Where is homeownership most accessible for young people?

The 25 metros with the most young homeowners

10 metros where young homeownership is most accessible

While one Western and two Southern metro areas are represented on the top 10 list, seven of the 10 most accessible metros for young homeowners are in the Midwest. But why is it easier for young people to buy homes there and not elsewhere?

“When it comes to young homeowners specifically, affordability is easily the most influential factor,” said Harrison Stevens, the vice president of marketing at TurboTenant. “Young homeowners today are not just faced with higher housing prices than ever before, but also more student loan debt, a higher cost of living in general and salaries that hold far less weight.” 

Even if they might want to live elsewhere, young homebuyers “are often left with choosing areas, like the Midwest, where houses are more affordable,” Stevens said.

The Midwest also has what Jacob Naig, a real estate agent and investor, calls “psychological affordability.” (Naig is based in Des Moines, Iowa, which is ranked the sixth-most accessible metro area for homebuyers under 35.)

“Young people (in the Midwest) don’t feel as though they’re stretching each dime, and they don’t feel as if they’re falling behind,” Naig said. “They can own a house, rehabilitate it and perhaps even make an investment in a second property within five years. That sort of momentum is hard to find in larger metros.”

Read on to learn more about each of the top-ranked metros for young homebuyers.

1. Omaha, Nebraska

The Omaha, Nebraska/Council Bluffs, Iowa, metropolitan area tops our ranking for young adults’ greatest access to homeownership. Over 18% of Omahans under age 35 own their homes (the ninth-highest young homeownership rate in the country). That percentage is more than four points above the national average, representing more than 31,000 residents of this region.

Even more noteworthy: Adults under 35 in Omaha take out more than 62% of all home purchase loans in the metro area — the highest rate in the country.

Interestingly, homeownership among this age bracket has actually fallen slightly in recent years — about 0.6% from 2019 to 2023. It could be a symptom of its hot housing market: Homes in Omaha spent a median of just 10 days on the market in early 2025. That was less than half the national median of 21 days.

Omaha boasts these key metrics:

• Homeownership rate of people under 35: 18.2% (ninth highest)
• Share of home purchase loans taken out by buyers under 35: 62.4% (highest)

2. Provo, Utah

The Provo-Orem area ranks second overall for young people’s access to homeownership. The metro has the highest homeownership rate of people under 35 of any of the cities we compared: 24.4%, or nearly 1 in 4 adults under age 35 in the Provo area, own a home. That’s more than 10 points higher than the national average (14.1%).

It would be difficult to contextualize these figures without acknowledging the impact of religion on Provo’s landscape (specifically, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). In 2020, approximately 83% of residents of Utah County — of which Provo is the county seat — identified as church members. “Honestly, in Provo, you feel the impact of the LDS community in daily life. People get married and start families earlier, which puts buying a home on their minds young,” said Andrew Fortune, founder of Great Colorado Homes, who has family near the Provo area.

Interestingly, despite median home sale prices exceeding $526,000, the area ranks relatively low in its share of homebuyers under age 35 taking on home loans. Some young homebuyers who are church members get homebuying help from their families so they can settle nearby, said Fortune. Church teachings discouraging debt may also translate to fewer members taking out mortgages. Regardless of faith, first-time homebuyers may be eligible for the City of Provo’s generous down payment assistance programs, which offer loans of up to $60,000 with 0% interest and deferred payment.

Check out these key metrics:

• Homeownership rate of people under 35: 24.4% (highest)
• Share of home purchase loans taken out by buyers under 35: 47.7% (26th highest)

3. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

The Oklahoma City area ranks third overall, with impressive numbers in both key factors in our methodology. Nearly 19% of OKC residents under age 35 own a home: That’s the fifth-highest homeownership rate for young adults of all the cities we analyzed.

The metro ranks even higher for the share of home loans taken out by young buyers. Nearly 60% of home purchase loans — or almost 3 in 5 — in Oklahoma City are taken out by homebuyers under age 35. (That’s the second-largest share of all the cities in our analysis.)

It may help that median home prices in the Oklahoma City area are among the lowest for a major U.S. metro. In June 2025, the median home sale price there was $248,526; that’s about 35% below the median home sale price of all the metros we analyzed.

