Hours to Own a Home
Money is a tool for trading human time. How much of your life does a home really cost, and how has that changed since we left the gold standard?
Housing: December 2024 · Wages: May 2024The National Picture
Hours of average worker labor needed to buy the median US home, 1964 to present. Hover or tap for details. Note the inflection after 1971, when Nixon severed the dollar's last link to gold.
Hours of Work to Buy a Median US Home
Median national home price divided by average hourly wage, each year. The red line marks 1971, when Nixon ended the gold standard. Data: US Census Bureau median home prices, Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings.
Your State, Your Time
Select your country and state/region to see how many hours of your life it takes to buy a home there. US users can compare against 1971 (pre-gold standard). Adjust savings rate for a more realistic picture.
to buy a median home in Alabama (saving 10% of income)
That's 73.7 years of full-time work (40 hrs/week)
Median Home Price
$282,600
Median Hourly Wage
$18.43/hr
Extra Hours vs 1971
+83,850
(40.3 extra years stolen)
In 1971, a median US home cost 69,490 hours of work. In Alabama today, it costs 153,340 hours.
Where did those 83,850 extra hours go?
This assumes 10% of pre-tax earnings go toward the purchase. Does not include interest, taxes, or insurance.
Hours = Median Home Price ÷ Average Hourly Earnings (BLS AHETPI for national trend, BLS OEWS median for state comparison).
Your Time Is Finite. Your Money Shouldn't Be.
Bitcoin has a fixed supply of 21 million. No one can print more, dilute your savings, or steal your hours. Take the first step toward protecting your time.
Inspired by “Masters and Slaves of Money” by Robert Breedlove