These 10 States Have the Highest HOA Fees in the U.S.
Ah, homeowners association dues. You either love them or you hate them. Sure, they can get pretty expensive, and it might be annoying to be told what color you can or can’t paint the exterior of your house — but they usually also provide a good amount of value (even if you don’t see it right away).
“HOAs take care of many things that people typically find annoying, expensive, or labor-intensive,” says Hailey Neff, a researcher at Today’s Homeowner. “They also help uphold high standards for the community. For some, these benefits are well worth the expensive fees. On the other hand, HOAs can have strict rules and regulations that others find difficult to abide by. Homeowners that value their freedom of choice when it comes to how they manage their home typically do not like HOAs.” Whether you like them or not, though, they’re generally an expected part of homeownership in certain communities. Want to know where the most expensive ones are? Today’s Homeowner analyzed data from the Foundation for Community Association Research to explore just that. These are the 10 states with the highest.
1. Missouri
Missouri tops the list of the most expensive fees, with an annual cost of $5,627 paid to HOAs. That’s about $469 every month for the 311,000 households in the state with HOA fees.
2. Arizona
About 875,000 households in Arizona have HOA fees, paying an average of $448 per month. Annually, it adds up to $5,371 per household.
3. Oregon
In Oregon, homeowners with HOA fees (there are about 228,000 of them) pay an average of $4,825 annually for the HOA. That’s $402 per month.
4. Colorado
Out of all Colorado homeowners, 893,000 of them have HOA fees. Monthly, they pay an average of $401 — equalling about $4,812 a year per household.
5. Maryland
In Maryland, homeowners pay about $4,812 annually for HOA fees. There are about 395,000 homes there in HOAs. The total breaks down to $401 a month.
6. Tennessee
Around 292,000 homes in Tennessee have HOA fees every month. They pay about $400, or $4,800 annually.
7. Mississippi
For the roughly 28,000 homeowners in Mississippi with HOA costs, they’re paying about $396 each month — or $4,752 annually.
8. Arkansas
Annual costs for HOA fees in Arkansas are about $4,728 per home. With 26,000 homes paying the fees, that’s about $394 each monthly.
9. Wyoming
Wyoming has about 21,000 homes paying HOA fees. On average, it’s $4,716 per home annually, or $393 per month.
10. Virginia
Virginia pulls up in last place for the top 10 highest HOA fees. About 786,000 homes in the state pay them, averaging $392 monthly or $4,704 on an annual basis.
Interestingly, homeowners in the Midwest and South are the least likely to want to pay HOA fees. That’s because, Neff says, homes are less expensive in these areas. Because the houses are more affordable, “the disproportionately high HOA fees are going to ruffle some feathers for homeowners,” she says.