Short answer. The median age of U.S. homebuyers has risen from 31 in 1981 to 49 in 2024 — an 18-year increase. The median first-time buyer is now 38, up from 28 in 1981.
The National Association of Realtors' Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers has tracked buyer demographics since 1981. The shift in age distribution is one of the most dramatic in the survey's history.
Median buyer age over time
- 1981: 31 years old (all buyers)
- 1990: 35
- 2000: 36
- 2010: 39
- 2020: 47
- 2024: 49 (all-time high)
First-time buyer age
- 1981: 28
- 2000: 32
- 2010: 30
- 2024: 38 (all-time high)
Why ages have risen
Three structural factors. First, affordability has stretched dramatically — first-time buyers in 2024 needed median household income of approximately $100K to qualify for a median-priced home, vs. $25K in 1981 (in nominal terms; inflation-adjusted, the relative burden is roughly 60% higher). Second, student-loan burdens average $30,000+ for buyers under 40, delaying down-payment accumulation. Third, marriage and household formation have shifted later in life across all U.S. demographic groups.
The implication
The aging buyer demographic means home equity is increasingly concentrated in older households. By 2024, U.S. homeowners over age 65 held approximately $14T in home equity — more than half of all U.S. residential equity. The wealth implications for younger generations are substantial.
Sources
U.S. Census Bureau Survey of Construction; National Association of Realtors Existing Home Sales report; Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey; National Bureau of Economic Research Business Cycle Dating Committee.