NAR’s Housing Affordability index measures whether a typical family earns enough to qualify for a mortgage loan on typical home. An index score of 100 means that a buyer with the median income (using data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey) can qualify for the median home.Data going back to 1980 shows how affordability, particularly for first-time buyers, has eroded, diving in 2022 to a level not seen since the mid-1980s.