A majority of Americans aged 37 and older own their homes, though homeownership rates among residents of the nation’s largest cities tend to be significantly lower, according to recent analyses. While over half of adults nationwide have acquired homes by their early 40s, many urban households continue to rent well into middle age.

California ranks among the most challenging states for younger buyers to achieve homeownership. Data from a nonprofit research organization indicates that more than half of Californians do not own homes until after age 47. In Los Angeles, for instance, only about half of residents aged 45 to 54 are homeowners, a figure substantially below the nearly 70 percent ownership rate seen in the same age group nationwide. This represents a notable decline over the past decade and a half; 14 years ago, close to 58 percent of Los Angeles householders in this age range owned their homes.

The difficulty younger adults face in purchasing homes is particularly pronounced in larger metropolitan areas. Nearly 60 percent of U.S. metropolitan regions have been classified as unaffordable for households under 40, according to findings from a national research center. Experts attribute the affordability crisis as a key factor but also highlight additional influences. Yanling Mayer, a research economist at the Texas Real Estate Research Center, points to social and economic trends such as delayed marriage and family formation as well as the burden of student loan debt as contributing factors to postponed homebuying.

Despite these challenges, ownership rates remain solid for a large portion of Americans in their mid-30s and early 40s. Census data shows that 61 percent of householders aged 35 to 44 reside in owner-occupied homes nationally.

Homeownership rates vary widely across urban areas. Some cities exhibit rates higher than the national average for this age group. For example, in Ogden, Utah, 78 percent of residents aged 35 to 44 own their homes. Other cities with notably high ownership among this cohort include Grand Rapids, Michigan (76 percent), Provo, Utah (76 percent), Des Moines (74 percent), and Minneapolis (73 percent).

Conversely, several major metropolitan areas register comparatively low homeownership rates for those aged 35 to 44. Los Angeles leads this group with just 39 percent homeownership, followed by New York at 45 percent, Urban Honolulu at 46 percent, and San Francisco at 47 percent. Other cities where fewer than half in this age bracket own their homes include San Jose (48 percent), San Diego (48 percent), and Miami (49 percent).

These variations underscore ongoing regional disparities in housing affordability and accessibility, which continue to shape Americans’ ability to become homeowners.