Statistics · 2026 · Real Estate
Homeownership Statistics (2026)
The U.S. homeownership rate was 65.0% in the second quarter 2026, the Census Bureau reported on July 28, 2026, with a margin of error of 0.5 point and no seasonal adjustment. Rates run from 35.2% for householders under 35 to 78.6% for those 65 and over, and from 60.5% in the West to 69.0% in the Midwest.
Key takeaways
- The homeownership rate was 65.0% in the second quarter 2026 (not seasonally adjusted), virtually the same as a year earlier and 65.3% in the first quarter.
- The quarterly series peaked at 69.2% in Q2 2004 and Q4 2004 and its low since 1980 is 62.9%, in Q2 2016.
- Householders 65 and over own at 78.6%; those under 35 own at 35.2%, which Census calls lower than a year earlier.
- The Midwest leads the regions at 69.0% and the West trails at 60.5%; none changed significantly from a year earlier.
- Census counts 86,985 thousand owner-occupied and 46,827 thousand renter-occupied units.
- Rates differ by race and ethnicity of householder, from 45.4% to 74.5%; this page reports the gaps and does not explain them.
What is the U.S. homeownership rate?
The U.S. homeownership rate was 65.0% in the second quarter 2026, according to the Census Bureau’s Housing Vacancy Survey, released July 28, 2026. The figure is not seasonally adjusted and has a margin of error of 0.5 point. Census calls it virtually the same as a year earlier (65.0%) and not statistically different from 65.3% in the first quarter.
1. Homeownership rate: 65.0% in the second quarter 2026, not seasonally adjusted
The Census release (CB26-116) says “The homeownership rate of 65.0 percent was virtually the same as the rate in the second quarter 2025 (65.0 percent) and not statistically different than the rate in the first quarter 2026 (65.3 percent).” Its cover page adds “Data are not adjusted for seasonality.” The margin of error is 0.5 point (Table 4).
2. Seasonally adjusted: 65.2% in the second quarter 2026, not statistically different
Census’s Table 4SA, seasonally adjusted because “seasonality for homeownership rates is present,” gives 65.2% for the quarter, 65.2% a year earlier and 65.4% in the first quarter, and says the rate “was not statistically different” from either. This page never mixes the two.
3. The 2020 spike: 67.9% in Q2 2020 (not seasonally adjusted)
Table 4 shows 67.9% for the second quarter of 2020, against 65.3% in the first quarter and 65.8% in the fourth. Census notes “Homeownership data from 2020 was impacted by data collection changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
How has homeownership changed since 1965?
The quarterly homeownership rate has ranged from 62.9% to 69.2% since 1965. The 2000s had the highest decade average at 68.14%, and the 1980s the lowest full decade at 64.42%. The latest 65.0% sits 4.2 points below the peak, which came in Q2 2004 and Q4 2004.
4. Record high: 69.2%, in Q2 2004 and Q4 2004
The series is the Census rate as published by FRED: percent, quarterly, not seasonally adjusted, 246 quarters from Q1 1965 to Q2 2026. The peak value occurs in 2 quarters, so it is a tie (WealthyBud data · 246 quarters · FRED · Q1 1965–Q2 2026).
5. Low since 1980: 62.9%, in Q2 2016
The latest 65.0% is 2.1 points above that low; the page does not test that gap. The same 62.9% also appears in Q1 1965, Q2 1965, and Q3 1965, so the series low is shared by 4 quarters (WealthyBud data · 246 quarters · FRED · Q1 1965–Q2 2026).
6. Highest decade average: 68.14% in the 2000s
The lowest full decade is the 1980s at 64.42%. The 1960s row covers only 1965–1969, and the 2020s row only through Q2 2026. FRED’s four 1993 quarters read 0.4 to 0.5 point above Census’s own Table 14, which moves the 1990s average by about 0.05 point (WealthyBud data · 246 quarters · FRED · Q1 1965–Q2 2026).
| Decade | Quarters | Average rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1960s (1965–1969, partial) | 20 | 63.66% |
| 1970s | 40 | 64.63% |
| 1980s | 40 | 64.42% |
| 1990s | 40 | 64.95% |
| 2000s | 40 | 68.14% |
| 2010s | 40 | 64.79% |
| 2020s (2020–2026, partial) | 26 | 65.73% |
What is the homeownership rate by age?
Homeownership rises with age. In the second quarter 2026, householders aged 65 and over owned at 78.6%, and those under 35 at 35.2%, a 43.4-point gap. Census says only the under-35 rate was lower than a year earlier; the other age groups were not statistically different.
7. Age 65 and over: 78.6%; under 35: 35.2%
Census says “the second quarter 2026 homeownership rate was highest for those householders aged 65 years and over (78.6 percent) and lowest for those householders under 35 years of age (35.2 percent).” Margins of error are 0.5 and 0.7 point (Table 6).
8. Under 35: 35.2%, lower than 36.4% a year earlier
Census states “Compared to the rates in the second quarter 2025, the second quarter 2026 rate was lower in the under 35 years of age group. The rates were not statistically different in the other age groups.”
