Are you getting tired of Democrats suddenly concerned about “affordability” now that Demented Biden is out of office and Trump 47 is in? The same Democrats and media talking heads did not care when the Biden Regime intentionally created 21 percent inflation, pushing many Americans into poverty. Now, they are screeching about “affordability.” A new study looked into how much someone needs to earn in each state to “live comfortably.” Like many blue states, the results for Washington and Oregon were not pretty.
According to the personal finance site SmartAsset, Washington and Oregon rank 6th and 7th respectively for salaries needed to live comfortably among all 50 states. The study’s methodology used the 50/30/20 budgeting rule, which states that only half of your income should be used on necessities, 30% for your “wants,” and the rest for saving, debt or investing.
DOES THIS EXPLAIN WHY MANY ARE MOVING?
Washington and Oregon are among the most expensive states in the country. In both Washington and Oregon a single adult needs to earn about $110,000 annually to live comfortably. That number jumps to just north of $280,000 annually though for a family of four.
Hawaii was the most expensive state where it takes roughly $129,000 annually for a single adult to live comfortably and a little over $313,000 for a family of four. The rest of the top ten was rounded out by all Democrat-run states including Massachusetts, California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Colorado, and Maryland.
Oregon and Washington’s neighbor Idaho faired much better. The Gem State was right in the middle of the pack at 25th where a single adult needs $98,176 to live comfortably and a family of four needs $226,054.
These findings come on the heels of similar SmartAsset study in February that found Washington is one of the most difficult states to make it into the middle class. The study found that the Evergreen State has the 7th-highest threshold in the nation to be considered middle class, which ranged from $66,259 on the low end to $198,778 on the high end.
The problem is even worse if you live in Seattle, which had the 7th-highest threshold of any city to make it into the middle class. The middle class income range in the Emerald City ranged from $79,163 all the way up to $237,490. Under their Communist mayor, the “affordability” numbers will only get worse.
KILLING AMERICAN DREAM: HOME PRICES OUTPACE INCOMES IN WA & OR
A new report from Realtor.com is handing out grades for housing affordability and it may leave Washington and Oregon wanting to seek some extra credit. The report assessed all 50 states and Washington D.C. on affordability and homebuilding activity. The Evergreen State was given a C- and ranked 38th overall and Oregon fared even worse with a D- and ranked 45th overall.
The median listing price in Washington is $638,185 while the median income is $96,120. For Oregon, the median listing price was slightly lower at $564,005 but the median income is only $80,356.
The study also looked at a states permit-to-population ratio, which compares each state’s share of national building permits to its share of the country’s population. For example, Washington has 2.34% of the nation’s population and accounts for 2.45% of permitted units, so it has a permit-to-population ration of about 1. Oregon has 1.25% of the nation’s population and 1.05% of permitted units.
RED STATES MOST AFFORDABLE
Scroll up to the top of the affordability list and you will notice a common trend among the most affordability states. For the most part, they are red states and they reside in the Midwest and the South. In yet another testament to conservative governance, 9 of the top 10 states were Republican run with the lone exception being Delaware. Indiana earned the top spot with a median listing price of $295,810 and a median income of $71,469.
“The regional pattern we identified last year has only sharpened. Every A and B grade in this year’s report belongs to a state in the South or Midwest,” the study says. “The average score for Southern states is 60.4 (average rank: No. 16); for Midwestern states, it’s 60.9 (average rank: No. 16 as well). Western states average 41.8 (average rank: No. 35), and the Northeast averages just 30.0 (average rank: No. 43).”
People vote with their feet, and it’s no surprise that midwestern and southern states are slowly gaining more political power.
Thank you to Jason Rantz for much of this data.
Listen to The Jason Rantz Show on weekday afternoons from 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. on Seattle Red on 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason Rantz on X, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.
Check me out on X @dianelgruber.
Living Behind Enemy Lines No Longer, Tale #36: Escaping Hatred, Crime, Filth
In early 2022 our next door neighbor was in the process of moving from Blue Washington to Red Montana.^ As he was preparing the house for sale, he was also assisting an elderly friend move from Oregon to Arizona, and they could not get a one-way U-Haul truck. His friend wound up flying to his new home and hiring a moving van to move his furniture. My ne…
The author, Diane L. Gruber, is a First Amendment advocate who writes for Substack. She calls her Substack newsletter America First Re-Ignited. Follow me on X @DianeLGruber.
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