Single women own 2.7 million more homes than their male counterparts, according to recent data from LendingTree. And where do they call home? The study reveals the states with the highest share of homes owned by single women and men.
According to LendingTree, single female homeownership outpaces single male homeownership in 47 of 50 states. For instance, Delaware and Louisiana are the leading states with rates of female homeownership — as high as 15%. Though women face incredible barriers, including sexist policies in mortgage lending, single women are likely to pull ahead of single men in homeownership.
Single males, on the other hand, owned and occupied more homes than their female peers in Alaska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Jacob Channel, senior economist at LendingTree and author of the report, told CBS MoneyWatch that males are more likely to own homes in those states due to the male-dominated industries situated there.
“A home for most people is going to represent the biggest portion of their overall net worth,” Channel told the news outlet. “Owning a home helps you access considerably more wealth.
He continued: “If there’s one really important thing about this study, it’s that there’s a lot going on here that’s influencing women’s wealth, and we’ll need a lot more information before we can really definitively say why things are the way they are.”
TOP TEN STATES WITH MORE SINGLE FEMALE HOMEOWNERS
- Delaware
- Lousiana
- Mississippi
- Alabama
- Florida
- New Mexico
- South Carolina
- West Virginia
- Maryland
- Illinois
Here’s a breakdown of the top three:
DELAWARE
Delaware,
with the highest share of homes owned by single women, has the largest homeownership gap and has 15.34% of owner-occupied households in the state that are owned by single women. This rate is 5.89% higher than the share of homes owned by single men.LOUISIANA
The Pelican State comes in second, with 15.19% of owner-occupied households owned by single women who live alone. However, single men own 10.71% of owner-occupied households in the same state.
MISSISSIPPI
Mississippi is home to 803,857 owner-occupied households. 14.84% of them are owned by women who live by themselves in the Magnolia State. In comparison, 10.85% of owner-occupied households are owned by men.
LendingTree’s study is based on an analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey. The results account for homeowners’ age, income, education, and racial background.
“While women generally earn less than men, that isn’t always the case — especially among younger generations,” according to the Pew Research Center. Women younger than 30 earn at least as much as men the same age in 22 U.S. metropolitan areas, including New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.
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