If it feels like homes are getting more and more expensive these days, it’s not your imagination.
Since the pandemic began, housing prices have gone up by nearly a third, as we recently reported. In some metros, it’s much higher.
The median home sales price in the U.S. for 2021 was $346,900. Of course, if you want to compare historical prices to today’s, you have to account for inflation.
That’s what we’ve done, using the Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation calculator and data on median home prices from a 40-year period. Federal Reserve data on American home sales prices goes back to 1963, and for perspective, we’ve also included home values for 1950 and 1960 using U.S. Census Bureau data.
Following is a look at national median and inflation-adjusted home sale prices over the past several decades.
2000
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $165,300
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $275,319
1999
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $157,400
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $269,341
1998
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $152,200
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $264,794
1997
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $145,000
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $256,232
1996
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $137,000
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $249,464
1995
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $130,000
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $243,175
1994
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $130,000
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $249,995
1993
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $125,000
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $246,448
1992
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $119,500
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $243,282
1991
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $120,000
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $250,652
1990
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $123,900
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $273,424
1989
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $118,000
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $273,951
1988
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $110,000
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $267,297
1987
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $97,900
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $247,521
1986
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $88,000
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $225,739
1985
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $82,800
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $220,655
1984
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $78,200
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $215,758
1983
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $73,300
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $210,717
1982
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $66,400
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $197,966
1981
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $66,800
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $215,870
1980
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $63,700
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $230,194
1979
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $60,600
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $249,452
1978
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $53,000
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $238,414
1977
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $46,300
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $222,515
1976
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $42,800
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $216,423
1975
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $38,100
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $205,600
1974
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $35,200
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $212,369
1973
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $30,200
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $199,311
1972
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $26,200
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $179,223
1971
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $24,300
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $171,656
1970
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $23,900
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $177,763
1969
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $25,700
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $202,964
1968
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $23,900
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $197,051
1967
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $22,300
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $190,565
1966
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $21,000
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $185,664
1965
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $20,200
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $182,025
1964
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $18,500
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $168,325
1963
National median sale price for a house sold in the first quarter of this year: $17,800
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $164,620
1960
National median home value in this year: $11,900
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $114,186
1950
National median home value in this year: $7,354
Adjusted for overall inflation (2022 dollars): $87,981
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