The price of owning a home in the U.S. has reached an all-time peak

Recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau suggest that the nation’s housing crunch is intensifying.

The typical monthly expense for homeowners with a mortgage has climbed to a record level of more than $2,100, rising 3.5% from a year earlier.

Estimates from the Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development show that new single-family home sales were running at a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 676,000 in September. That was 0.6% below the August 2026 rate of 680,000 and 5.3% lower than the September 2025 pace of 714,000.

Meanwhile, sellers outnumbered buyers by 58% in August, the widest gap in more than 10 years, according to Redfin. The median listing price during the summer was also 2.4% lower than the same month last year.

Officials say nearly three in 10 homeowners are now devoting at least 30% of their income to housing costs.

Homeowners insurance has also become more expensive, with costs rising 8.6% over the past year and becoming one of the fastest-growing expenses for homeowners.