:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-2219784130-41e104c21bde4473b00b509d3995082b.jpg "You Just Turned 35 and Don’t Own a Home Yet? See How US Adults Compare")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/GettyImages-2219784130-41e104c21bde4473b00b509d3995082b.jpg)
Key Takeaways
- The average first-time homebuyer is now 40 years old, up from 38 in 2024 and 35 in 2023.
- The median sales price of houses sold in the U.S. in October 2025 was $440,387, according to Redfin.
- In many metro areas in the U.S., the average age of all homebuyers is around 40 years old, though the median property values across these areas vary widely.
How Old Is the Average Homebuyer in the U.S.?
If you’re 35 years old and don’t own your own home, you’re not alone. According to data released by the National Association of Realtors, the average age of a first-time homebuyer in the U.S. was 40 years old in 2025, up from 38 years old in 2024 and 35 in 2023.
In the 1980s, typical first-time homebuyers were in their late 20s. The average age of first-time homebuyers has risen along with the cost of homeownership. The median sales price of houses sold in the United States in October 2025 was $440,387, according to Redfin. In the fourth quarter of 1985, the median sales price was $86,800.
Note
Adjusted for inflation, the median home sales price increased by about 70% from the fourth quarter of 1985 to September 2025. The 1985 median value ($86,800) would have been worth about $259,362 in 2025, over $181,000 less than the actual median value in 2025 ($440,387).
Only 21% of homebuyers in 2025 were first-time homebuyers—that’s an all-time low.
Even the average age of repeat buyers has gone up, rising to 62 years old in 2025, up from 61 in 2024 and 58 in 2023.
Ages and Incomes of Homebuyers in Major Metro Areas
The average age of homebuyers varies depending on where they are located. Based on 2023 data, the average age in many major metro areas is about 40 years old.
Higher property values do not always correlate with higher average ages for homebuyers. The median property value in Kansas City, for example, is less than half of that in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area. But the average age of homebuyers in Kansas City is 40 years old, compared to 38 years old in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area.
Newark-Jersey City-New York
- Average age: 41 years
- Average household income: $132,600
- Median property value: $610,940
Atlanta-SandySprings-Alpharetta
- Average age: 43 years
- Average household income: $113,510
- Median property value: $426,760
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land
- Average age: 42 years
- Average household income: $98,620
- Median property value: $353,140
Kansas City
- Average age: 40 years
- Average household income: $103,800
- Median property value: $299,300
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
- Average age: 40 years
- Average household income: $113,260
- Median property value: $344,370
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue
- Average age: 38 years old
- Average household income: $150,430
- Median property value: $713,610
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
- Average age: 42 years
- Average household income: $144,260
- Median property value: $926,570
The Bottom Line
The average age of first-time homebuyers is rising. In 2025, the average first-time homebuyer was 40 years old, compared to 38 years old in 2024 and 35 years old in 2023. The average age of repeat homebuyers is rising, too. In 2025, it was 62, compared to 61 in 2024.
At the end of 2025, the median sales price of homes in the U.S. in October 2025 was $440,387, more than five times the median price 40 years earlier in 1985, and still an increase of nearly 70% when adjusted for inflation.
