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The price-to-income ratio measures the affordability of housing by comparing the median home price to the median household income in a specific area. A lower ratio indicates that homes are more affordable relative to income, while a higher ratio suggests less affordability. For more detailed information, you can refer to the data from the Census ACS and active listings.
Why: The user is asking for the definition of a specific financial term, which aligns with the definition_question intent.
Definition — catalog matches
Topic: "price-to-income ratio"
appreciation.1_year_price_change · city
Appreciation
weight 40%
Source: Redfin Market Data (2026)FHA-safe
budget.rent_to_income_ratio · city
Budget
weight 30%
Source: HUD FMR + Census ACS (2026)FHA-safe
budget.price_to_income_ratio · city
Budget
weight 25%
Source: Census ACS + Active Listings (Live)FHA-safe
Data sources
Raw structured response
{
"topic": "price-to-income ratio",
"matches": [
{
"metric_id": "appreciation.1_year_price_change",
"level": "city",
"composite": "Appreciation",
"factor_name": "1-Year Price Change",
"federal_source": "Redfin Market Data",
"weight_pct": 40,
"source_year": "2026",
"fha_safe": true,
"is_roi": false,
"notes": null,
"direction": "higher_better",
"unit": "dollars"
},
{
"metric_id": "budget.rent_to_income_ratio",
"level": "city",
"composite": "Budget",
"factor_name": "Rent-to-Income Ratio",
"federal_source": "HUD FMR + Census ACS",
"weight_pct": 30,
"source_year": "2026",
"fha_safe": true,
"is_roi": false,
"notes": null,
"direction": "lower_better",
"unit": "percent"
},
{
"metric_id": "budget.price_to_income_ratio",
"level": "city",
"composite": "Budget",
"factor_name": "Price-to-Income Ratio",
"federal_source": "Census ACS + Active Listings",
"weight_pct": 25,
"source_year": "Live",
"fha_safe": true,
"is_roi": false,
"notes": null,
"direction": "lower_better",
"unit": "percent"
}
],
"anchor_url": "/trust/catalog"
}