Gen Z home ownership ticked up in 2025
Generation Z’s (Gen Z), individuals born between 1997 and 2012, home ownership rate rose in 2025. According to a Redfin analysis of the Current Population Survey’s Annual Social and Economic Supplement, more than 27.1% of Gen Z individuals nationwide owned their homes, up from 26.1% in 2024. The Gen Z home ownership rate’s increase allows builders to tap into a fresh clientele.
While affordability improved slightly in 2025 from the year before and supply rose, high costs and economic uncertainty continued to act as a roadblock for clients looking into homebuying. Widespread economic uncertainty also put a dent in homebuying plans for many young Americans, with tariffs and lack of job security delaying major purchases.
“The reality is that with housing costs still historically high, many young Americans are making compromises on location, size or timing to get their foot in the homeownership door and start building equity,” said Asad Khan, a senior economist at Redfin. “Gen Zers… are making small gains in homeownership because they’re eager to buy, they’re making sacrifices, and because affordability has improved a bit at the margins–not because homes suddenly became affordable. We expect the slow progress to continue this year, with housing costs dipping slightly while wages rise.”
