Housing

Housing Affordability

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Housing Affordability Improves, Breaking Ten-Year Trend  

An adequate supply of affordable ownership opportunity housing promotes homeownership, which increases stability for families and communities, and is an important source of wealth creation.[1] San Bernardino County’s lower relative housing prices in the region can attract first-time buyers seeking a more manageable housing budget and greater long-term financial security. This indicator uses the California Association of Realtors First-Time Buyer Housing Affordability Index to measure the percentage of households that can afford an existing single-family detached home at 85% of the median home price in San Bernardino County. This indicator also compares the minimum qualifying income for an entry-level home to the annual incomes of common or growing occupations. Homeownership rates are also shown. 

TREND

Housing affordability for first-time buyers saw the first improvement in ten years, while homeownership rates increased marginally in 2024. In 2025, approximately 49% of San Bernardino County households could afford an entry-level single-family home, a slight increase from 47% measured in 2024.  Additionally, the minimum qualifying income for a first-time homebuyer declined from $84,600 in 2024 to $80,400 in 2025. Despite this improvement in affordability, this is the second lowest affordability rate measured in the past decade, and a decline from 74% in 2016. At the same time, although the homeownership rate increased from 57% in 2015 to just under 63% in 2022, it has remained relatively flat over the past three years, mirroring state and national trends.  

GEOGRAPHIC COMPARISON

San Bernardino County remains more affordable than neighboring counties and the state. As of the first quarter of 2025, San Bernardino County remained the most housing-affordable county in Southern California. At 49%, a greater proportion of San Bernardino County households can afford an entry-level home than California households overall (31%). Orange County had the lowest affordability rate for entry-level single-family home purchases (17%), followed by San Diego County (25%), Los Angeles County (27%), and Riverside County (40%).  

AFFORDABILITY FOR FIRST-TIME BUYERS IMPROVES SLIGHTLY IN MOST COUNTIES
Percentage of Households Able to Afford Entry-Level Single-Family Home in San Bernardino County, Neighboring Counties, and California, 2016-2025

Note: Data are from the first quarter of the years presented.
Source: California Association of Realtors (www.car.org) 
HOMEOWNERSHIP IN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY INCREASES MARGINALLY IN 2024
Percentage of Households Who Own Their Home in San Bernardino County, California, and the United States, 2015-2024

Note: Homeownership rate includes households with or without a mortgage. The U.S. Census Bureau did not publish 1-Year American Community Survey results in 2020.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 1-Year Estimates, Table DP04 (data.census.gov) 

RACE/ETHNICITY DETAIL

When looking at homeownership by race, 41% of homeowners are White, followed by people who identify as some other race (22%) or two or more races (19%). In terms of ethnicity, the majority of homeowners do not identify as Latino (55%). In the accompanying charts, the race and ethnicity of the householder for all occupied housing units, whether owned or rented, is provided for context.  

WHITE HOUSEHOLDS MOST LIKELY TO BE HOMEOWNERS
Distribution of Homeownership by Race Compared to All Occupied Homes by Race in San Bernardino County, 2024
NON-LATINO HOUSEHOLDS SOMEWHAT MORE LIKELY TO BE HOMEOWNERS THAN LATINO HOUSEHOLDS
Distribution of Homeownership by Ethnicity Compared to All Occupied Homes by Ethnicity in San Bernardino County, 2024

Notes: The Census asks respondents to report both their race (or races) and their ethnicity (Hispanic or not Hispanic). Because race and ethnicity are collected as separate, overlapping categories, they are presented separately. Race categories include people of any ethnicity, and the Hispanic category includes people of any race. Additionally, to understand homeownership by different racial or ethnic groups, the charts display the percentage of householders from each racial or ethnic group that are homeowners, compared to the race or ethnic group’s percentage of householders in all occupied housing units, whether renter-occupied or owner-occupied. For example, if 100 householders were homeowners, and 41 of homeowners identify as White, 41% of homeowners identify as White.  This can be compared to White householders’ share of occupied housing units.  For example, if 41% of homeowners identify as White, and 38% of the householders of all occupied housing units identify as White, householders who identify as White are slightly overrepresented among homeowners. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce. “Demographic Characteristics for Occupied Housing Units.” American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Estimates Subject Tables, Table S2502, 2023, https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2023.S2502?q=S2502&g=050XX00US06071. Accessed on March 10, 2026. 

SOCIOECONOMIC DETAIL

The minimum qualifying income needed to purchase a San Bernardino County entry-level single family home (priced at 85% of median, which is estimated to be $422,450) was $80,400 in the fourth quarter of 2025. Looking at the average salaries in a selection of common or growing occupations, only elementary school teachers and nurses would qualify for an entry-level home.  

ONLY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER AND REGISTERED NURSE MEET MINIMUM REQUIRED INCOME FOR AN ENTRY-LEVEL HOME
Average Salaries for Selected Common or Growth Occupations and Minimum Qualifying Income to Afford Home Priced at 85% of the Median in San Bernardino County, 2025

[1] Habitat for Humanity: Evidence Brief: Wealth Building (www.habitat.org/sites/default/files/Evidence-Brief_Wealth-building-for-homeowners.pdf)

1The California Association of Realtors defines the parameters for the First-Time Buyer Housing Affordability Index: 10% down and a 1-year adjustable-rate mortgage, including points and fees, based on Freddy Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey.