United States Homeownership Statistics
The U.S. homeownership rate is 65.0% in the second quarter of 2026, virtually unchanged from 65.0% a year earlier and 4.2 points below the Q2 2004 seasonally adjusted peak of 69.4%. There are 87.0 million owner-occupied households and 46.8 million renter households. The rate runs from 60.5% in the West to 69.0% in the Midwest, and from 35.2% for householders under 35 to 78.6% for those 65 and over.
Key United States Homeownership Statistics
U.S. Census Bureau CPS/HVS data- The U.S. homeownership rate is 65.0%, Q2 2026. (U.S. Census Bureau, CPS/HVS)
- That is virtually the same as Q2 2025 (65.0%) and not statistically different from Q1 2026 (65.3%). (Census Bureau)
- The seasonally adjusted peak was 69.4% in Q2 2004; the seasonally adjusted Q2 2026 rate is 65.2%, or 4.2 points below it. (Census Bureau, Table 4SA)
- The Midwest has the highest rate at 69.0%; the West the lowest at 60.5%. (Census Bureau)
- Householders under 35 own at 35.2%, down from 36.4% a year earlier, the largest decline of any age group. (Census Bureau)
- Householders 65 and over own at 78.6%, more than double the under-35 rate. (Census Bureau)
- Households at or above median family income own at 77.9%; those below at 52.1%. (Census Bureau)
- There are 87.0 million owner households and 46.8 million renter households, 1.86 owners for every renter. (Census Bureau; ratio by Aegis)
- Owner-occupied units are 58.2% of all 149.5 million housing units; renter-occupied 31.3%; vacant 10.5%. (Census Bureau)
- The homeowner vacancy rate is 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate 7.3%. (Census Bureau)
What Is the Homeownership Rate in the United States?
The homeownership rate is 65.0% in the second quarter of 2026: 87.0 million owner-occupied households out of 133.8 million occupied households. It is virtually unchanged from a year earlier and not statistically different from the first quarter's 65.3%.
The rate is the share of occupied housing units that are owner-occupied, not a share of all housing units or of people. Of the country's 149.5 million housing units, 58.2% are owner-occupied, 31.3% are renter-occupied and 10.5% are vacant. Two different figures, 65.0% and 58.2%, both describe owners, and mixing them is the most common error in homeownership reporting. This page uses the household rate throughout and flags the unit share where it appears.
| Category | Units | Share of all units | Share of occupied |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner-occupied | 86,985,000 | 58.2% | 65.0% |
| Renter-occupied | 46,827,000 | 31.3% | 35.0% |
| Vacant | 15,643,000 | 10.5% | |
| All housing units | 149,454,000 | 100.0% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Housing Vacancies and Homeownership, Q2 2026, Table 3, vintage 2025 housing unit controls. Shares calculated by Aegis Luxury Real Estate.
Which Region Has the Highest Homeownership Rate?
The Midwest, at 69.0%. The South follows at 66.9%, the Northeast at 61.6% and the West at 60.5%. None of the four regional rates is statistically different from a year earlier.
| Rank | Region | Rate | Vs U.S. | Q2 2025 | Median home price, July 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Midwest | 69.0% | +4.0 pts | 69.5% | $342,900 |
| 2 | South | 66.9% | +1.9 pts | 66.6% | $371,700 |
| 3 | Northeast | 61.6% | -3.4 pts | 61.4% | $563,800 |
| 4 | West | 60.5% | -4.5 pts | 60.7% | $622,200 |
| United States | 65.0% | 65.0% | $434,100 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, CPS/HVS Q2 2026, Table 5. Median home price from NAR Existing-Home Sales, July 2026, shown for context. Regional rates carry margins of error of 0.5 to 0.7 points at 90% confidence.
How Does Homeownership Change With Age?
It more than doubles. Householders under 35 own at 35.2%; those 65 and over own at 78.6%. The under-35 rate fell 1.2 points from a year earlier, the largest decline of any age group; the 45 to 54 group was the only one to rise.
| Age of householder | Q2 2026 | Q2 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 35 | 35.2% | 36.4% | -1.2 pts |
| 35 to 44 | 60.9% | 61.0% | -0.1 pts |
| 45 to 54 | 69.7% | 69.2% | +0.5 pts |
| 55 to 64 | 75.1% | 75.8% | -0.7 pts |
| 65 and over | 78.6% | 78.6% | 0.0 pts |
| All ages | 65.0% | 65.0% | 0.0 pts |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, CPS/HVS Q2 2026, Table 6. Only the under-35 change is statistically significant at 90% confidence.
The under-35 rate fell 1.2 points year over year, while every other age group changed by less than one point. The under-35 group therefore shows the clearest recent weakness in the age breakdown, although this dataset does not establish the causes of that decline.
How Does Income Affect Homeownership?
