You need to earn about $120,000 a year to afford a median-priced home in Nashville, according to a recent Redfin report.

Why it matters: That's a problem for many people who live here, because the same report puts Nashville's median household income at $91,000, more than $30,000 shy of the home-buying benchmark.

Flashback: In 2013, Redfin found you only needed to make $38,366 annually to afford the median Nashville home.

The fine print: Redfin's data assumes a homebuyer spends no more than 30% of their income on monthly mortgage payments.

State of play: Nashville's affordable housing crisis is well-documented. Sales prices have jumped more than 53% in the last five years. Stubbornly high mortgage rates are exacerbating the issue for would-be buyers.

• The dynamic could dramatically change the makeup of Music City. A 2023 survey of musicians and other creatives in the music industry found that many of them have considered leaving Nashville due to the climbing cost of living.

What's next: Solving the middle class housing crisis has been a priority for city leaders in recent years.

• Work is underway on several fronts. Metro is nearly finished with a long-awaited strategy, and Mayor Freddie O'Connell is expected to unveil a new housing plan soon.

The big picture: It's not just a Nashville problem. Housing has become much less affordable at the national level as well.

Zoom in: The small silver lining is that things are improving, albeit incrementally. A similar Redfin report released in 2023 found a larger $44,000 gap between median earnings and home prices in Nashville.

• Prices are similarly becoming slightly more affordable at the national level.

Yes, but: They still remain out of reach for many residents.

Between the lines: Realtors say that dynamic explains the amped up population growth in more affordable pockets of the city like Antioch and in surrounding suburban counties, where prices skew lower.

• For instance, Wilson County saw its population jump by more than 10% from 2020-2023.

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Existing homeowners are adapting as high costs and mortgage rates make moving less attainable.

State of play: Renovating has become a more appealing option for homeowners ready to upgrade, Houzz economist Marine Sargsyan tells Axios. And people are spending a lot more money on a refresh.

• A 2024 report from Houzz shows median spending on home renovations is up 60% since 2015.

Zoom in: In Nashville, the median cost of a home renovation grew from $15,000 in 2015 to $25,000 in 2023.

• Kitchens and bathrooms are the most commonly renovated rooms — and typically the most expensive, Sargsyan says.

Between the lines: Aging homes and rising labor and product costs also contribute to that striking spending growth.

What's next: The majority of homeowners who renovate plan to stay in their homes for at least another decade, Houzz found.

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⚖️ Federal prosecutors overseeing the criminal investigation of Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles have withdrawn from the case, which could signal that the Trump administration plans to drop the case. (NewsChannel 5)

📣 The ACLU of Tennessee plans to challenge new immigration legislation that would make it a felony for elected officials to vote for sanctuary policies that protect undocumented immigrants. (Tennessee Lookout)

🚧 A Tennessee Republican has proposed removing protections for wetlands that could make construction easier in those areas of the state. (WPLN)

We love songwriters here at Axios Nashville.

• So before we say goodbye to the Grammys for another year, we wanted to dedicate this week's playlist to the Best Song category.

That award, which goes to the writers, is meant to celebrate the craft of songwriting.

Reality check: The playlist includes all of the winners from 1978 to Sunday. There are serious classics, but there are also some weird misses in there.

• We'll let you decide which is which.

😉 Adam's thought bubble: I insisted on starting the playlist with the honorees from 1978 so that we could have Barbra Streisand in the mix.

Follow our playlist on Spotify

We're so thankful to our members for their support of our work through their contribution to our newsroom.

If you join as an Axios Nashville member, you'll get insider notes from the team, birthday shoutouts in the newsletter and other perks.

• Plus, you'll be part of our growth and ensure that our news is always free and accessible to the community.

We're grateful for your trust and continued readership.

Beyoncé's country crossover brought her to the top of the Grammys.

• After multiple upset losses in the Album of the Year category, she finally took the prize last night with the genre-bending epic "Cowboy Carter."

State of play: Beyoncé dedicated her win to Linda Martell, the first Black woman to play the Grand Ole Opry.

• "I hope we just keep pushing forward, opening doors," Beyoncé said.

Zoom in: "Cowboy Carter" was also named Best Country Album. Beyoncé was visibly shocked when she accepted that trophy from Taylor Swift.

Between the lines: The album was inspired in part by the frosty reception Beyoncé got when she performed at the CMA Awards with The Chicks in 2016.

What she's saying: "I'd like to thank all of the incredible country artists that accepted this album," Beyoncé said.

• "I think sometimes genre is a code word to keep us in our place as artists, and I just want to encourage people to do what they're passionate about."

What's next: Beyoncé also announced the upcoming "Cowboy Carter" tour this weekend. We're still waiting for the list of individual dates.

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