Single Women Dominating Homeownership

Lending Tree reported that single women own more than 1.5 million more homes than single men in America’s 50 largest metros. 

In total, single women own about 5.1 million homes, compared to the 3.5 million homes owned by men. 

The report also states that there is not a single metro in the U.S. where single men own more homes than single women. The average difference between the share of homes is 3.9%. 

Tampa, Florida, has the highest single-women homeownership rate at 16.4%, compared to 11.5% of homes owned by single men. Tampa has a total of 795,561 owner-occupied households. 

Close behind Tampa is Las Vegas, which has a single-women homeownership rate of 16.1%. Las Vegas also has the smallest gap in homeownership rates among single women and men. The gap in Las Vegas was only 1.2%, although single women still owned over 5,000 more homes than single men in the area. 

Other metros where single-women dominated homeownership include Buffalo, New York; Richmond, Virginia; Cleveland; Miami; Pittsburgh; Detroit; Memphis, Tennessee; and Birmingham, Alabama. 

Tampa not only has the highest share of single women owning homes, but it also has the highest share of single-men homeowners. The Floridian market has a homeownership rate of single-men of 11.5%. 

Salt Lake City, Utah, has the lowest share of homes owned by single women at just 9%. San Jose, California, was a close second at just 9.2%. 

Pittsburgh has a single-men homeownership rate of 11.4% and Detroit has a single-men homeownership rate of 11.4%. 

Markets where single-men have a higher homeownership rate include Birmingham; Las Vegas; New Orleans; Cleveland; Louisville, Kentucky; Miami; and Buffalo, New York. 

While this report shows single women own more homes, a recent study from the Yale School of Management found, of more than 50 million housing transactions, single women were buying homes for 2% more than single men, but selling them for 2% less. 

“Women are losing about $1,370 per year relative to men because they tend to buy the same house at a higher price and sell for a lower price,” said Kelly Shue, a finance professor at the Yale School of Management, during a podcast with NPR.

“Gender differences in upgrade rates, preferences for housing characteristics, and listing agents appear to be less important factors. The gender gap varies with market tightness and demographic characteristics, but remains large in regions with high average education, income, and house price levels,” Shue says in the report.