What a house cost in 1950, then and now
In 1950, owners themselves valued US homes at a median of $7,354 in the Census of Housing. Put in September 2026 dollars, the figure is about $102,957, while the Zillow Home Value Index puts a typical US home at $366,157 for September 2026.
- Value of the middle home, 1950
- $7,354Census of Housing
- Value in September 2026 dollars
- $102,957. Adjusted using CPI-U.
State-by-state 1950 home value medians
In 1950, the census counted values for 50 states and DC. Hawaii had the highest median at $12,283, while Alaska had the lowest at $3,477; the national median was $7,354. Neither Alaska nor Hawaii was a state in 1950, and neither has a figure for that year.
| State | Median value, 1950 | Value in September 2026 dollars | Median value, 2000 | Typical value, September 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $12,283 | $171,963 | $272,700 | $832,932 |
| Connecticut | $11,862 | $166,069 | $166,900 | $447,319 |
| New Jersey | $10,408 | $145,713 | $170,800 | $575,123 |
| New York | $10,152 | $142,129 | $148,700 | $524,942 |
| Rhode Island | $9,767 | $136,739 | $133,000 | $508,507 |
| California | $9,564 | $133,897 | $211,500 | $761,538 |
| Massachusetts | $9,144 | $128,017 | $185,700 | $655,219 |
| Delaware | $9,079 | $127,107 | $130,400 | $405,061 |
| Nevada | $8,859 | $124,027 | $142,000 | $440,739 |
| Illinois | $8,646 | $121,045 | $130,800 | $295,943 |
| Ohio | $8,304 | $116,257 | $103,700 | $245,982 |
| Maryland | $8,033 | $112,463 | $146,000 | $424,890 |
| Wisconsin | $7,927 | $110,979 | $112,200 | $337,196 |
| Minnesota | $7,806 | $109,285 | $122,400 | $348,778 |
| Michigan | $7,496 | $104,945 | $115,600 | $263,760 |
| Utah | $7,409 | $103,727 | $146,100 | $532,920 |
| Washington | $7,169 | $100,367 | $168,300 | $587,533 |
| Colorado | $7,151 | $100,115 | $166,600 | $529,013 |
| Pennsylvania | $6,992 | $97,889 | $97,000 | $287,078 |
| Oregon | $6,846 | $95,845 | $152,100 | $492,753 |
| Wyoming | $6,811 | $95,355 | $96,600 | $369,044 |
| Florida | $6,612 | $92,569 | $105,500 | $375,361 |
| Virginia | $6,581 | $92,135 | $125,400 | $412,252 |
| Missouri | $6,399 | $89,587 | $89,900 | $265,387 |
| Iowa | $6,320 | $88,481 | $82,500 | $236,623 |
| Vermont | $6,277 | $87,879 | $111,500 | $391,900 |
| Indiana | $6,226 | $87,165 | $94,300 | $257,165 |
| New Hampshire | $6,199 | $86,787 | $133,300 | $510,937 |
| Arizona | $5,935 | $83,090 | $121,300 | $416,733 |
| Nebraska | $5,918 | $82,852 | $88,000 | $278,299 |
| Idaho | $5,852 | $81,928 | $106,300 | $476,754 |
| Texas | $5,805 | $81,270 | $82,500 | $296,424 |
| Montana | $5,797 | $81,158 | $99,500 | $467,275 |
| New Mexico | $5,697 | $79,758 | $108,100 | $315,812 |
| West Virginia | $5,473 | $76,622 | $72,800 | $176,576 |
| Kansas | $5,462 | $76,468 | $83,500 | $246,055 |
| South Dakota | $5,410 | $75,740 | $79,600 | $317,874 |
| North Dakota | $5,396 | $75,544 | $74,400 | $290,657 |
| Kentucky | $5,283 | $73,962 | $86,700 | $230,909 |
| Tennessee | $5,268 | $73,752 | $93,000 | $330,844 |
| Georgia | $5,235 | $73,290 | $111,200 | $329,115 |
| Oklahoma | $5,228 | $73,192 | $70,700 | $220,801 |
| Louisiana | $5,141 | $71,974 | $85,000 | $213,867 |
| South Carolina | $5,112 | $71,568 | $94,900 | $304,319 |
| North Carolina | $4,901 | $68,614 | $108,300 | $332,159 |
| Maine | $4,856 | $67,984 | $98,700 | $412,002 |
| Alabama | $4,473 | $62,622 | $85,100 | $238,614 |
| Mississippi | $4,159 | $58,226 | $71,400 | $194,531 |
| Arkansas | $4,087 | $57,218 | $72,800 | $224,158 |
| Alaska | $3,477 | $48,678 | $144,200 | $397,932 |
Census Bureau, Historical Census of Housing Tables: Home Values, covering single-family owner-occupied homes on less than ten acres in the United States, with no inflation adjustment (Census tables). The CPI-U yearly average is used for today's dollar values. The final column uses a different measure, the Zillow Home Value Index.
Today's dollar value of a house from 1950
Since 1950, the consumer price index (CPI-U) shows general prices rising about 14.0 times. This puts the 1950 median of $7,354 at about $102,957 in September 2026 dollars. By 2000, the median in the census series reached $119,600 in the US. After inflation, that was 2.3 times the 1950 figure.
| Measure | 1950 | Value in September 2026 dollars | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (Census of Housing, then ACS) | $7,354 | $102,957 | $360,600 2024 |
The Census Bureau's American Community Survey provides the 2024 figure and counts every owner-occupied home, unlike the earlier census, which included only single-family homes. After inflation and subject to that caveat, the median home's value is 3.5 times the 1950 median.
Average house price in 1950 and the decade around it
Instead of an average, the census of 1950 published a median. This means the home value in the middle. The Census Bureau's average sales price for new houses begins in 1963. A few costly homes do not raise the median, making it a closer guide to the value of an ordinary house. These are the census decades surrounding 1950:
Putting 1950 in context
Every point represents one census, spaced ten years apart, and the dashed line identifies 1950.
Before that: 1940 home prices. After that: 1960 home prices. One page covers every year: home prices by year. The home appreciation calculator shows, city by city, what a home purchased in 1950 is worth today.