Consider these key metrics:

• Homeownership rate of people under 35: 18.7% (fifth highest)
• Share of home purchase loans taken out by buyers under 35: 59.8% (second highest)

4. Tulsa, Oklahoma

Oklahoma has not one but two cities that rank high for young adults’ access to homeownership: Right behind the third-ranked Oklahoma City area is the Tulsa, Oklahoma, metro, ranked fourth best overall.

As in Oklahoma City, adults under 35 in Tulsa take out nearly 60% of all home loans. Tulsa also has a sizable population of young homeowners: Nearly 18% of Tulsa residents under 35 own their homes.

Note these key metrics:

• Homeownership rate of people under 35: 17.8% (11th highest)
• Share of home purchase loans taken out by buyers under 35: 59.6% (fourth highest)

5. Grand Rapids, Michigan

In the Grand Rapids-Kentwood area, more than 21% of adults under age 35 are homeowners. That homeownership rate is seven points higher than the national average for young adults, and it’s the second-highest rate of all the areas we compared. Nearly half of all homebuying loans in the metro are taken out by people under 35, which puts it in the top 20 metros for that metric.

If you’ve aged out of the “young homebuyers” designation but are still new to the housing market, Grand Rapids might be a great fit. We found that its affordable housing, above-average home value appreciation and strong quality of life make the city an excellent option for first-time homebuyers of all ages.

Key metrics for Grand Rapids:

• Homeownership rate of people under 35: 21.1% (second highest)
• Share of home purchase loans taken out by buyers under 35: 49.5% (18th highest)

6. Des Moines, Iowa

The Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area earned a spot in the top 10 with a high rate of homeownership among young people. Nearly 1 in 5 residents under age 35 own their home: That’s the fourth-highest rate of all the metros we compared, and nearly six points higher than the nationwide average.

As housing continues to be a hot topic for the metro area, the Des Moines City Council is taking steps to lay a strong foundation to support affordable, quality housing. In July 2025, the City Council unanimously voted to accept its first-ever citywide housing strategy, which includes key investments in neighborhood improvement, down payment assistance and the growth of the Central Iowa Community Land Trust.

Check out these key metrics:

• Homeownership rate of people under 35: 19.8% (fourth highest)
• Share of home purchase loans taken out by buyers under 35: 51.6% (14th highest)

7. Wichita, Kansas

Wichita, Kansas, ranks as the seventh-most accessible metro in the U.S. for young homebuyers. More than 18% of adults under 35 in Kansas’s most populous city own their own homes. Adults under 35 make up almost 53% of all homebuying loans in Wichita, the 10th-largest share of all the metros we compared.

Despite the nickname of Cowtown, Wichita has plenty for young adults to do. There’s a significant millennial population: More than a quarter of Greater Wichita is 25 to 44, and the median age is 35.6 — that’s three-and-a-half years younger than the national median age of 39.1.

Consider these key metrics:

• Homeownership rate of people under 35: 18.4% (sixth highest)
• Share of home purchase loans taken out by buyers under 35: 52.8% (10th highest)

8. Cincinnati, Ohio

Young homebuyers are flocking to Cincinnati, and it’s not just to try out the famously polarizing chili (flavored with cinnamon and often served over spaghetti, if you’re unfamiliar). The metro is home to more than 69,000 homeowners under age 35. That’s more than 1 in 6 young adults in the Cincinnati area who own a home. And in recent years, that share has only grown: From 2019 to 2023, the homeownership rate among young adults increased by nearly 15% — the largest increase among our top-ranked metros.

Cincinnati also ranks high for young buyers’ share of home loans. Nearly 55% of home purchase loans in the metro area are taken out by adults under 35 — the seventh-highest rate in the nation.

Note these key metrics:

• Homeownership rate of people under 35: 17% (14th highest)
• Share of home purchase loans taken out by buyers under 35: 54.7% (seventh highest)

9. Minneapolis, Minnesota

Nearly 119,000 homeowners under age 35 live in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro area — the fifth-largest population of all the cities we examined. About 16.5% of young adults own their homes.

