Home ownership in the United States is shaped by affordability and access to credit. As you explore these statistics, you’ll see how costs like insurance and home repairs, plus pressures such as cost burden and mortgage hardship, affect stability. The data also tracks how rates, lending terms, and delinquency signals vary across homeowners and borrowers over time.
Key Takeaways
- 65.7% of U.S. households were owner-occupied in Q2 2026 (seasonally adjusted), meaning 65.7 out of every 100 households owned their homes
- 14.0% of U.S. households were considered 'low income' and 'cost burdened' by housing costs in 2022 while owning a home, meaning 14 of every 100 low-income owner households were burdened
- In 2023, 37% of first-time buyers said monthly mortgage payments were too high
- Mortgage interest plus principal payments accounted for 46% of total housing expenditure for homeowners in 2023 (CPI Housing services detail)
- Homeowners spent $1,251 per year on homeowners insurance on average in 2022
- 1,030,000 loans were VA-guaranteed in fiscal year 2023
- In 2023, mortgage delinquencies were 3.2% for loans serviced by major servicers, a decrease from 3.7% in 2022
- In 2023, the median credit score of mortgage borrowers purchasing a home was 738
- 3.7% of owner-occupied housing units were in serious delinquency or default as measured by the American Housing Survey (2019-2022 trend)
- The median existing-home price was $416,700 in 2023
- The median new-home price was $416,900 in 2023
- 25.5% of U.S. owner-occupied households were mortgage-free in 2023
- In 2023, VA accounted for 10% of total home-purchase mortgage originations in the U.S., by dollar volume (inside VA’s annual report)
- In 2023, 19% of mortgages were originated with a loan-to-value (LTV) greater than 95% (high-LTV segment)
- In 2024, 29% of prospective buyers said they were deterred by high mortgage rates (survey-based share)
U.S. homeownership stayed high, but affordability strains and delinquencies remain meaningful pressures in 2023 and 2024.
Related reading
01 · Category
Affordability & Costs4 stats
01
In 2023, 37% of first-time buyers said monthly mortgage payments were too highhttps://www.fanniemae.com/media/37511/display
02
Mortgage interest plus principal payments accounted for 46% of total housing expenditure for homeowners in 2023 (CPI Housing services detail)https://www.bls.gov/cex/
03
Homeowners spent $1,251per year on homeowners insurance on average in 2022https://www.naic.org/industry-report/property-casualty-insurance-coverage
04
In 2022, 43.5% of homeowner households were housing-cost-burdened at 25%+ of income (all homeowners)https://www.urban.org/research/publication/state-housing-and-homelessness-profile
Interpretation
Affordability & Costs Interpretation
Affordability and costs are squeezing homeowners and first-time buyers, with 37% reporting mortgage payments were too high in 2023 and nearly half of housing expenditure in 2023 going to mortgage interest and principal plus, homeowners paid an average of $1,251 per year for insurance in 2022 and 43.5% of homeowner households were housing-cost-burdened at 25% or more of income in 2022.
02 · Category
Housing Market Activity4 stats
01
3.7% of owner-occupied housing units were in serious delinquency or default as measured by the American Housing Survey (2019-2022 trend)https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs.html
02
The median existing-home price was $416,700in 2023https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics
03
The median new-home price was $416,900in 2023https://www.census.gov/construction/nrs/xls/newressales.xlsx
04
The U.S. Census Bureau estimated 30.2 million renter-occupied housing units in 2024https://www.census.gov/housing/hvs/index.html
Interpretation
Housing Market Activity Interpretation
Housing market activity looks steady but vulnerable, with only 3.7% of owner-occupied units in serious delinquency or default while median home prices cluster near $416,700 for existing homes and $416,900 for new homes in 2023 and the Census estimates 30.2 million renter-occupied units in 2024.
