Driving out to wine country can be a relaxing adventure, especially for oenophiles who enjoy indulging in their love of wine, and sampling wine from various wineries in the region. It can be tempting to want to prolong your stay or even better purchase a home. However, some of the most well-renowned wine towns also have top home prices, and the dream of buying a home in a wine town can often seem unattainable.
But there are more than just a few wine towns in the U.S. and many working vineyards are in sparsely populated rural areas, where low-cost homes abound. You can still make your wine-country living dreams a reality by simply knowing where to look.
To determine the most affordable wine towns, Moms Who Think reviewed five-year data on median household value and median household income from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey. Cities, towns, and villages were ranked based on the ratio of median home value to median household income.
Only places with at least 1,000 residents with at least five wineries were considered. Data on wineries is from the 2022 County Business Patterns and was aggregated from zip codes to counties using boundary definitions from the Census Bureau. Boundaries for American Viticultural Areas is from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
50. Santa Maria, CA
- Median home value: $438,100 (5.4 times income)
- Median household income: $81,237
- Total population: 109,543
- American Viticultural Area: Central Coast
49. Wenatchee, WA
- Median home value: $352,200 (5.3 times income)
- Median household income: $66,143
- Total population: 35,365
- American Viticultural Area: Columbia Valley
48. Murrieta, CA
- Median home value: $567,700 (5.3 times income)
- Median household income: $106,925
- Total population: 111,899
- American Viticultural Area: South Coast
47. Boise City, ID
- Median home value: $401,800 (5.3 times income)
- Median household income: $76,402
- Total population: 234,192
- American Viticultural Area: Snake River Valley
46. Vacaville, CA
- Median home value: $560,400 (5.2 times income)
- Median household income: $106,764
- Total population: 101,631
- American Viticultural Area: N/A
45. Tualatin, OR
- Median home value: $548,900 (5.2 times income)
- Median household income: $105,542
- Total population: 27,804
- American Viticultural Area: Willamette Valley
44. American Canyon, CA
- Median home value: $638,000 (5.2 times income)
- Median household income: $122,694
- Total population: 21,669
- American Viticultural Area: Napa Valley
43. Tigard, OR
- Median home value: $525,100 (5.2 times income)
- Median household income: $101,354
- Total population: 55,161
- American Viticultural Area: Willamette Valley
42. Salem, OR
- Median home value: $349,500 (5.2 times income)
- Median household income: $67,540
- Total population: 175,754
- American Viticultural Area: Willamette Valley
41. West Linn, OR
- Median home value: $677,500 (5.1 times income)
- Median household income: $134,116
- Total population: 27,167
- American Viticultural Area: Willamette Valley
40. Johnson City, TX
- Median home value: $228,000 (5.0 times income)
- Median household income: $45,160
- Total population: 1,755
- American Viticultural Area: Texas Hill Country
39. Roseburg, OR
- Median home value: $252,000 (5.0 times income)
- Median household income: $50,297
- Total population: 23,657
- American Viticultural Area: Umpqua Valley
38. Dripping Springs, TX
- Median home value: $514,300 (4.9 times income)
- Median household income: $104,141
- Total population: 5,495
- American Viticultural Area: Texas Hill Country
37. College Place, WA
- Median home value: $294,700 (4.9 times income)
- Median household income: $60,417
- Total population: 9,796
- American Viticultural Area: Walla Walla Valley
36. Newberg, OR
- Median home value: $426,600 (4.9 times income)
- Median household income: $87,873
- Total population: 25,379
- American Viticultural Area: Willamette Valley
35. Dallas, OR
- Median home value: $328,400 (4.8 times income)
- Median household income: $67,935
- Total population: 16,945
- American Viticultural Area: Willamette Valley
34. Madera, CA
- Median home value: $296,800 (4.8 times income)
- Median household income: $61,626
- Total population: 66,784
- American Viticultural Area: Madera
33. Keizer, OR
- Median home value: $363,600 (4.8 times income)
- Median household income: $75,753
- Total population: 39,122
- American Viticultural Area: Willamette Valley
32. Traverse City, MI
- Median home value: $336,900 (4.8 times income)
- Median household income: $70,700
- Total population: 15,468
- American Viticultural Area: Old Mission Peninsula
31. Sherwood, OR
- Median home value: $520,500 (4.7 times income)
- Median household income: $109,770
- Total population: 20,286
- American Viticultural Area: Willamette Valley
30. Palisade, CO
- Median home value: $261,600 (4.6 times income)
- Median household income: $56,359
- Total population: 2,571
- American Viticultural Area: Grand Valley
29. Hillsboro, OR
