In just 15 years, the average U.S. homebuyer went from 39 to 59 years old: Top analyst reveals how the housing market has warped in one generation | Fortune

"In developed economies, individuals are planning their milestones later in life than the generation before them. Parents are having children later, couples are getting married at older ages, and buying a home is coming further down the tracks as well. While some of these decisions are a matter of personal preference, others are a result of the economic cycle. While 90% of Gen Zers surveyed in a recent report said they want to own a home one day, 79% also said they are being priced out of the market."

"One eye-popping stat summed just how bad things have gotten in the recent past: the average age of the first-time homebuyer was 40 years old in 2025, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). But Apollo chief economist Torsten Slok, one of Wall Street's most influential analysts, put it in perspective on Thursday: the average age of any homebuyer has skyrocketed in the U.S. as well. As observed in a note ( and chart) shared with Fortune today, Slok calculated from the same NAR dataset that the median age of all U.S. homebuyers in 2025 is 59 years old. Just 15 years ago, it was 39 years old."

"Likewise, while 55% of millennials now reportedly own a home, it took them far longer to get a foot on the property ladder. According to Census Bureau Data analyzed in Apartment List's 2025 millennial homeownership report, at age 30, 33% of millennials were homeowners, compared to 42% of Gen X and 48% of baby boomers."

Homeownership and other life milestones are occurring later across developed economies, driven by both personal preferences and economic factors. Gen Z expresses strong desire to own homes but reports widespread pricing-out from the market. Millennial homeownership rose to 55%, yet many achieved ownership later than prior generations; at age 30 only 33% of millennials owned homes versus 42% of Gen X and 48% of baby boomers. The average first-time buyer age reached 40 in 2025, and the median age of all U.S. homebuyers rose sharply to 59 in 2025 from 39 fifteen years earlier, highlighting a growing affordability crisis.

Read at Fortune