How Much a Home Cost the Year You Were Born

People love telling stories about how a home purchased years ago for next to nothing is today worth hundreds of thousands of dollars or more. Truth is, those tales might be overestimating real estate as an investment. While a house bought in 1930 for around $6,000 may be worth roughly $195,000 today, when adjusted for inflation, the appreciation is not as impressive as it seems. Since 1930, inflation-adjusted home values have increased by a modest 127%, or less than 1% each year.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed real estate data from the Case-Shiller Home Price Index and the U.S. Census Bureau. According to research conducted by economist Robert Shiller, major increases in real estate values took place over two distinct periods: the post-World War II housing boom, and the subprime housing bubble leading up to the 2007-09 recession. Outside of these spikes, national home prices have remained relatively stable.

Several factors after World War II, during the first major increase in home prices, drove up housing demand. Government rationing during the war had caused a limited supply of homes, and the 1944 G.I Bill, which subsidized home purchases for millions of soldiers, further increased demand. While the construction of new homes increased considerably at this time, it was still outpaced by demand, and home values spiked.

Click here to see how much a home cost the year you were born.

Unlike the housing bubble that occurred 60 years later, the post-war housing boom stabilized. By the late 1940s, the national median home price had plateaued around $130,000, where it would remain roughly unchanged for the rest of the century.

Another housing boom began in the early 2000s. Easy access to credit, favorable tax policy, low mortgage interest rates, and an increased enthusiasm for homeownership drove up demand for housing. The homeownership rate peaked at 69.0% in 2004, up significantly from 47.8% in 1930. When many of these homeowners could not afford to pay their mortgages, foreclosures spiked and home prices plummeted.

Outside of those two periods, housing prices have been fairly stable. Regional markets, however, have been more volatile. A number of major U.S. cities experienced regional booms in the 1970s and 1980s.

Other features of the American housing market have changed over time. The population has become more urban, shifting from 56.1% of Americans living in an urban environment in 1930 to 80.7% in 2010. The size of homes have increased too. Between 1973 and 2014, the size of a typical home increased by 65.3%, from 1,505 square feet to 2,488.

There is little consensus among economists as to what drives home price fluctuations over time. Factors such as construction costs and mortgage interest rates are often considered major drivers. However, the relationship between these factors and home value is far from clear. Home prices may not change primarily on the basis of these forces, according to Shiller.

To identify home values in each year, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed historical housing data published by Robert J. Shiller as an appendix to his book Irrational Exuberance. The home price index was matched with the median home value data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2014 American Community Survey (ACS) to determine the median home value for every year since 1930. Homeownership rates, the size of a home measured in square feet, and the percentage of people living in urban or rural areas, also came from the U.S. Census Bureau. Disposable income per capita for each year since 1930 came from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).

This is what a home cost from 1930 to 2015.

Construction begins on the Empire State Building, which, upon its completion, would remain the tallest man-made structure in the world until 1954.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $85,929
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $6,106
> 1-year change in adjusted median home value: -$3,861
> Disposable income per capita: $6,411

Criminal mastermind Al Capone is sentenced to 11 years in federal prison.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $84,882
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $5,609
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$1,047
> Real disposable income per capita: $6,145

Amelia Earhart becomes the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $84,501
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $5,022
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$381
> Real disposable income per capita: $5,306

Congress passes the 21st amendment, repealing the 18th amendment and ending the national prohibition of alcohol.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $90,101
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $4,830
> 1-year change in real median home value: $5,600
> Real disposable income per capita: $5,122

Severe dust storms plague the Great Plains during the period known as the Dust Bowl.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $90,612
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $4,971
> 1-year change in real median home value: $511
> Real disposable income per capita: $5,579

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President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act into law.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $96,536
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $5,456
> 1-year change in real median home value: $5,924
> Real disposable income per capita: $6,080

The nation’s economy continues to be crippled by the great depression.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $98,199
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $5,632
> 1-year change in real median home value: $1,663
> Real disposable income per capita: $6,802

The Golden Gate Bridge opens to motorists.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $98,573
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $5,776
> 1-year change in real median home value: $374
> Real disposable income per capita: $6,990

The night before Halloween, 1938, Orson Welles’ Mercury Theatre of the Air broadcasts an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ “War of the Worlds” so convincing it sends parts of the country into a panic.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $97,024
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $5,726
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$1,549
> Real disposable income per capita: $6,556