- Median home value: $452,300 (4.6 times income)
- Median household income: $98,891
- Total population: 106,612
- American Viticultural Area: Willamette Valley
28. Cornelius, OR
- Median home value: $379,400 (4.6 times income)
- Median household income: $83,051
- Total population: 13,245
- American Viticultural Area: Willamette Valley
27. Kennewick, WA
- Median home value: $318,400 (4.5 times income)
- Median household income: $70,429
- Total population: 83,823
- American Viticultural Area: Columbia Valley
26. Dundee, OR
- Median home value: $435,200 (4.4 times income)
- Median household income: $98,152
- Total population: 3,224
- American Viticultural Area: Willamette Valley
25. Caldwell, ID
- Median home value: $284,000 (4.4 times income)
- Median household income: $65,259
- Total population: 61,212
- American Viticultural Area: Snake River Valley
24. Benton City, WA
- Median home value: $224,200 (4.3 times income)
- Median household income: $51,558
- Total population: 3,498
- American Viticultural Area: Yakima Valley
23. Leesburg, VA
- Median home value: $572,500 (4.3 times income)
- Median household income: $132,298
- Total population: 48,465
- American Viticultural Area: N/A
22. Carlton, OR
- Median home value: $385,800 (4.2 times income)
- Median household income: $92,500
- Total population: 2,339
- American Viticultural Area: Willamette Valley
21. Richland, WA
- Median home value: $365,800 (4.1 times income)
- Median household income: $89,283
- Total population: 60,867
- American Viticultural Area: Columbia Valley
20. Dayton, OR
- Median home value: $307,600 (4.0 times income)
- Median household income: $76,014
- Total population: 2,677
- American Viticultural Area: Willamette Valley
19. Grapevine, TX
- Median home value: $431,800 (4.0 times income)
- Median household income: $107,165
- Total population: 50,763
- American Viticultural Area: N/A
18. Milton-Freewater, OR
- Median home value: $186,200 (4.0 times income)
- Median household income: $46,372
- Total population: 7,137
- American Viticultural Area: Walla Walla Valley
17. Prosser, WA
- Median home value: $252,400 (3.9 times income)
- Median household income: $64,622
- Total population: 6,138
- American Viticultural Area: Columbia Valley
16. Zillah, WA
- Median home value: $267,400 (3.9 times income)
- Median household income: $68,701
- Total population: 3,153
- American Viticultural Area: Yakima Valley
15. Purcellville, VA
- Median home value: $570,600 (3.8 times income)
- Median household income: $150,333
- Total population: 8,928
- American Viticultural Area: Middleburg Virginia
14. Lafayette, OR
- Median home value: $353,800 (3.8 times income)
- Median household income: $93,243
- Total population: 4,391
- American Viticultural Area: Willamette Valley
13. Amity, OR
- Median home value: $319,900 (3.6 times income)
- Median household income: $90,000
- Total population: 1,764
- American Viticultural Area: Willamette Valley
12. Stroudsburg, PA
- Median home value: $205,100 (3.5 times income)
- Median household income: $58,412
- Total population: 5,897
- American Viticultural Area: Lehigh Valley
11. Southlake, TX
- Median home value: $854,900 (3.4 times income)
- Median household income: $250,000
- Total population: 30,779
- American Viticultural Area: N/A
10. Coppell, TX
- Median home value: $489,700 (3.4 times income)
- Median household income: $143,817
- Total population: 42,513
- American Viticultural Area: N/A
9. West Richland, WA
- Median home value: $372,800 (3.2 times income)
- Median household income: $118,093
- Total population: 16,547
- American Viticultural Area: Columbia Valley
8. Sierra Vista, AZ
- Median home value: $215,900 (3.0 times income)
- Median household income: $70,899
- Total population: 45,212
- American Viticultural Area: Sonoita
7. Flower Mound, TX
- Median home value: $467,600 (3.0 times income)
- Median household income: $154,471
- Total population: 76,630
- American Viticultural Area: N/A
6. Willcox, AZ
- Median home value: $116,400 (2.8 times income)
- Median household income: $40,884
- Total population: 3,232
- American Viticultural Area: Willcox
5. Geneva, OH
- Median home value: $131,900 (2.8 times income)
- Median household income: $47,401
- Total population: 5,935
- American Viticultural Area: Lake Erie
4. Penn Yan, NY
- Median home value: $137,000 (2.7 times income)
- Median household income: $50,878
- Total population: 5,134
- American Viticultural Area: Finger Lakes
3. Geneva-on-the-Lake, OH
- Median home value: $115,600 (2.5 times income)
- Median household income: $45,755
- Total population: 1,085
- American Viticultural Area: Lake Erie
2. North East, PA
- Median home value: $149,000 (2.4 times income)
- Median household income: $61,643
- Total population: 4,092
- American Viticultural Area: Lake Erie
1. Geneva, NY
- Median home value: $123,100 (1.9 times income)
- Median household income: $63,602
- Total population: 12,670
- American Viticultural Area: Finger Lakes
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