Single women outpace single men as homeowners despite earning less

Independent females are winning the housing game.

In most of the country, single women are outpacing men when it comes to homeownership, despite females only making 80% of what the average male does, according to a LendingTree report.

About 22% of homes across the country are owned by single women, compared to less than 13% for single men. On average, independent women own over 70,000 more homes than independent men.

Single homeownership

In all of the nation's 50 largest metropolitan areas, single women own more houses than single men do, with New Orleans leading cities with the largest share of single women who own and occupy households.

Following New Orleans, where over 27% of homes are owned by single females, Miami and Birmingham, Ala., also have high percentages of independent women owning and occupying homes, with shares of 26.8% and 25.4%, respectively.

Single males owned the greatest share of properties in Oklahoma City, though their cut was still fewer than single female homeowners in the area. In Oklahoma City, single men owned 16% of homes, compared to single women's share of 24%.

Of the nation's top cities, Miami saw the largest gender gap between single female and single male homeowners, which was a 12.59 percentage point difference. Of the 1.25 million owner-occupied households in the 305, single men own 14.22%.

Single males own the fewest shares of homes in Dallas.

The LendingTree report was based on an analysis of the Census Bureau's 2017 American Community Survey, with single homeowners being defined as single females or males living in owner-occupied houses.

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Housing markets Purchase Real estate Census Bureau
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