Homeownership Among Young Adults Plummets More Than Expected
WHO:
IJR - Young people, specifically adults aged 18 and up, are the focus of the homeownership statistics.
Newser - Erik Hembre, a Federal Reserve economist, developed a new metric for measuring homeownership.
WHAT:
IJR - New data indicates that the homeownership rate among young adults is significantly lower than previously thought, with less than 25% owning their own home.
Newser - The new homeowners-to-population ratio (HPOP) metric suggests that the actual homeownership rate for young adults is even lower than the overall figure of 53%.
IJR - Less than a quarter of young people own their own home.
Newser - The traditional US homeownership rate is reported to be about 65%, but a new metric suggests it is actually 53%.
Newser - The homeowners-to-population ratio (HPOP) counts how many US adults live in a home they personally own.
WHERE:
Newser - The statistics pertain to the United States.
WHY:
Newser - The worsening housing affordability crisis is contributing to the decline in homeownership among young adults.
Newser - The gap in homeownership statistics is attributed to adults living in someone else's owner-occupied home, including grown children living with parents, roommates, and elderly parents living with adult children.
HOW:
Newser - The HPOP metric developed by Erik Hembre measures homeownership by counting US adults aged 18 and up and determining how many live in homes they own.
(UPDATED July 21, 2026 19:27 UTC)
New data reveals that the homeownership rate among young adults is significantly lower than previously believed, with less than 25% owning their own home. The newly introduced homeowners-to-population ratio metric suggests that the actual homeownership rate for this demographic is even below the overall figure of 53%. Experts point to the worsening housing affordability crisis as a key factor driving this decline in homeownership among young adults.
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(UPDATED July 21, 2026 18:25 UTC)
A new metric developed by Federal Reserve economist Erik Hembre reveals that less than a quarter of young adults in the United States own their own homes, contrasting sharply with the traditional homeownership rate of about 65 percent. This new homeowners-to-population ratio, or HPOP, suggests that the actual rate is closer to 53 percent, highlighting the significant number of adults living in homes owned by others, such as grown children residing with parents or roommates. The HPOP metric specifically counts US adults aged 18 and up to provide a clearer picture of homeownership trends among young people.