A LendingTree analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data shows that unmarried women homeowners outnumbered their male counterparts. Overall, America’s unmarried women own 2.7 million more homes than the nation’s unmarried men. Single women also own a higher percentage of owner-occupied homes at 12.93%, compared to 10.22% for single men.
Single women are more likely to own homes than single men in 47 out of 50 states. The only three states where unmarried men own more homes than unmarried women are Alaska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
The three states with the widest percentage gap between single women homeowners and single men are Delaware (5.89%), Maryland (5.21%), and Massachusetts (4.97%).
Although women still generally earn less than men, the study shows that women are more likely to make sacrifices to save up enough to buy a home. For instance, they might put off having children to increase their ability to save money. The National Association of Realtors reports 70% of first-time homebuyers were childfree.
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The National Association of Realtors’ data finds 19% of first-time homebuyers are single women whereas 10% are single men.
The income gap could also be narrowing, with women under 30 earning at least as much as men in 22 cities and 90% to 99% of men’s earnings in 107 other cities.
Even with earnings improving for younger women, the average income of households headed by single women was $49,400 and households headed by single men averaged $61,700 in 2019.
At first glance, it may appear that women are gaining more equity in the economy via homeownership. But Pew Research data shows that the homeownership gender gap is actually narrowing, and the percent of homes owned by unmarried women has been steadily declining for decades.
In 2000, women represented 64% of homes owned by unmarried Americans. In 2022, that figure slipped to 58%.
The total number of homes owned by unmarried Americans increased by over 10 million — from 25 million to 35.2 million.
Older Americans are more likely to own homes. A study by the National Association of Seventy percent of unmarried individuals aged 65 or older own their homes. Overall, six million more households are headed by unmarried women than an unmarried men.
Importantly, LendingTree included widows in their definition of unmarried Americans. This inclusion may hold the key to the gap.
The average life expectancy for women in the U.S. is 80.2 years whereas men’s is 74.8 years. In 2022, the U.S. Census recorded more than triple the number of widowed women at 11.5 million compared to approximately 3.7 million widowed men.
“Considering that women typically live longer and are more likely to report being widowed than men, it’s likely that some women who are now single homeowners bought that home with the spouse they outlived. This helps explain why single-women homeowners are typically older than their single-men counterparts, even though the pay gap is wider for older Americans,” the study notes.
Widows have the second-highest homeownership rate at 71% — bested only by married couples. A majority of the homeownership gender gap is in this group. Of the six million more homes unmarried women own compared to unmarried men, nearly five million are concentrated in this cohort.
LendingTree recommends shopping around for a mortgage and making sure the monthly mortgage payments are well within budget. It also recommends being aware of federal and local laws and regulations, including ones meant to prevent discrimination in the housing market.
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