When it comes to gender and homeownership, single women are more likely than single men to own a home in each of the nation’s 50 largest metros.
In the nation’s 50 largest metros, single women own nearly 1.6 million more homes than single men, as nationwide, single women own about 5.2 million homes, while single men own approximately 3.6 million homes. According to LendingTree, there isn’t a single metro among the largest 50 in the U.S. where single men own more homes than single women. The average difference between the share of homes owned by single women compared to single men is 3.7%.
“It’s difficult to pin down what’s behind the gender gap in homeownership rates,” said the LendingTree report. “There is some evidence to suggest that single women prioritize owning a home more than single men do, which could help explain why they’re more likely to buy houses. That being said, the studies and surveys conducted on this topic are far from conclusive and other factors could be at play.”
Tampa, Fla. was the metro with the largest share of single-women homeowners, with 787,384 owner-occupied households, 16.83% of those were owned and occupied by single women and 11.63% by single men, a difference of 5.2%.
In the Cleveland metro area, among the listed 559,157 owner-occupied households, 16.2% were owned and occupied by single women, with single men comprising a share of 11.66%, a gender gap difference of 4.54%.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Buffalo, N.Y. market saw the largest share of homes owned by single men. Of 314,126 owner-occupied households in Buffalo, N.Y., 12.2% were owned and occupied by men, while 15.93% were owned and occupied by women, a difference of 3.73%.
The metro Boston region had the largest gap in homeownership rates among single women and men at 5.87%. Of Boston’s 1,130,182 owner-occupied homes, 13.54% of that share was for single women and 7.68% by single men, a difference of approximately 66,300 homes or 5.86%.
The Las Vegas metro has the smallest gap in homeownership rates among single women and men of just 0.45%. Single women still led the charge with a 12.36% share of the region’s 421,252 owner-occupied households, while single men accounted for an 11.91% share, a difference of approximately 1,900 homes total.
Click here for more data on LendingTree’s gender and homeownership study.