It’s the archetypal American Dream: a little house with a picket fence of your very own—or at least, a house of some kind with the deed in your name. In truth, this dream has always been out of reach for many Americans. But rising costs, student debt, and high mortgage rates have made it increasingly difficult for many young people to purchase homes of their own.

That doesn’t mean that no Americans are buying homes, however. It does mean that housing market costs are determining where many of them end up living.

A 2026 analysis by Visual Capitalist crunched data from Evernest via ConsumerAffairs and ranked all the U.S. states by the percentage of residents under 35 who own homes there. Unsurprisingly, states with lower home prices relative to incomes are more likely to be home to young people with mortgages. 

The States Where the Most Young People Own Homes

Coming in at the top was Minnesota, where 50.8% of adults under 35 own homes. This figure is likely bolstered by a relatively low average home cost of $323,437 and a high average income (for people between 25 and 44) of $94,870. Following that was West Virginia, where 49.9% of people under 35 own homes. The state has a lower-than-average home cost of $158,255 per home, and an average income of $64,760.

Michigan, Mississippi, and Alabama all have homeownership rates for young people that fall around 49%. Overall, states in the Midwest and South had by far the highest percentages of young homeowners, and most had relatively low housing costs.

See the states with the highest percentage of young people who own homes below:

The Coasts Are the Costliest

At the bottom of the pile was Hawaii, where just 24.5% of young people owned homes and the average home cost a whopping $829,941. New York and California were close behind, with 27.5% and 27.8% of young people owning homes there, respectively. The average cost of a home in New York was $462,697, just over half of the average home cost in Hawaii. 

Other coastal states like Washington and Oregon also had low percentages of young people who owned homes. Not every state in the bottom 10 was coastal, though; Texas and North Dakota also made the list. Of course, some of these figures may have to do with certain states having far larger numbers of young people than others, among other factors.

Check out the bottom 10 states below:

You’re Not Imagining It: It’s Way Harder to Own a Home Than It Used to Be

Data has increasingly shown that it has become more challenging for young people—and all people—to own homes. In 1985, per Visual Capitalist, the average household income was $23,620, but the average home cost just $82,800.

In 2025, the average income was $83,730, but the average home cost $426,800. Prices soared sharply following the pandemic, with the average income rising from $68,400 to $83,730 but the average house cost soaring from $329,000 to $426,800.