Households with family incomeat or above the median own at 77.9%; those below the median own at 52.1%, a gap of 25.8 points. Over the year the above-median rate fell 0.8 points and the below-median rate rose 0.7.
| Income group | Q2 2026 | Q2 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| At or above median family income | 77.9% | 78.7% | -0.8 pts |
| Below median family income | 52.1% | 51.4% | +0.7 pts |
| All households | 65.0% | 65.0% | 0.0 pts |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, CPS/HVS Q2 2026, Table 8. Based on family or primary individual income. Both changes are statistically significant.
How Far Below the Peak Is Homeownership?
4.2 points. The seasonally adjusted rate peaked at 69.4% in the second quarter of 2004 and stands at 65.2% seasonally adjusted (65.0% not adjusted) in the second quarter of 2026. The rate has held between 65.0% and 66.0% for every quarter since 2022.
| Year | Q2 rate | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 69.4% | Seasonally adjusted Q2 peak |
| 2016 | 63.1% | Q2 benchmark near the post-2004 trough |
| 2019 | 64.3% | |
| 2020 | 68.0% | Pandemic-era estimate; Census Bureau flags 2020 data-collection effects |
| 2022 | 65.9% | |
| 2024 | 65.7% | |
| 2025 | 65.2% | |
| 2026 | 65.2% | Current seasonally adjusted Q2 rate |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, CPS/HVS, Table 4SA. All values shown are second-quarter seasonally adjusted homeownership rates. The Census Bureau notes that 2020 estimates were affected by pandemic data-collection changes and that Q4 2025 was based on November and December only because of the federal funding lapse.
How These United States Figures Are Calculated
Homeownership rates, household counts, vacancy rates and the housing inventory come from the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey/Housing Vacancy Survey, second quarter 2026, released July 28, 2026. The homeownership rate is owner-occupied housing units divided by total occupied housing units. Point differences, the owner to renter ratio and shares of total units are calculated by Aegis Luxury Real Estate from those published tables.
| Element | Definition |
|---|---|
| Source | U.S. Census Bureau, Housing Vacancies and Homeownership (CPS/HVS), Q2 2026, release CB26-116 |
| Definition | Owner-occupied housing units divided by total occupied housing units, expressed as a percent |
| Universe | Occupied housing units. The homeownership rate uses owner-occupied units divided by all occupied units. The share of all housing units that are owner-occupied (58.2%) is reported separately and labelled |
| Regions | Census Bureau regions: Northeast, Midwest, South, West |
| Age and income | Age of householder (Table 6) and family income relative to the median (Table 8) |
| Peak | Seasonally adjusted series (Table 4SA), Q2 2004 |
| Margins of error | National rate ±0.5 points; regional ±0.5 to 0.7; age groups ±0.5 to 0.7, at 90% confidence |
| Caveats | Q4 2025 based on November and December only (federal funding lapse). 2020 estimates affected by pandemic data collection |
| Refresh | Quarterly. Next release October 28, 2026 |
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Official Sources for United States Homeownership Data
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Using these figures
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Timothy Alston. "United States Homeownership Statistics." Aegis Luxury Real Estate, DRE# 01328224, updated August 18, 2026. https://aegishomesre.com/homeownership-statistics/
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the homeownership rate in the United States?
65.0% in the second quarter of 2026, according to the Census Bureau's Housing Vacancy Survey. That is 87.0 million owner households out of 133.8 million occupied households. The headline rate was virtually the same a year earlier. On a seasonally adjusted basis, Q2 2026 was 65.2%, or 4.2 points below the Q2 2004 peak of 69.4%.
Which region has the highest homeownership rate?
The Midwest at 69.0%, followed by the South at 66.9%. The Northeast (61.6%) and West (60.5%) are lowest. In the current data, the two higher-ownership regions also have lower median home prices, but this comparison does not establish causation.
What is the homeownership rate for people under 35?
35.2% in Q2 2026, down from 36.4% a year earlier. That was the largest decline of any age group. By comparison householders 65 and over own at 78.6%.
Is 65.0% the share of homes that are owner-occupied?
No. 65.0% is the share of occupied households that own. The share of all housing units that are owner-occupied is 58.2%, because 10.5% of units are vacant. Both are correct; they have different denominators.
How many renter households are there in the United States?
46.8 million, against 87.0 million owner households, or 1.86 owners for every renter. Renter-occupied units are 31.3% of the total housing stock of 149.5 million units.
How does the Santa Clara County homeownership rate compare?
The Santa Clara County homeownership page reports county and city rates from the American Community Survey. The county rate sits below the national 65.0%, while local home prices are much higher than the national median. This comparison does not establish that price alone explains the ownership gap.
Timothy Alston
Timothy Alston is a licensed California real estate Broker serving 53 communities across Santa Clara, San Mateo, Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. This reference page is maintained as part of an ongoing statistical series and is updated in place when its source data or methodology materially changes.