While single female1 buyers accounted for the second-largest segment of the homebuyers at 17%2, right after married couples, the National Association of REALTORS® identified the metro areas with the highest homeownership rates for single women.

The American Community Survey3 provides estimates for numerous social, economic, and housing characteristics at the metropolitan area level. After taking a closer look at the demographics of homeowners for the 100 largest metro areas in 2018, here are the areas with the highest homeownership rates for single women4:

The median age of today’s single female home buyer is 54, and most of the areas with the highest homeownership rates of single women are located in Florida, the most popular destination in the U.S. for retirees.

Comparing homeownership by gender, single women own more homes than single men do; nearly 2.4 million more in 2018. While single women have a higher homeownership rate, they also purchase more expensive homes than men. As the data shows, single women buy homes for an average of 6% more than their single male counterparts. According to the NAR’s Profile of Homebuyers and Sellers, the median price of homes purchased by single women was $200,450 compared to $189,920 for single men.

Here are the top 10 metro areas with the highest gap of homeownership rate between single women and men:

Hover over the map to see the homeownership rate for single women/men, their age and the median home value of their homes.

1 Single female owners are non-family households living/not living alone female

2 2019 NAR Homebuyers and Sellers Survey

3 2018 1-year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files; American Community Survey

4 The homeownership rate is the proportion of households that is owner-occupied. It is computed by dividing the number of single female/male households that are occupied by owners by the total number of Single female/male households.

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