9. Under-35 range since 1994: 34.1% to 43.6%
In Census’s Table 19 the under-35 rate peaked at 43.6% in Q2 2004 and bottomed at 34.1% in Q2 2016, each in a single quarter.
| Age of householder | Rate | Margin of error | Rate, Q2 2025 | Census: change from Q2 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 35 years | 35.2% | ±0.7 | 36.4% | Lower |
| 35 to 44 years | 60.9% | ±0.7 | 61.0% | Not statistically different |
| 45 to 54 years | 69.7% | ±0.7 | 69.2% | Not statistically different |
| 55 to 64 years | 75.1% | ±0.7 | 75.8% | Not statistically different |
| 65 years and over | 78.6% | ±0.5 | 78.6% | Not statistically different |
Explore housing data for every U.S. metro
What is the homeownership rate by region?
The Midwest had the highest homeownership rate in the second quarter 2026 at 69.0%, followed by the South at 66.9%. The Northeast (61.6%) and the West (60.5%) were lower. Census says none of the four regional rates was statistically different from the second quarter of 2025.
10. Midwest: 69.0%; West: 60.5%
The gap between the top and bottom regions is 8.5 points (WealthyBud’s arithmetic on Census figures). Census ranks the regions the same way: Midwest, South, Northeast, West.
- The Midwest homeownership rate was 69.0% (margin of error 0.6 point).
- The South homeownership rate was 66.9% (margin of error 0.5 point).
- The Northeast homeownership rate was 61.6% (margin of error 0.7 point).
- The West homeownership rate was 60.5% (margin of error 0.6 point).
11. No regional change from Q2 2025 is statistically significant
The release says “The homeownership rates in the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West were not statistically different from the second quarter 2025.” Regional rates are quarterly, not seasonally adjusted (Census, Table 5, second quarter 2026; history in Table 14).
How many households own versus rent?
Census counted 86,985 thousand owner-occupied and 46,827 thousand renter-occupied housing units in the second quarter 2026, out of 133,811 thousand occupied units. Owners were 65.0% of occupied units, matching the published rate. The owner count was higher than a year earlier by more than its margin; the renter change was not.
12. Owner-occupied: 86,985 thousand; renter-occupied: 46,827 thousand
Census, Table 3, second quarter 2026, gives these counts in thousands, with margins of error of 458 and 580 thousand. They sum to 133,812, 1 thousand above the published occupied total of 133,811 (margin 86); Census notes “estimates may not add to total due to rounding.” The HVS definitions say “The proportion of households that are owners is termed the homeownership rate.”
13. Owners are 65.0% of occupied units
WealthyBud’s calculation divides 86,985 by 133,811 to get 65.01%, in line with the published 65.0%; renters are 35.0%. Table 3 also lists 58.2% and 31.3%, but those use all housing units, vacant ones included, as the base.
14. Year over year: owners +780 thousand, renters +450 thousand
The margin of error on the owner difference is 631 thousand, so the 780 thousand rise exceeds it. The renter margin is 784 thousand, so 450 thousand does not.
How does homeownership vary by race and ethnicity?
Census reports homeownership rates of 74.5% for Non-Hispanic White Alone householders, 58.6% for Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Other Pacific Islander Alone, 48.1% for Hispanic (of any race), and 45.4% for Black Alone, in the second quarter 2026. This page reports the rates and gaps; it makes no claim about their causes.
15. Non-Hispanic White Alone: 74.5%; Black Alone: 45.4%
Census says the rate was “highest at 74.5 percent” for Non-Hispanic White Alone householders reporting a single race, and the rate for Black Alone householders was lowest at 45.4 percent. Margins of error are 0.4 and 0.9 point (Census, Table 7, second quarter 2026). The gap is 29.1 points.
16. Census flags the year-over-year changes
Census says the rates were higher than in the second quarter 2025 for Non-Hispanic White Alone and Black Alone householders, and lower for All Other Races and for Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Alone householders. The Hispanic rate was “not statistically different.”
17. Gap between Non-Hispanic White Alone and Black Alone: 29.1 points now, 27.7 in Q1 1994
In Census’s Table 16 (quarterly since 1994) the two rates were 69.8% and 42.1% in Q1 1994. The Black Alone rate has been as low as 40.6% (Q2 2019). These gaps are WealthyBud’s subtractions, not statistical tests.
| Householder | Rate | Margin of error | Rate, Q2 2025 | Census: change from Q2 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Alone | 74.5% | ±0.4 | 74.0% | Higher |
| Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Other Pacific Islander Alone | 58.6% | ±1.1 | 62.1% | Lower |
| All Other Races, Total | 54.4% | ±0.9 | 57.5% | Lower |
| Hispanic (of any race) | 48.1% | ±0.8 | 48.8% | Not statistically different |
| Black Alone | 45.4% | ±0.9 | 43.9% | Higher |
What this means for buyers and renters
For prospective buyers, a national rate of 65.0% describes who owns today, not what you should do. For prices and payments, see housing affordability statistics.
For renters, the rate says nothing about your market. Compare rent vs. buy statistics for the cost side, and check local data on the real estate hub.
For investors, start with the best markets for a first rental, and see rental vacancy statistics for the same release’s vacancy rates.
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