The Wizard of Oz, the iconic film starring Judy Garland, is released.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $97,129
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $5,651
> 1-year change in real median home value: $105
> Real disposable income per capita: $7,046

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In 1940, For the first and last time ever, a U.S. president — Franklin Delano Roosevelt — is elected to a third consecutive term in office.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $101,062
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $5,838
> 1-year change in real median home value: $3,934
> Real disposable income per capita: $7,464

On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes decimate the U.S. Pacific fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, setting the country on the path to war.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $91,275
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $5,348
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$9,787
> Real disposable income per capita: $8,558

Photographer Ansel Adams’ famous photograph — The Tetons and the Snake River — was taken in 1942 in the Grand Teton Nation Park in Wyoming.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $84,706
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $5,527
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$6,570
> Real disposable income per capita: $9,598

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The leaders of the allied forces — Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin, meet in Tehran, Iran, to discuss strategies to winning World War II.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $87,698
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $6,159
> 1-year change in real median home value: $2,993
> Real disposable income per capita: $9,922

D-Day: On June 4, 1944, allied troops land on the beaches of Normandy, France, and begin a campaign to defeat the Axis forces occupying Europe.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $99,304
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $7,181
> 1-year change in real median home value: $11,606
> Real disposable income per capita: $10,109

The U.S. drops atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, resulting in more than 200,000 deaths, and leading to Japan’s surrender.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $108,505
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $8,026
> 1-year change in real median home value: $9,201
> Real disposable income per capita: $9,885

Harry S. Truman serves as U.S. president from 1945 through 1953.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $131,698
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $9,961
> 1-year change in real median home value: $23,192
> Real disposable income per capita: $9,679

On April 15th, 1947, Jackie Robinson breaks the Major League Baseball color barrier by playing in his first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $135,189
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $12,079
> 1-year change in real median home value: $3,492
> Real disposable income per capita: $9,109

U.S. planes deliver food and supplies to Soviet-controlled Berlin during the Berlin Blockade.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $125,165
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $12,328
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$10,025
> Real disposable income per capita: $9,425

A tanker plane refuels the Boeing B-50 Lucky Lady as it completes the first nonstop flight around the world.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $123,710
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $12,339
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$1,454
> Real disposable income per capita: $9,340

In 1950, Harry Truman orders U.S. forces into South Korea.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $130,942
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $12,788
> 1-year change in real median home value: $7,232
> Real disposable income per capita: $10,033

Family cars become increasingly popular in the 1950’s, leading to an increase in roads built in the United States.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $128,474
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $13,561
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$2,468
> Real disposable income per capita: $10,197

NBC debuts The Today Show.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $128,567
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $14,159
> 1-year change in real median home value: $94
> Real disposable income per capita: $10,371

President Dwight D. Eisenhower begins his first term as president.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $141,889
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $15,748
> 1-year change in real median home value: $13,322
> Real disposable income per capita: $10,697

Actress Marilyn Monroe poses for a photo.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $141,340
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $15,855
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$549
> Real disposable income per capita: $10,661

Rosa Parks refuses to obey a discriminatory bus seating ordinance and is arrested for civil disobedience.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $142,809
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $15,911
> 1-year change in real median home value: $1,469
> Real disposable income per capita: $11,172

Grace Kelly, an American actress, marries the Prince of Monaco.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $142,256
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $15,950
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$553
> Real disposable income per capita: $11,502

Elvis Presley releases the single “Jailhouse Rock”, and an accompanying film of the same name.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $141,018
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $16,395
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$1,238
> Real disposable income per capita: $11,589

Explorer 1 is the first satellite launched into space by the United States.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $139,526
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $16,633
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$1,492
> Real disposable income per capita: $11,519

Alaska and Hawaii become the 49th and 50th U.S. states.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $138,013
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $16,620
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$1,513
> Real disposable income per capita: $11,811

NASA launches Project Mercury, the first human spaceflight program in the United States.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $136,440
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $16,714
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$1,573
> Real disposable income per capita: $11,877

John F. Kennedy Jr. promises the moon to Americans.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $135,445
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $16,794
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$995
> Real disposable income per capita: $12,097

A aerial photograph captures arms and military equipment in Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $135,294
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $16,981
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$151
> Real disposable income per capita: $12,482

John F. Kennedy Jr. is assassinated in Dallas, Texas.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $134,840
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $17,158
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$454
> Real disposable income per capita: $12,766

The Beatles arrive in the United States.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $134,900
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $17,425
> 1-year change in real median home value: $60
> Real disposable income per capita: $13,485

