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Despite the persistent gender pay gap, single women are securing homeownership at significantly higher rates than their male counterparts.
That’s according to a new LendingTree analysis of US Census Bureau data, which found that single women own about 2.72 million more homes than single men, bucking traditional financial trends.
It’s no secret that women in the US typically earn less than men. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women’s median weekly earnings amount to just 83.6% of men’s.
But when it comes to homeownership, the tables have turned.
In 47 out of 50 states, single women who live alone are more likely to own a home than their single male counterparts.
Nationwide, single women own 11.14 million homes, while single men own only 8.42 million. That means single women control 13.01% of owner-occupied homes, compared to 9.83% for single men. This gendered homeownership gap is also growing.
In 2022, the difference stood at 2.71 million homes. By 2023, the gap expanded by nearly 15,000 more homes in favor of women.
New Mexico, Mississippi and West Virginia boast the highest rates of single-women homeowners.
In these states, women living alone own between 14.73% and 15.26% of owner-occupied homes — significantly outpacing men. Meanwhile, Delaware and Connecticut have the most pronounced gender gaps in homeownership, with women outpacing men by more than 5 percentage points in each state.
Conversely, men have a rare advantage in just three states — North Dakota, South Dakota and Alaska — where they hold a slight edge in homeownership rates.
How have single women managed to outpace men in homeownership despite earning less? The answer isn’t simple, but a few key factors are at play.
Experts suggest that women are more willing to make financial sacrifices to become homeowners.
Additionally, millennial women in certain cities — such as Allentown, Pennsylvania and Portland, Maine — actually out-earn their male counterparts, helping them afford homeownership. But age also plays a role. Women tend to live longer than men, meaning many single female homeowners are widows who either inherited their homes or purchased new ones after the death of a spouse.
LendingTree’s Chief Credit Analyst, Matt Schulz, summed up the findings: “It’s pretty eye-opening that 3 million more single women than single men own a home. Given the unique economic headwinds that women in this country face, including earning less than men on average, that is no small feat. I believe it speaks to the sacrifices that many women are willing to make in order to make a better financial life.”
Schulz also noted that women simply have other priorities.
“Some of it could simply come down to the fact that single women are more willing than single men to prioritize homeownership. Buying a house generally isn’t something you do on a whim. It’s a process you have to commit to,” Shulz told The Post.
While single women are leading in homeownership, that doesn’t necessarily translate to greater financial security.
The study shows that women still face long-term economic struggles at higher rates than men, particularly after divorce.
And while some might assume that higher homeownership rates mean women financially benefit from divorce settlements, research suggests the opposite — many women experience a significant financial decline post-divorce.