Ashland’s home values are far above what typical household incomes can comfortably support. Buyers entering the market face a different challenge from longtime owners who bought for less and built equity.
Median household income$68,028
→
Median owner-occupied home value$583,800+36.4% · ACS 2014–18 to 2020–24, nominal dollars
8.6×
Ashland’s typical owner-occupied home value is 8.6 times household income, the highest ratio among these six nearby cities. This helps explain the barrier to moving in or buying a first home; it does not track where families actually move.
Values & sources
Current values: ACS 2020–24 B19013 and B25077, both in 2024 dollars. Earlier value $428,100: City Housing Capacity Analysis, 2014–18 ACS. The increase mixes price changes and inflation, not a constant-dollar gain or a sales index. Current tables · Earlier City analysis. At four-person 2026 MFI of $98,100, the current median sale price is 5.25× income and ACS home value is 5.95×; this mixed-vintage comparison is separate from the citywide 8.58× ratio.
The same market, different starting points
Owner-occupied homes without a mortgage
50.8%
2,762 of 5,441 homes · ACS 2020–24
Median monthly owner costs
$2,528 / $776
With a mortgage / without a mortgage · ACS 2020–24
A household buying today faces a different cost of living from one that already owns its home without a mortgage. Similar incomes can support very different living standards depending on housing costs, savings and existing equity.
Values & sources
Ashland city, ACS 2020–24. B25081: 2,762 homes without a mortgage ÷ 5,441 owner-occupied homes = 50.8%. B25088 reports median selected monthly owner costs of $2,528 with a mortgage and $776 without one, in 2024 dollars. Costs include applicable mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance, utilities and condominium fees; they are not maintenance budgets. These are separate groups’ medians, not the savings from paying off a specific mortgage. Mortgage status does not identify age, wealth, purchase date or financial security.
Even a household earning above 120% of Area Median Income can fall short of the income needed to buy the median Ashland home. A larger down payment lowers the income required—but 20% down takes about $103,000 in savings or existing equity.
Illustrative purchase at $514,742 · Redfin three-month median through July 2026 · four-person 2026 area median income of $98,100
Values & sources
30-year mortgage at 6.71%; annual property taxes modeled at 1.1% of price; insurance $150/month; annual private mortgage insurance at 0.5% of the loan below 20% down. Housing costs limited to 30% of gross income; no other debt assumed. Down payments exclude closing costs and reserves. These are scenarios, not lender eligibility decisions. Adjust assumptions in the calculator below.
Estimated monthly housing cost$3,28240.1% of gross income
Income needed under these assumptions$131,272Annual · both housing and total debt limits
Principal & interest$2,660/mo
Property taxes$472/mo
Insurance$150/mo
PMI$0/mo
Adjust financing assumptions
Illustrative purchase budget, not a lending decision. Loan: $411,794; down payment: $102,948; 360 monthly payments. Required income is the larger of housing cost ÷ 30% and (housing + other debt) ÷ 43%, annualized. Default rate: Freddie Mac 6.71% on September 3, 2026; taxes 1.1% of price, insurance $150/month and PMI 0.5% of loan are adjustable assumptions. Oregon assessed taxes can differ substantially from a price percentage. PMI is zero at 20% down. Excludes HOA, closing costs, maintenance and utilities; these can add materially to the budget. Rate source · 2026 median family income.
Ashland is part of a regional housing market
Ashland has the highest home-value-to-income ratio among these six communities. Nearby places can offer a different price point while keeping Ashland jobs within commuting distance.
Primary: median owner-occupied value ÷ median household income, ACS 2020–24 for every city. Market overlay: Redfin median sale price for the three months ending July 2026 ÷ ACS 2020–24 income, a mixed-vintage indicator. Small-market sales can be volatile. These are ratios of separate medians, not matched owner incomes or mortgage qualification thresholds.
Ashland combines substantially more expensive housing with a much smaller youth population than several nearby communities. That correlation does not prove housing caused the difference, but it is consistent with housing attainability shaping where families can establish themselves.
Ashland
8.6×ACS home value / household income
Household income
$68,028
Owner-occupied value
$583,800
Median sale price
$514,742
Sale price / income
7.6×
Households renting
48.4%
Residents under 18
12.3%
People in poverty
15.2%
Rent burden ≥30%*
58.9%
Values & sources
ACS 2020–24 city geography. Income and value in 2024 dollars; renter share denominator 10,536 households; age denominator 21,259 residents; poverty denominator 20,161 people. *Rent burden excludes 497 not-computed units; denominator 4,598.
Income margin of error: ±$7,379; home value: ±$19,970. Ratio uncertainty is not propagated. Rank differences are descriptive, not significance tests.
Most units classified as vacant were not listed for rent or sale. Seasonal or occasional use was the largest category, accounting for an estimated 44% of vacant units. These are not necessarily homes available to move into.
Values & sources
Ashland city: 958 vacant units out of 11,494 total housing units, or 8.3%. ACS 2020–24 tables B25002 and B25004. The estimated vacant count has a margin of error of ±294 units; total housing units ±511. These are 90% margins of error; uncertainty for the percentage has not been calculated.
Vacancy category
Estimated units
Margin of error
For rent
135
±102
Rented, not occupied
9
±15
For sale only
117
±120
Sold, not occupied
0
±25
Seasonal, recreational or occasional use
423
±212
For migrant workers
0
±25
Other vacant
274
±122
Seasonal, recreational or occasional use: 423 ÷ 958 = 44.2% of vacant units. Combined with 274 “other vacant” units, these categories account for 72.8%. “Other vacant” does not mean second homes or vacation rentals. The 252 units classified for rent or sale account for 26.3%; another 9 were rented but not occupied. The table does not distinguish long-term rental listings from short-term ones.
Vacancy does not mean a home is habitable, affordable, offered for sale or rent, or empty year-round. These estimates cannot identify how many homes could become permanent residences. A zero estimate does not establish that no such units exist.
The City’s EOA used the earlier ACS 2019–23 estimate of 1,235 vacant units out of 11,499 (10.7%). The survey periods overlap; the difference is not presented as a confirmed decline.