Source: Realtor.org

There are affordable metro areas in the U.S. right now with above-average hiring and a large segment of current renters who earn enough income to qualify to buy a home.

NAR reviewed employment growth, household income and qualifying income levels in nearly 100 of the largest metropolitan statistical areas across the country to determine which areas with employment gains above the recent national average also have the largest share of renters who can currently afford to buy a home. Of the top 10 metro areas with the highest share of renters who earn enough to buy, nine were either in the South or Midwest — including three cities in Ohio.