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson begins his first full term in office.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $135,269
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $17,664
> 1-year change in real median home value: $369
> Real disposable income per capita: $14,144

Americans protest U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $134,320
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $17,957
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$949
> Real disposable income per capita: $14,726

Thurgood Marshall is appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, becoming its first African American justice.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $131,859
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $18,207
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$2,462
> Real disposable income per capita: $15,198

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Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated outside of a Memphis motel.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $130,477
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $18,728
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$1,382
> Real disposable income per capita: $15,728

Apollo 11 from the United States becomes first manned mission to successfully land on the moon.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $129,882
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $19,945
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$594
> Real disposable income per capita: $16,102

After its oxygen tank exploded, Apollo 13’s mission to the moon is aborted.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $131,947
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $21,546
> 1-year change in real median home value: $2,065
> Real disposable income per capita: $16,643

James Irwin, member of Apollo 15, salutes the American flag during the nation’s fourth moon landing.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $134,488
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $22,736
> 1-year change in real median home value: $2,541
> Real disposable income per capita: $17,191

Champion American swimmer Mark Spitz wins seven gold medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $135,814
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $23,675
> 1-year change in real median home value: $1,326
> Real disposable income per capita: $17,821

The Willis Tower, more commonly known as the Sears Tower, is completed. At that time, it was the tallest building in the world.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $134,533
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $24,167
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$1,281
> Real disposable income per capita: $18,725

Richard Nixon resigns from the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $128,614
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $25,988
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$5,919
> Real disposable income per capita: $18,343

Gerald Ford, Jr. serves as U.S. president from 1974 through 1977.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $126,404
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $28,266
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$2,211
> Real disposable income per capita: $18,613

America celebrates its bicentennial.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $126,619
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $30,364
> 1-year change in real median home value: $216
> Real disposable income per capita: $19,002

NASA launches space probe Voyager 1 toward the outer reaches of the solar system.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $130,837
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $33,983
> 1-year change in real median home value: $4,218
> Real disposable income per capita: $19,406

Jimmy Carter serves as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $139,772
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $39,159
> 1-year change in real median home value: $8,935
> Real disposable income per capita: $20,080

The Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station reports one of the worst meltdowns in nuclear power plant history.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $148,183
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $45,189
> 1-year change in real median home value: $8,411
> Real disposable income per capita: $20,248

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John Lennon is murdered in New York City.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $147,792
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $49,573
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$392
> Real disposable income per capita: $20,158

Originally an actor and politician, Ronald Reagan begins serving as the 40th president of the United States in 1981.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $142,386
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $52,739
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$5,406
> Real disposable income per capita: $20,458

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial first screens, and becomes one of the most iconic American science fiction films of all time.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $137,165
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $53,828
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$5,221
> Real disposable income per capita: $20,685

Sally Kristen Ride becomes the first American woman to go to space.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $133,204
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $55,487
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$3,961
> Real disposable income per capita: $21,214

NASA’s space shuttle “Discovery” makes its maiden voyage.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $134,176
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $58,100
> 1-year change in real median home value: $973
> Real disposable income per capita: $22,480

Nearly 75 years after the sinking of the Titanic, the wreckage is discovered south of Newfoundland at a depth of 12,000 feet.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $135,478
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $61,450
> 1-year change in real median home value: $1,301
> Real disposable income per capita: $22,960

Halley’s comet passes Earth close enough to be seen. It is expected to appear again in 2061.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $141,378
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $66,880
> 1-year change in real median home value: $5,900
> Real disposable income per capita: $23,632

In a speech to residents of West Berlin, Ronald Reagan says, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

> Est. adjusted median home value: $151,285
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $72,873
> 1-year change in real median home value: $9,907
> Real disposable income per capita: $23,929

The Discovery space shuttle launches one of world’s first communication satellites.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $156,877
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $78,234
> 1-year change in real median home value: $5,592
> Real disposable income per capita: $24,826

The Berlin Wall separating East and West Germany is dismantled towards the end of the Cold War.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $160,736
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $83,029
> 1-year change in real median home value: $3,859
> Real disposable income per capita: $25,340

The Hubble Telescope is launched.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $159,780
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $84,596
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$956
> Real disposable income per capita: $25,555

George H.W. Bush is president. The Gulf War nears its end.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $150,650
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $83,485
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$9,130
> Real disposable income per capita: $25,395

Riots erupt in Los Angeles following a not guilty verdict for the police officers involved in the brutal beating of Rodney King.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $145,844
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $83,936
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$4,806
> Real disposable income per capita: $26,133

