How much living space people can afford in 15 major US cities
That's according to NerdWallet's recent report estimating how much space a family earning the area's median income can afford in the 100 most populated US metros.
Pulling data on debt, housing costs, and home prices, NerdWallet assessed how much a "married couple family" (two adults with zero to four children, according to the BLS) with median income could afford to spend on a home while remaining within reasonable budget parameters. This recommended home price was then divided by Zillow's 2014 median price per square foot to calculate how big of a space the typical family can afford.
(Read the full methodology in the report.)
Below, we included the following data for the 15 biggest metro areas in the US:
• The median family income, which NerdWallet determined by collaborating with the Bureau of Labor Statistics to project 2013 numbers into 2015
• NerdWallet's suggested amount to spend on a home
• The total affordable square feet for a typical family, ranked from highest square footage to lowest