The inferred affordable mortgage is determined by taking the median household income for Oregon and calculating the mortgage 30% of that income could afford. Traditionally, 30% of income is the maximum amount a homeowner could use towards a home loan. Inferred affordable loan values are calculated from median household income and average monthly mortgage rates. The amounts are not adjusted for inflation.

Inferred Affordable Mortgage

Chart of Oregon maximum affordable home loan amount

Oregon Inferred Affordable Mortgage History

Date Inferred Mortgage
January 2013 $290,100
December 2012 $292,287
November 2012 $292,287
October 2012 $291,190
September 2012 $286,864
August 2012 $283,330
July 2012 $285,089
June 2012 $280,549
May 2012 $276,452
April 2012 $272,773
March 2012 $271,453
February 2012 $273,437
January 2012 $272,442

1. Specifically, Home prices are from the FHFA seasonally adjusted, purchase only quarterly series. Rent data is from the Census ACS and income is from the Census CPS. Rent and income data for the previous year is carried into the following year for calculations prior to release of new data.