Single women continue to own more homes than single men do, according to new figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The gap between the two genders is, in fact, fairly wide: with 58% of single women owning a home, compared with just 42% of single men.
But the pattern, which demographers have tracked now for more than two decades, is seeing an increase in single male homeownership, with that 42% representing a gain over the 36% reported in the year 2000.
According to a post written by Richard Fry, a senior researcher with the Pew Research Center, the single woman homeownership majority comes with an age factor: some 70% of single women homeowners are 65 years or age or older.
Meanwhile, only 44% of single women in the category of 35 to 44 years of age own a home.
In that 65 years of age or older segment, there were some 6 million more single women homeowners than single men.
Ironically, according to the Pew Research Center, these homeownership patterns have occurred at the same time that single men have continued to make more money than single women by a nearly $62,000 to $49,400 margin.
The Census Bureau figures also showed that New Mexico has the fifth largest share of single-women homeowners in the country, following Louisiana, Alabama, South Carolina, and Florida.
There were more men single homeowners in the West. While New Mexico was once again in fifth place, North Dakota, Wyoming, and South Dakota led the way.
In fact, both South Dakota and North Dakota are currently the only states in the country where single men own a higher share of homes than single women.
While the overall numbers continue to show a single woman ownership edge, notes researcher Fry, the pattern may be reflective of life expectancy: “Women tend to live longer than men, but the gap has narrowed over time.”
Earlier this year a post published by the National Association of Realtors pointed out the historical nature of single women homeownership: “Women have been second only to married couples in the home-buying market since NAR started data collection in 1981.”
The post continued: “This statistic is striking because up until 1974, women were legally prohibited from obtaining a mortgage without a co-signer.”
By Garry Boulard
