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One national housing trend has been the decline in homeownership among younger adults. Weak affordability conditions have made it harder for many households under 35 to transition from renting to owning.

However, that national picture doesn’t tell the whole story.

When you look more closely at the data, you start to see some markets across the country where younger households are becoming homeowners — even as the broader trend points in the opposite direction.

In 2024, the overall number of homeowners under age 35 declined across many U.S. metro areas, falling by about 146,400 nationwide. But many markets stood out by posting net gains in young owner households compared with the year before. These metros are, in effect, defying the national pattern.

Leading the list was Dallas–Fort Worth, which added just over 6,000 owner households under age 35 in a single year. Other notable markets included Cleveland, Little Rock, Baton Rouge, Akron, and Oklahoma City, each adding roughly 4,000 to 5,500 young homeowners. Markets like Charleston, Tampa, Evansville, and Charlotte also saw meaningful increases.

What do these markets have in common? While no two are identical, many combine relatively better housing affordability, steady job growth, and housing supply that still allows younger buyers to find an entry point. In these areas, affordability challenges still exist— but they haven’t fully closed the door on ownership either.

For REALTORS®, these patterns matter. Markets adding younger homeowners today are quietly rebuilding their buyer pipelines. These households may not be large sellers yet, but over time, they become repeat buyers, move-up owners, and future listings. In contrast, markets losing young owners may see demand increasingly concentrated among older households, with fewer first-time buyers entering the system.

The takeaway isn’t that the affordability challenge is solved in some areas. It’s where young households live that still matters enormously. Even as affordability remains under pressure, some markets are creating pathways into homeownership — and those pathways will shape local housing dynamics for years to come.

As January focuses on understanding the people behind the housing market, this is a reminder that national trends set the backdrop, but local conditions determine who actually gets through the door.