News Number of the Day Number of the Day Shows Housing Costs Outpacing Income Our take on the most relevant or interesting figure in personal finance today By Halley Bondy Halley Bondy Website Halley Bondy is a freelance journalist covering personal finance and a variety of small business topics for The Balance and outlets including NBC Know Your Value and Business Insider. She is an expert in startups, entrepreneurship, business financing, the U.S. economy, and investing. You can find her articles in NBC News, Business Insider, Lifewire News, Daily Beast, DAME Magazine, Eater NY, Bustle, Romper, The Outline, Oxygen, CMT, Vice, New York Daily News, MTV, and more learn about our editorial policies Updated on October 29, 2020 That’s how much a typical household needs for a down payment on a house today -- thanks to rising home prices -- 44% more than in 2014. In that year, median-income homeowners would have needed $36,000 to put 20% down for a home purchase, according to an analysis from Zillow released today. Home values have risen more than twice as fast as homeowner income over the last six years. Since September 2014, home values have increased by 38.3%, while homeowner income has only increased by 18.8% in the same period ending in September of this year. The housing market is currently experiencing record-low mortgage rates, but the Zillow report's author, Chris Glynn, said these rates mask this “alarming” disparity between income and housing costs. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources The Balance uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Zillow Economic Research. "Record Low Mortgage Rates Boost Affordability, But Mask Down Payment Difficulties."