Fifth place: Santa Ana, Calif
A classic four-bedroom ranch for $619,000.
Median home price: $415,000
Median family income: $87,200
Affordability score: 45.5%
Orange County is a wealthy area of attractive suburbs and beach communities. Home prices are high here not only because demand for them has been strong but also because many of the houses are large and luxurious.
High median income supports this lush lifestyle. The typical family in the Santa Ana area made close to $90,000 last year. Still, for many people, that wasn't enough to pay for a typical house: Only a shade more than 40% of homes sold were affordable.
Economic recovery will only aggravate the affordability problem. As more Californians return to work, the demand for homes will grow and send housing prices back up again.
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Last updated February 23 2011: 3:17 PM ET