The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms raid a Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, resulting in a two month shootout that left 10 dead.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $142,354
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $85,132
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$3,490
> Real disposable income per capita: $26,216

O.J. Simpson is charged in the murder of ex-wife Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $141,928
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $87,397
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$425
> Real disposable income per capita: $26,611

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The Korean War Memorial opens the the National Mall in Washington D.C., commemorating the efforts of the 5.8 million Americans who served in the military during the war’s three year span.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $141,280
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $89,081
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$649
> Real disposable income per capita: $27,180

President Bill Clinton authorizes missile strikes on Iraq after Saddam Hussein sends military forces into Kurdish territory, an act the United States deemed hostile.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $140,187
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $91,087
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$1,093
> Real disposable income per capita: $27,719

Tiger Woods wins the Masters with the best score in tournament history to date.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $139,789
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $93,851
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$398
> Real disposable income per capita: $28,397

Following his relationship with Monica Lewinski, a 24 year old White House intern, Bill Clinton becomes the second president in U.S. history to be impeached.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $143,019
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $99,110
> 1-year change in real median home value: $3,230
> Real disposable income per capita: $29,723

Multiple tornadoes touch down in Oklahoma resulting in numerous deaths and hundreds of injuries.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $149,611
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $106,013
> 1-year change in real median home value: $6,592
> Real disposable income per capita: $30,350

The world celebrates the turn of the 21st century. Fears surrounding the Y2K computer bug prove unfounded.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $156,846
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $115,208
> 1-year change in real median home value: $7,234
> Real disposable income per capita: $31,524

Terrorists hijack commercial airliners and crash them into the Twin Towers and The Pentagon, claiming roughly 3,000 lives.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $164,969
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $124,455
> 1-year change in real median home value: $8,123
> Real disposable income per capita: $32,075

Salt Lake City hosts the 19th Winter Olympic Winter Games.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $173,947
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $134,462
> 1-year change in real median home value: $8,978
> Real disposable income per capita: $32,754

President George W. Bush sends American forces into Iraq to disarm Saddam Hussein of suspected weapons of mass destruction.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $185,795
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $147,058
> 1-year change in real median home value: $11,848
> Real disposable income per capita: $33,342

Exploration rovers Spirit and Opportunity land on Mars as part of NASA’s initiative to explore the geological history of the “Red Planet.”

> Est. adjusted median home value: $200,895
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $165,445
> 1-year change in real median home value: $15,100
> Real disposable income per capita: $34,221

Hurricane Katrina strikes the Gulf Coast of the United States, claiming nearly 2,000 lives and resulting in roughly $100 billion in damage.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $221,809
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $188,881
> 1-year change in real median home value: $20,914
> Real disposable income per capita: $34,424

Lockheed Martin’s F-35 takes its first flight. Pentagon officials claim the fighter jet will ensure America’s military dominance in the air through 2070.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $239,748
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $201,756
> 1-year change in real median home value: $17,940
> Real disposable income per capita: $35,458

The U.S. housing market crashes.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $237,360
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $197,876
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$2,388
> Real disposable income per capita: $35,866

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Barack Obama is elected president of the United States.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $216,333
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $180,423
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$21,027
> Real disposable income per capita: $36,078

Global pop star legend Michael Jackson dies at 50.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $189,804
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $163,374
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$26,529
> Real disposable income per capita: $35,616

The Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico explodes, killing 11 people and becoming the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $179,686
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $159,053
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$10,118
> Real disposable income per capita: $35,684

Apple founder Steve Jobs dies.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $169,639
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $153,096
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$10,047
> Real disposable income per capita: $36,298

NASA’s Curiosity rover lands safely on Mars.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $160,972
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $155,063
> 1-year change in real median home value: -$8,667
> Real disposable income per capita: $37,166

SpaceX sends the CRS-2 Falcon 9 resupply rocket to the International Space Station.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $168,137
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $169,986
> 1-year change in real median home value: $7,165
> Real disposable income per capita: $36,374

Janet Yellen becomes the first woman to chair the Federal Reserve.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $181,200
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $181,200
> 1-year change in real median home value: $13,063
> Real disposable income per capita: $37,077

The Supreme Court declares same-sex marriage legal in all states.

> Est. adjusted median home value: $188,178
> Est. unadjusted median home value: $189,593
> 1-year change in real median home value: $6,978
> Real disposable income per capita: $38,050