New report shows housing prices out of reach for most in Colorado’s largest metros

A new study finds that housing prices make homebuying out of reach for most urban and suburban residents even if mortgage rates were set to 0%.

USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

August 12, 2026

Greeley, Colorado. (Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock)

Reporting by Nate Trela, Fort Collins Coloradoan

A new study on homeownership shows just how unaffordable buying a home is across the country, including two Colorado metro areas where housing prices make homebuying out of reach for most of their residents even if mortgage rates were set to 0%.

The report using data from Ziffy.ai, an AI-powered real estate investment platform, included the Boulder and Grand Junction areas among dozens of examples of markets where more than half of the homes are unaffordable for most households, even if mortgages did not require paying interest.

The analysis defines affordability as when the total monthly housing costs — principal, interest, taxes and insurance — are no more than 30% of the median household income in a market. It based the mortgage calculations on a standard 20% down payment on a median-priced home and Freddie Mac’s 6.49% average mortgage rate for the week ending July 9.

The report found that even at 0% interest, 42 markets would still see more than half of their homes unaffordable for more than half of their households. In addition, in 110 metros, including the Denver, Fort Collins/Loveland, Colorado Springs and Pueblo areas, rates would need to fall below 3% to be affordable. That is a mark only seen regularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In all, the median home is unaffordable to the median income household in 316 of the 364 markets studied, or 87% of the markets, at today’s prices and mortgage rates.

Housing prices and income in Colorado

None of the seven Colorado metro areas studied are affordable to the median-income household based on median home prices and mortgage rates, according to the study. Here are key numbers for each market, including median home price, median household income and the mortgage rate needed to make a home affordable.

Boulder; $809,251 home; $102,697 income; rates would have to be below 0%
Grand Junction; $529,900, $75,231; rates would have to be below 0%
Fort Collins/Loveland; $589,250; $93,276; 1.14%
Pueblo; $350,000; $62,128; 2.36%
Colorado Springs; $497,000; $90,760; 2.67%
Denver/Aurora/Centennial; $589,000; $108,046; 2.72%
Greeley; $515,000; $101,563; 3.51%

What are the least affordable places to buy a home in the US?

Most, but not all, are in California, and none are affordable even at 0% mortgage rates. They are listed with median home prices and median household incomes.