Single Gen Z Women Outpace Men in Home Purchases

Single Gen Z women accounted for 35 percent of homebuyers in their generation while single Gen Z men accounted for 18 percent, according to survey data from the National Association of Realtors. The NAR surveyed people who bought homes between July 2024 and June 2025.

The survey included buyers from Gen Z, ages 18 to 26, through the Silent Generation, ages 80 to 100. No other generation showed a larger share of single women homebuyers than Gen Z.

Single women across all generations made up a quarter of all homebuyers in the July 2024-June 2025 period, according to NAR. Single men accounted for 11 percent of purchases. The pattern has held since at least 1981. In 2006, at the height of the mid-2000s housing boom, the share of homes bought by single women peaked at 22 percent.

For single men, their share peaked at 12 percent in 2010. Women now outpace men in college attendance, which can lead to higher incomes, said Jessica Lautz, NAR’s deputy chief economist. They tend to have a strong desire for homeownership as a way to secure their independence.

““It wasn’t until the 1970s where women were legally protected to have a mortgage on their own. At the same time, the share of U.S. homes bought by first-time buyers of all ages sank to the lowest level on record going back to 1981. Gen Z homebuyers are typically just getting started in their careers. Their median annual income of $76,000 as of 2024 was the lowest compared to homebuyers from all other generations. Years of soaring home prices have further stretched affordability. The median U.S. home sales price stood at $417,700 last month, up 0.9 percent from a year earlier, according to NAR. Gen Z buyers are more likely to receive financial help from family. One in 10 tapped their 401(k) retirement savings plan to put toward a down payment.”

Z buyer saved half her pay and worked two jobs before purchasing a three-bedroom home in Baldwinsville, N.Y., for $175,000 in 2023. She lived with her mother and paid modest rent to accelerate her savings. Another buyer focused on saving while many peers spent freely.

She purchased a two-bedroom home in Charleston, Tennessee, for $218,000 in 2023 after making a $7,000 down payment and securing a 30-year mortgage at 6 percent interest.