Higher mortgage borrowing costs in the third quarter broadly offset affordability gains made in softening home prices relative to wage increases, according to data published Thursday by Attom.

As a result, monthly housing expenses for median-priced single-family homes and condos exceeded their historical norms in 570 of the 583 counties examined by the real estate analytics provider.

That compares to 560 such counties in the first quarter, highlighting the breadth of ongoing housing-related cost pressures facing homeowners across the U.S.

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“Home prices declined nationally and wage growth outpaced price growth in many counties, but those gains were not enough to meaningfully improve affordability across much of the country,” stated Attom CEO Rob Barber in a press release.

Home prices remain near record highs across much of the country following multiple years of double-digits gains during the COVID-19 pandemic. Property taxes and insurance costs have also surged in subsequent years, pressuring monthly payment stability.

Mortgage rates, meanwhile, have spiked in 2026 from around 6% at the start of the year to recent highs near 7.5% in early October. Inflationary impacts from the Iran war and AI, paired with higher long-term government borrowing costs, have fueled their rise.

Typical wages rose at a faster pace than home prices in almost 6 in 10 counties during the third quarter, according to Attom, with wage growth outpacing home price gains across major metro markets like Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego and Miami.

But in more than 3 in 10 counties, monthly expenses on a median-priced home — including mortgage payments, mortgage insurance, property taxes and homeowners insurance — would have consumed greater than 43% of typical wages, a threshold marking those areas as “seriously unaffordable.”

Nationally, monthly homeownership expenses would have consumed about 32% of typical worker wages on a median-priced home. That is well above 25% during the first quarter.

California claimed 12 of the top 25 counties where homeownership costs consume the greatest share of typical wages, followed by six in New York, three in New Jersey and two in Hawaii.

“Affordability remained a challenge in the third quarter, even as some of the underlying factors moved in a favorable direction,” added Barber.