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Key Takeaways
- New annual data show the typical homebuyer now earns $109,000, extending a steady rise in median income over the past four years.
- The biggest group of buyers falls in the $100,000–$199,999 range, with first-time buyers reporting a $94,400 median income and repeat buyers at $111,700.
- Married couples make up over 60% of all buyers, and single female buyers outnumbered both single males and unmarried couples.
The Four-Year Rise in Typical Homebuyer Income
New annual data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), covering homebuyers from July 2024 through June 2025, show the typical buyer now earns a median household income of $109,000. The figure continues a steady rise over the past four years. In NAR’s 2022 report, the median income was $88,000, climbing to $107,000 in 2023 and $108,800 in 2024 before reaching this year’s level.
The consistent increase reflects the types of households successfully purchasing homes in a period marked by elevated prices and mortgage rates. While each year’s increase is modest, the four-year trend highlights how incomes among successful buyers have moved higher over time.
Why This Matters to You
Knowing who’s buying—and with what incomes—offers useful context as you gauge your own readiness to enter the market. These patterns highlight the financial realities shaping today’s buyer pool.
Income Profiles of Today’s Buyers
NAR’s latest report provides a detailed look at how buyer incomes are distributed across the market. Among all buyers, 38% fall in the $100,000–$199,999 range, making it the most common income group in this year’s survey. Another 18% earn $200,000 or more, while 16% earn less than $55,000, with the rest spread across the middle ranges.
The report also breaks out median incomes by buyer type, offering a clearer sense of who is entering the market today. First-time buyers reported a median household income of $94,400, while repeat buyers reported a median of $111,700. The overall median of $109,000 reflects both groups together.
Taken together, the figures show a market that includes a wide range of incomes, from households entering homeownership for the first time with an income below $55,000 to buyers returning with earnings above $200,000.
| Income Ranges for First-Time and Repeat Buyers, 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Income Range | All Buyers | First-Time Buyers | Repeat Buyers |
| Less than $55,000 | 16% | 21% | 16% |
| $55,000 to $74,999 | 13% | 17% | 12% |
| $75,000 to $99,999 | 15% | 15% | 15% |
| $100,000 to $199,999 | 38% | 38% | 38% |
| $200,000 or more | 18% | 10% | 20% |
| Median income | $109,000 | $94,400 | $111,700 |
The Household Types That Are Buying Today
Beyond income, the NAR report outlines the household types represented in this year’s buyer pool. Married couples made up the largest share of all buyers at 61%, followed by single female buyers at 21%. Single male buyers accounted for 9%, while 6% were unmarried couples.
Among first-time buyers, the mix looks different. Married couples made up 50% of first-time purchasers, while single female buyers represented 25%. But unmarried couples outnumbered single male first-time buyers, at 11% vs. 10%.
| Household Makeup of All Buyers vs. First-Time Buyers | ||
|---|---|---|
| Household type | All buyers | First-time buyers |
| Married couple | 61% | 50% |
| Single female | 21% | 25% |
| Single male | 9% | 10% |
| Unmarried couple | 6% | 11% |
| Other | 3% | 4% |
This year’s report also shows that 24% of buyers had children under 18 living at home. That’s down from 27% last year and far below the 58% reported in 1985, reflecting a long-term shift in the makeup of homebuying households.
