Majority of 2016 'Least Affordable' Housing Markets in California

New research published this week in 24/7 Wall St. confirmed the bad news about California real estate--it's not affordable. In fact, "All but six of the 25 least affordable counties are in California, where housing — especially near the Bay Area — is famously expensive," they wrote. "Of the remaining counties, three are in New York and another two are in Hawaii." Even places like Placer and Riverside counties made the list.

Daren Blomquist, senior vice president at ATTOM Data Solutions, told 24/7 Wall St. these unaffordable markets are characterized by “a rare combination of a lot of jobs, limited supply of housing that is geographically constrained, and high demand from not just domestic buyers but foreign buyers as well.”

To create the rankings, the website reviewed home sale costs, monthly costs of owning a home, wage figures and homeownership rates. Because of the methodology, you may be surprised by which counties topped the list while other popular markets were pushed down.

Here are the 25 Least Affordable Housing Markets in the US:

1. Kings County, New York

> Median home sale price: $710,000
> Median monthly pmt.: $4,562
> Monthly wage: $3,575
> Homeownership rate: 28.7%

2. Santa Cruz County, California

> Median home sale price: $650,000
> Median monthly pmt.: $4,177
> Monthly wage: $3,818
> Homeownership rate: 55.4%

3. Marin County, California

> Median home sale price: $880,000
> Median monthly pmt.: $5,655
> Monthly wage: $5,555
> Homeownership rate: 63.6%

4. New York County, New York

> Median home sale price: $1,350,000
> Median monthly pmt.: $8,675
> Monthly wage: $12,060
> Homeownership rate: 23.5%

5. San Luis Obispo County, California
> Median home sale price: $487,000
> Median monthly pmt.: $3,129
> Monthly wage: $3,558
> Homeownership rate: 58.9%

6. San Francisco County, California

> Median home sale price: $1,150,000
> Median monthly pmt.: $7,390
> Monthly wage: $8,901
> Homeownership rate: 35.8%

7. Maui County, Hawaii

> Median home sale price: $482,533
> Median monthly pmt.: $3,101
> Monthly wage: $3,445
> Homeownership rate: 58.6%

8. Napa County, California

> Median home sale price: $549,000
> Median monthly pmt.: $3,528
> Monthly wage: $4,147
> Homeownership rate: 61.8%

9. Queens County, New York

> Median home sale price: $498,500
> Median monthly pmt.: $3,203
> Monthly wage: $4,173
> Homeownership rate: 43.2%

10. Monterey County, California

> Median home sale price: $465,000
> Median monthly pmt.: $2,988
> Monthly wage: $3,692
> Homeownership rate: 49.1%

11. San Mateo County, California

> Median home sale price: $960,000
> Median monthly pmt.: $6,169
> Monthly wage: $9,512
> Homeownership rate: 59.6%

12. Honolulu County, Hawaii

> Median home sale price: $500,000
> Median monthly pmt.: $3,213
> Monthly wage: $4,052
> Homeownership rate: 53.5%

13. Orange County, California

> Median home sale price: $599,000
> Median monthly pmt.: $3,849
> Monthly wage: $4,953
> Homeownership rate: 56.6%

14. Sonoma County, California

> Median home sale price: $507,500
> Median monthly pmt.: $3,261
> Monthly wage: $4,000
> Homeownership rate: 59.5%

15. Ventura County, California

> Median home sale price: $509,000
> Median monthly pmt.: $3,271
> Monthly wage: $4,693
> Homeownership rate: 63.3%

16. Alameda County, California

> Median home sale price: $620,000
> Median monthly pmt.: $3,984
> Monthly wage: $5,863
> Homeownership rate: 52.5%

17. Santa Barbara County, California

> Median home sale price: $480,000
> Median monthly pmt.: $3,084
> Monthly wage: $4,043
> Homeownership rate: 51.3%

18. Los Angeles County, California

> Median home sale price: $490,000
> Median monthly pmt.: $3,149
> Monthly wage: $4,931
> Homeownership rate: 45.1%

19. El Dorado County, California

> Median home sale price: $392,750
> Median monthly pmt.: $2,524
> Monthly wage: $3,809
> Homeownership rate: 78.4%

20. San Diego County, California

> Median home sale price: $465,000
> Median monthly pmt.: $2,988
> Monthly wage: $4,801
> Homeownership rate: 52.0%

21. Contra Costa County, California

> Median home sale price: $475,000
> Median monthly pmt.: $3,052
> Monthly wage: $5,568
> Homeownership rate: 64.1%

22. Nassau County, New York

> Median home sale price: $430,000
> Median monthly pmt.: $2,763
> Monthly wage: $4,888
> Homeownership rate: 80.1%

23. Placer County, California

> Median home sale price: $390,000
> Median monthly pmt.: $2,506
> Monthly wage: $4,312
> Homeownership rate: 68.8%

24. Santa Clara County, California

> Median home sale price: $820,000
> Median monthly pmt.: $5,269
> Monthly wage: $9,577
> Homeownership rate: 56.1%

25. Riverside County, California

> Median home sale price: $307,000
> Median monthly pmt.: $1,973
> Monthly wage: $3,566
> Homeownership rate: 64.0%

See the full report here.

-Patch editor Paige McAtee contributed to this article

-Photo of Santa Cruz home for sale. Asking price: $6,495,000. Image via Realtor.com