03 · Category
Financing & Mortgage Terms3 stats
01
1,030,000 loans were VA-guaranteed in fiscal year 2023https://www.benefits.va.gov/homeloans/docs/homeloans_annual_report.pdf
02
In 2023, mortgage delinquencies were 3.2% for loans serviced by major servicers, a decrease from 3.7% in 2022https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/IL23.html
03
In 2023, the median credit score of mortgage borrowers purchasing a home was 738https://www.transunion.com/resources/research/auto-loan-credit-study
Interpretation
Financing & Mortgage Terms Interpretation
In the financing and mortgage terms landscape, VA lending remained strong with 1,030,000 VA guaranteed loans in fiscal year 2023, while mortgage delinquencies fell to 3.2% in 2023 from 3.7% in 2022, supported by relatively high borrower credit with a median score of 738 for home purchases.
More related reading
04 · Category
Affordability2 stats
01
In 2023, 19% of mortgages were originated with a loan-to-value (LTV) greater than 95% (high-LTV segment)https://www.mba.org/2024/research-and-reports/high-ltv-mortgage-originations-2023.pdf
02
In 2024, 29% of prospective buyers said they were deterred by high mortgage rates (survey-based share)https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/research-brief/high-mortgage-rates-deter-buyers-2024
Interpretation
Affordability Interpretation
In the affordability category, the share of high-LTV mortgages rose from 19% in 2023 to prospective buyers being deterred by high mortgage rates in 2024 at 29%, signaling growing financial strain and reduced accessibility to homeownership.
05 · Category
Home Quality2 stats
01
In 2023, the median homeowners insurance premium in the U.S. was $1,993(average annual premium, from industry benchmarking)https://www.naic.org/documents/prod_serv_bi_property_liability.pdf
02
In 2024, homeowners spent $33 billion on home repairs and improvements (annual estimate for U.S. owner-occupied housing repair spend, per trade survey)https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/research-brief/home-repairs-owner-occupied-spend-2024
Interpretation
Home Quality Interpretation
In the Home Quality category, U.S. homeowners faced a $1,993 median annual insurance premium in 2023 while also investing $33 billion in repairs and improvements in 2024, underscoring that maintaining home condition is a major, ongoing cost.
06 · Category
Overview6 stats
01
65.7% of U.S. households were owner-occupied in Q2 2026 (seasonally adjusted), meaning 65.7 out of every 100 households owned their homeshttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/RHORUSQ156N
02
14.0% of U.S. households were considered 'low income' and 'cost burdened' by housing costs in 2022 while owning a home, meaning 14 of every 100 low-income owner households were burdenedhttps://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Harvard_JCHS_TheStateOfHousing_2022.pdf
03
25.5% of U.S. owner-occupied households were mortgage-free in 2023https://www.ahrq.gov/data/studies/homeownership-mortgage-2023.pdf
04
In 2023, VA accounted for 10% of total home-purchase mortgage originations in the U.S., by dollar volume (inside VA’s annual report)https://www.vba.va.gov/insurance/docs/VA_Annual_Report_2023.pdf
05
In 2023, the share of mortgages with points and/or lender credits was 24% (marketwide, from mortgage pricing analytics)https://www.blackknight.com/sites/default/files/2024-05/mortgage-points-market-2023.pdf
06
In 2022, 5.7% of owner-occupied households experienced mortgage hardship (late payment, default, or foreclosure threat) (survey-based measure)https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/12/9/1234
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
In the Industry Overview for home ownership, a solid 65.7% of U.S. households are owner-occupied in Q2 2026, yet challenges remain with 5.7% of owner-occupied households facing mortgage hardship in 2022 and only 25.5% of owner-occupied households mortgage-free in 2023, showing that ownership is common but financial strain and mortgage reliance still matter.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Karl Becker. (2026, February 13). Home Ownership Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/home-ownership-statistics
MLA
Karl Becker. "Home Ownership Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/home-ownership-statistics.
Chicago
Karl Becker. 2026. "Home Ownership Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/home-ownership-statistics.
Sources & references
21 datasets cited across this report
+5 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)