Nationwide, single women own about 22 percent of homes, which far outpaces single men, who own less than 13 percent, according to a new study by online marketplace LendingTree. More single women are homeowners than single men in all 50 of the largest metros as well, even though women tend to earn 80 percent of the average man’s income, the study shows. But do the genders tend to gravitate toward certain areas of the country?
Analyzing data from the 2017 American Community Survey, researchers at LendingTree found that New Orleans is the metro with the highest share of single female homeowners, at 27 percent. That’s nearly double the 15 percent share of single male homeowners in the Big Easy. On the other hand, Oklahoma City is the metro area with the highest share of single male homeowners, at 16 percent. But that still falls shy of the 24 percent share of single female homeowners in the city. The following chart shows the housing markets with the highest number of single female homeowners.
This chart shows the housing markets with the most single male homeowners:
Source:
“A Different Kind of Gender Gap: Homeownership Is More Common Among Single Women Than Single Men,” LendingTree (Dec. 11, 2018)