Department of Numbers

Richmond, Virginia Home Affordability

The data below measures home affordability for the Richmond, Virginia metropolitan area using price-to-income and price-to-rent metrics. The maximum affordable loan amount for the median household income is also calculated.

Richmond, Virginia Home Price-to-Income Index

The chart below shows a history of the ratio as an index calculated from the Federal Housing Finance Agency's Richmond HPI series.1 Median household income data for Richmond is from the Census American Community Survey.2

Price-to-Income: FHFA

Note: Index set to 100 in Q1 of 2000

Richmond, Virginia Home Price-to-Income Index History

Date FHFA
March 2010 132.8
December 2009 134.8
September 2009 136.1
June 2009 139.5
March 2009 143.1

Richmond, Virginia Home Price-to-Rent Index

The chart below shows an index of the rent ratio calculated from the metro FHFA HPI series and the Richmond median contract rent data from the Census ACS.

Price-to-Rent: FHFA

Note: Index set to 100 in Q1 of 2000

Richmond, Virginia Home Price-to-Rent Index History

Date FHFA
March 2010 118.0
December 2009 119.9
September 2009 121.0
June 2009 124.1
March 2009 127.2

Richmond, Virginia Inferred Affordable Mortgage

The inferred affordable mortgage is determined by taking the median household income for Richmond, Virginia 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 ACS median household income and average monthly mortgage rates.

Inferred Affordable Mortgage

Date Inferred Mortgage
May 2010 $276,645
April 2010 $270,107
March 2010 $274,126
February 2010 $273,502
January 2010 $272,260
December 2009 $275,381
November 2009 $276,962
October 2009 $274,753
September 2009 $271,334
August 2009 $267,377
July 2009 $266,477
June 2009 $260,590
May 2009 $277,598

1. Specifically, FHFA data is from the non seasonally adjusted, all-transactions quarterly series.

2. Income data for the previous year is carried into the following year prior to the release of new income data.