One in five millennials think they’ll never own a home

by Emily Marek

Eighteen percent of millennials — approximately one in five — believe they will never become a homeowner, according to a recent survey from Redfin. Twelve percent of Gen Zers responded the same way.

via Redfin

Roughly half of all millennial and Gen Z respondents said high housing prices are their biggest roadblock to homeownership, followed by several other affordability-related factors.

Saving for a down payment was a barrier for 46% of millennials and 33% of Gen Z respondents. Over a third of both generations also say high mortgage rates presented a huge financial roadblock. Furthermore, 21% of Gen Zers and 16% of millennials say they’d need to pay off their student loans before purchasing a home.

“The worsening housing affordability crisis has an outsized impact on Gen Zers and millennials because they’re much less likely to own a home than older generations,” said Redin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather. “That means many young Americans don’t benefit from rising home prices by gaining equity. Instead, these would-be first-time homebuyers bear the burden of high prices, high down payments and high monthly mortgage payments, without profits from a previous home to offset the cost.

“Many young people don’t have a choice between renting and buying,” Fairweather continued. “They’re renting because even though rent payments have increased too, it’s still more affordable than buying in much of the country — and renters don’t need a down payment.”

Only 26% of Gen Z adults own a home, while roughly half of millennials own a home. By comparison, 71% of Gen Xers and 79% of baby boomers own their home.

Among millennials and Gen Z respondents who do plan on purchasing a home in the near future, 40% said they’ve picked up a second job in order to pay for their down payment. A smaller proportion of respondents — roughly a quarter — said they planned on receiving a cash gift from family to assist with a down payment or planned on using an inheritance.

Read More Related to This Post

Join the conversation

Dallas-Fort Worth 2026 Agents' Choice Awards test survey

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Rookie of the Year
Best Agent Website
Best Brokerage Website
Best Dressed
Charitable Service Award
Social Media Influencer of the Year, Agent
Best Team
Managing Broker of the Year
Industry MVP
Loan Officer of the Year
Lender of the Year
Social Media Influencer of the Year, Lender