We often hear about how vital homeownership is to the middle class, yet new data suggests that owning is not as feasible in our market as one would think.

Homeownership and the middle class go together like peanut butter and jelly – the single-family home is as much an indication of middle-class security as a well-paying job and a large family.

Yet, the Houston housing market is becoming less accessible for middle class homebuyers, according to interesting new data from Trulia, which compared the median income in the nation’s largest metro areas to the median home price, and determined what percentage of the area’s housing stock is accessible to the middle class.

Here in Houston, Trulia found that 49 percent of the area’s housing stock is accessible on a middle class income, down from 61 percent a year ago. See our graph below for a fuller picture: