• Median home price: $335,000
• Median income: $64,800
• % of homes that are affordable: 44.1%

Los Angeles may have its Hollywood stars, Rodeo Drive boutiques and Brentwood mansions, but it's also home to millions of blue-collar workers employed in the area's aerospace, energy, shipping and warehousing industries.

While homes are a lot more affordable now than they were during the housing boom -- back then the median price was $530,000 and only 3% of the homes sold were considered affordable to median income families -- it's still a challenge for many of the area's residents to cover the cost of a mortgage.

Things are looking up, however. The unemployment rate has fallen by two percentage points over the past 12 months and home prices are starting to stabilize even further.

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