The Homeownership Gender Gap: Single Women Own More Homes Than Single Men

(1/31/25) It’s no secret that women typically lag behind men in pay. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank, as of March 2024, women were paid 84 cents for every dollar a man made, a gender wage-gap that spans all professions.  

But there’s one key area where women fare better than men: homeownership.

According to a LendingTree analysis released in January 2025, single women who live by themselves are more likely than single men who live by themselves to own a home in 47 out of 50 states. The study found that across the nation, single women own about 2.72 million more homes than single men. Single women own 13.01% of owner-occupied homes, while single men own 9.83%.

"It's pretty eye-opening that 3 million more single women than single men own a home,” said Matt Schulz, LendingTree’s chief credit analyst. “Given the unique economic headwinds that women in this country face, including earning less than men on average, that is no small feat.”  

According to LendingTree, the states with the largest share of single-women homeowners are New Mexico, Mississippi, West Virginia, Louisiana and South Carolina. Florida ranks sixth.

"It is unclear exactly why Florida ranks so high,” said Schulz. “The number of retirees in Florida could play a role here. After all, women are far more likely than men to outlive their partners. The single women in our report include widows, and there are likely many in Florida who now own a house that they once shared with their late partner or have bought a new, smaller house since their partner passed."

The states with the largest share of single-men homeowners are North Dakota, South Dakota and Alaska.