Study: Single Women Own More Homes Than Single Men In 47 States

Single women are more likely than single men to own a home in 47 of the 50 states, according to a new analysis of housing data by LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE).

Single women own 10.95 million homes, according to the new analysis, while single men own 8.24 million. LendingTree observed the data means single women own an average of 12.93% of the owner-occupied homes across the 50 states, versus 10.22% among single men.

Delaware has the highest share of homes owned by single women, followed by Louisiana and Mississippi. Alaska, North Dakota and South Dakota are the only states where single men own a higher share of homes than single women.

“Surprising as it might initially seem, the data is clear, women who live by themselves are more likely to be homeowners than men who do the same in almost all of the nation’s 50 states,” said LendingTree’s Senior Economist Jacob Channel. “While some may attribute the higher homeownership rate among single women solely to things like divorce, it is important to keep in mind that the reasons why women are more likely to own homes than men are various and complex. Moreover, women’s higher homeownership rates do not discount other, oftentimes disproportionate, economic struggles that women face.”