{
  "title": "Mortgage Prevalence and Homeowner Cost Burden by State: methodology and data dictionary",
  "alternateTitle": "2026 U.S. Mortgage Responsibility Pressure Study",
  "publisher": "ProtectTheMortgage.com",
  "page": "https://protectthemortgage.com/mortgage-protection-study",
  "edition": 2026,
  "datePublished": "2026-07-21",
  "dateModified": "2026-08-27",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-08-27",
  "citation": "ProtectTheMortgage.com Editorial Team. “Mortgage Prevalence and Homeowner Cost Burden by State: 2024 ACS Data.” 2026 U.S. Mortgage Responsibility Pressure Study. Published July 21, 2026; updated August 27, 2026. https://protectthemortgage.com/mortgage-protection-study",
  "reuseNotice": "No DOI or separate reuse license is asserted for the site-created compilation. Cite this analysis and retain attribution to the Census source tables when referencing the derived index or rankings.",
  "dataVintage": "2024 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates",
  "geography": {
    "rankedRows": "50 states and the District of Columbia",
    "rankedRowCount": 51,
    "nationalSnapshot": "United States summary row",
    "excluded": [
      "Puerto Rico",
      "territories",
      "counties",
      "places",
      "household-level records"
    ]
  },
  "sourceFiles": [
    {
      "id": "geographies",
      "role": "Names and state abbreviations for summary level 040",
      "url": "https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/documentation/Geos20241YR.txt",
      "sha256": "2155acb3c81672eee9b0bd971cca60cd77d8b66222b34973928f57c087ea4afe"
    },
    {
      "id": "B25081",
      "role": "Mortgage status point estimates",
      "url": "https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/1YRData/acsdt1y2024-b25081.dat",
      "sha256": "0ab3ca15094b2c60248044f5bbce241051b081d127b0dedabd03226d305ec2a9"
    },
    {
      "id": "B25088",
      "role": "Median selected monthly owner-cost point estimates",
      "url": "https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/1YRData/acsdt1y2024-b25088.dat",
      "sha256": "d0513f61f78c05ba9feb4750ee017ab02d6cce47033b707be69331a1546b9fa6"
    },
    {
      "id": "B25091",
      "role": "Selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household-income point estimates",
      "url": "https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/1YRData/acsdt1y2024-b25091.dat",
      "sha256": "0085d9c111e7903211ae2482efa0f581344d7adb542227acec9325dd94dcf2c9"
    }
  ],
  "measures": [
    {
      "id": "mortgageShare",
      "label": "Owner-occupied homes with a mortgage or similar debt",
      "sourceTable": "B25081",
      "numerator": [
        "B25081_E002"
      ],
      "denominator": [
        "B25081_E001"
      ],
      "formula": "B25081_E002 / B25081_E001 * 100",
      "unit": "percent",
      "rounding": "one decimal before percentile ranking"
    },
    {
      "id": "medianMonthlyOwnerCost",
      "label": "Median selected monthly owner costs for homes with a mortgage",
      "sourceTable": "B25088",
      "variables": [
        "B25088_E002"
      ],
      "formula": "B25088_E002",
      "unit": "U.S. dollars per month",
      "rounding": "published whole-dollar point estimate"
    },
    {
      "id": "costBurdenShare",
      "label": "Mortgaged owners spending at least 30% of household income on selected monthly owner costs",
      "sourceTable": "B25091",
      "numerator": [
        "B25091_E008",
        "B25091_E009",
        "B25091_E010",
        "B25091_E011"
      ],
      "denominator": [
        "B25091_E002",
        "minus B25091_E012 (not computed)"
      ],
      "formula": "(B25091_E008 + B25091_E009 + B25091_E010 + B25091_E011) / (B25091_E002 - B25091_E012) * 100",
      "unit": "percent",
      "rounding": "one decimal before percentile ranking"
    },
    {
      "id": "pressureIndex",
      "label": "Mortgage Responsibility Pressure Index",
      "inputs": [
        "mortgageShare",
        "medianMonthlyOwnerCost",
        "costBurdenShare"
      ],
      "formula": "unweighted arithmetic mean of the three jurisdiction percentile ranks",
      "unit": "0 to 100 comparative index",
      "rounding": "one decimal"
    }
  ],
  "ranking": {
    "direction": "higher published point estimates receive higher percentile ranks",
    "percentileFormula": "(count below + (count equal - 1) / 2) / (jurisdiction count - 1) * 100",
    "ties": "equal rounded input values receive the midpoint of their shared percentile positions",
    "weights": {
      "mortgageShare": 0.3333333333333333,
      "medianMonthlyOwnerCost": 0.3333333333333333,
      "costBurdenShare": 0.3333333333333333
    },
    "finalOrder": "descending pressureIndex, then jurisdiction name ascending",
    "rankLabels": "sequential positions after final ordering; tied index values are not given shared rank labels"
  },
  "uncertainty": {
    "estimates": "The study uses published ACS point estimates.",
    "marginsOfError": "ACS margins of error are not included in the index and no statistical-significance testing is performed.",
    "interpretation": "A higher position does not establish that one jurisdiction differs statistically from another, especially when values are close."
  },
  "csv": {
    "file": "2026-mortgage-responsibility-study.csv",
    "sha256": "834389219a73c977a1d9543877ab524e827cc23613e9e6b152e1cdc19b0386dc",
    "rowCount": 51,
    "columns": [
      {
        "name": "rank",
        "description": "Sequential position after pressure-index sorting"
      },
      {
        "name": "state",
        "description": "Jurisdiction name"
      },
      {
        "name": "code",
        "description": "Postal abbreviation"
      },
      {
        "name": "ownerOccupied",
        "description": "B25081_E001 owner-occupied housing units"
      },
      {
        "name": "ownersWithMortgage",
        "description": "B25081_E002 owner-occupied housing units with a mortgage, contract to purchase, or similar debt"
      },
      {
        "name": "mortgageShare",
        "description": "Derived percentage, rounded to one decimal"
      },
      {
        "name": "medianMonthlyOwnerCost",
        "description": "B25088_E002 published whole-dollar median"
      },
      {
        "name": "costBurdenShare",
        "description": "Derived percentage at 30% or more, rounded to one decimal"
      },
      {
        "name": "pressureIndex",
        "description": "Unweighted mean percentile index, rounded to one decimal"
      }
    ]
  },
  "nationalSnapshot": {
    "state": "United States",
    "code": "US",
    "ownerOccupied": 86635506,
    "ownersWithMortgage": 51697973,
    "mortgageShare": 59.7,
    "medianMonthlyOwnerCost": 2035,
    "costBurdenShare": 29.4
  },
  "calculationScript": {
    "file": "2026-mortgage-responsibility-rebuild.mjs",
    "sha256": "7a2ba98373bcfa0842a9027eab60f6e78466cbedbcde534fdf0b5f0764224c8e",
    "runtime": "Node.js 22 or newer",
    "command": "node 2026-mortgage-responsibility-rebuild.mjs --output-dir ./study-rebuild",
    "offlineCommand": "node 2026-mortgage-responsibility-rebuild.mjs --source-dir ./census-source-files --output-dir ./study-rebuild"
  },
  "limitations": [
    "ACS values are survey estimates with margins of error; this index uses point estimates only.",
    "The index does not test statistical significance between jurisdictions.",
    "State-level values do not describe every household or local market.",
    "Selected monthly owner costs are not the mortgage payment alone.",
    "The study does not measure life-insurance ownership, adequacy, household savings, default, death, or individual suitability."
  ]
}