NFL cities reveal a split housing affordability picture for 2026
Seattle tops the table, Tampa and Las Vegas close behind
The top tier, which First American calls affordability heavyweights, posted an average improvement of 8.2% from a year ago, according to Sam Williamson, senior economist at First American Data & Analytics.
Income growth drove the bulk of those gains, contributing 4.3 percentage points on average, with softening house prices adding a further 0.6 points.
Seattle led all 30 markets with an 11.2% year-over-year improvement. Income gains of 6.3 percentage points, the highest in the entire analysis, powered most of that result, with falling prices adding 1.7 points.
Tampa, Florida followed at 10.7%, and Las Vegas came in third at 9.3%. Kansas City offered a different path: a 5.9-point income contribution absorbed a 3.3-point drag from rising prices, demonstrating that strong earnings growth can offset price pressure where local labor markets remain tight.
Markets in the middle of the pack averaged a 4.1% affordability improvement, roughly half the heavyweight pace, but with a meaningful catch.