While young adults in this metro have higher median incomes than anywhere else in the top 10 ($82,637 for adults under 44), they also frequently take out loans to buy a home. Nearly 55% of all home loans in the Minneapolis metro area are taken out by adults under 35.

Minneapolis has the following key metrics:

• Homeownership rate of people under 35: 16.5% (19th highest)
• Share of home purchase loans taken out by buyers under 35: 54.6% (eighth highest)

10. Akron, Ohio

Rounding out the top 10 metros for young adult homeownership is Akron, Ohio. Interestingly, the metro only ranks a hair above the national average for the share of young adults who own their homes. Akron earned its place in the top 10 because young homebuyers dominate the mortgage scene: Nearly 60% of all home purchase loans in the area are taken out by adults under 35.

In a boon for young and mature homebuyers alike, Akron offers some of the most affordable homes of any metro area in the country. The median home sale price was just $221,507 as of June 2025, the second lowest of all metros we researched. Households in the Rubber City need just $83,336 in annual income to afford a home, a third less than what’s needed nationally.

Consider these key metrics:

• Homeownership rate of people under 35: 14.2% (51st highest)
• Share of home purchase loans taken out by buyers under 35: 59.6% (third highest)

Metros where young homeownership is least accessible

Unfortunately, young homebuyers face significant obstacles to ownership in many major metropolitan areas. The least accessible is the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida, metro, where people under 35 make up just 8.5% of all homeowners.

The following metros are the least accessible for young homeowners:

1. North Port, Florida
2. West Palm Beach, Florida
3. San Francisco, California
4. Los Angeles, California
5. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
6. Honolulu, Hawaii
7. Anaheim, California
8. Miami, Florida
9. Oxnard, California
10. Cape Coral, Florida

Why aren’t young people buying homes in certain areas?

Notably, all 10 of the least accessible metros for young homeowners are in Florida, California or Hawaii. Florida’s significant snowbird and retiree population may partially explain why the Sunshine State is so heavily represented in the bottom ranks. But the rising cost of home insurance has also made homeownership less affordable as residents of these states grapple with climate disasters like hurricanes, floods, fires and earthquakes, which are increasingly frequent — and increasingly devastating.

But why else are young homeownership rates so low in these states?

“(It’s) not so much about desire as it is around structural exclusion,” said Naig, the real estate agent in Iowa. “All three of these states are grappling with a triple threat of affordability: sky-high land and home prices, stagnation in wages compared to the cost of living and a tight supply of starter homes, thanks to zoning laws and investors competing for them.”

Moving to bring homeownership within reach

Take the Continis, a married couple in their early 30s who left the San Francisco Bay Area — one of the least accessible parts of the country for young buyers — to pursue homeownership and a career change. (They’re now settled in Columbus, Ohio, ranked 13th best for young homebuyers.)

“The accessibility of the housing here (in Columbus) enabled me to become a homeowner while pursuing my Ph.D.,” said Nick Contini, a doctoral student at Ohio State University. “One of us would have had to make triple what we made in the Bay Area for this to be feasible there,” added his wife, Mary, an administrator at a local immigration law firm.

How does your metro compare for young homeownership?

Where does your city fall in terms of accessibility to young homebuyers? Check out the full data below:

Methodology

The ConsumerAffairs Research Team analyzed data from 100 of the most populous U.S. metro areas to identify the most accessible places for young homeowners.

Our analysis focused on two key indicators, each weighed equally:

• The homeownership rate for individuals under age 35, using the latest available data from the U.S. Census Bureau (2022)
• The share of home purchase loans taken out by applicants under 35, based on 2023 data from the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC)

Each metro was scored for each metric, with a maximum point total of 50 given to the metro with the highest percentage and other metros receiving relative scores. The two scores were added together to give each metro a total score out of 100.

To provide additional context, we also gathered the following supplemental data:

• Median home sale prices as of June 2025 (Zillow)
• Median household income for owners and renters under 44 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023)
• Change in homeownership rate for individuals under 35 from 2019 to 2023 (U.S. Census Bureau)

These supplemental data points were not factored into our rankings but were included to help frame the broader affordability landscape for young buyers.

Reference policy

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Questions?

For questions about the data or if you'd like to set up an interview, please contact rsowell@consumeraffairs.com.