Here’s Where Penny-Pinching Gen Zers Are Buying Homes

Despite the worst affordability crisis in decades and a national housing shortage, individuals from Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, are purchasing homes. A new report reveals which cities these youngsters are attracted to the most.

LendingTree analyzed mortgage purchase requests across 50 major metro areas in 2022. They found Gen Zers are buying the most homes in affordable cities and avoiding expensive ones.

Key findings from the report show Salt Lake City had the largest share of mortgage purchase requests from Gen Zers at 22.59%.

“Though the average mortgage amount in Salt Lake City is higher than in many of the nation’s other large metros, it’s a hot spot for younger homebuyers, likely owing to — among other factors — its strong jobs market and a good blend of urban and rural amenities,” LendingTree analysts said.

Besides Salt Lake City, inexpensive Oklahoma City and Birmingham, Alabama, were next on the list of the most popular cities youngsters were purchasing homes. Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Nashville, and Kansas City were also popular for Gen Z homebuyers.

The least popular areas for Gen Z homebuyers, and not surprisingly, were San Francisco and New York City. Here’s the complete list:

These findings suggest Gen Z homebuyers are migrating to affordable metro areas. Migration trends are due to high borrowing costs and a lack of affordable housing.