Mapped: Where Millennials Own vs. Rent in America

Where Are Millennials Buying Homes or Renting?

For millennials, the likelihood of owning a home varies dramatically depending on where they live. In some U.S. metro areas, roughly seven in 10 millennial households own their homes. In others, nearly seven in 10 rent.

This visualization maps the U.S. metro areas where millennials are most likely to own or rent, using data from IPUMS USA and the University of Minnesota’s harmonized 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-Year microdata.

The analysis covers 108 U.S. metro areas with at least 50,000 millennial households, comparing ownership and rental rates rather than the total number of homeowners or renters.

Utah and the Midwest Lead in Millennial Homeownership

Utah claims the top two spots for millennial homeownership. In Provo, 71.0% of millennial households own their homes, followed by nearby Ogden at 68.9%. Grand Rapids, Michigan, ranks third at 68.1%.

Rank	Metro area	State	Millennial households that own (2024)
1	Provo	UT	71.0%
2	Ogden	UT	68.9%
3	Grand Rapids	MI	68.1%
4	Lancaster	PA	65.5%
5	Minneapolis	MN	65.3%
6	Boise City	ID	63.8%
7	Palm Bay	FL	63.8%
8	Des Moines	IA	63.5%
9	Pittsburgh	PA	63.4%
10	Omaha	NE	63.1%
11	Winston-Salem	NC	63.1%
12	St. Louis	MO	62.9%
13	Akron	OH	62.6%
14	Deltona	FL	62.3%
15	Greenville	SC	62.2%
16	Charleston	SC	62.0%
17	Detroit	MI	61.7%
18	Lakeland	FL	61.3%
19	Cincinnati	OH	61.2%
20	Anchorage	AK	61.2%

Utah’s high millennial homeownership rates may partly reflect the state’s tendency toward earlier marriage and family formation, alongside strong employment growth.

Historically more attainable housing prices in places like Ogden may also have helped younger households enter the market. However, rising home prices and elevated mortgage rates have made buying increasingly difficult for prospective homeowners.

Other high-ranking metros include Lancaster, Pennsylvania (65.5%), Minneapolis, Minnesota (65.3%), and Des Moines, Iowa (63.5%), highlighting a strong showing across parts of the Midwest.

These markets contrast sharply with rental-heavy coastal metros, although local incomes, household composition, and the timing of home purchases can also shape homeownership rates.

Millennials Are More Likely to Rent in Coastal Cities

Los Angeles is nearly the mirror image of Provo. While roughly seven in 10 millennial households own their homes in Provo, nearly seven in 10 rent in Los Angeles (69.2%).

San Jose follows with a 63.7% rental rate, while New York and Urban Honolulu are tied at 62.9%.

Rank	Metro area	State	Millennial households that rent (2024)
1	Los Angeles	CA	69.2%
2	San Jose	CA	63.7%
3	New York	NY	62.9%
4	Urban Honolulu	HI	62.9%
5	San Diego	CA	62.2%
6	San Francisco	CA	60.9%
7	Memphis	TN	56.9%
8	Miami	FL	56.6%
9	Corpus Christi	TX	56.0%
10	Orlando	FL	54.5%
11	Las Vegas	NV	54.1%
12	Seattle	WA	53.3%
13	Reno	NV	52.1%
14	Austin	TX	51.6%
15	Modesto	CA	51.2%
16	Oxnard	CA	51.1%
17	Houston	TX	51.0%
18	Boston	MA	50.8%
19	Portland	OR	50.7%
20	Fresno	CA	50.3%

San Diego (62.2%) and San Francisco (60.9%) also rank near the top, making high-cost coastal markets especially prominent among the most rental-heavy metros.

Expensive housing and the challenge of saving for a down payment may help explain this pattern. However, these figures measure whether households own or rent, not the reasons behind their housing decisions.

In Los Angeles, for example, a typical home costs around $860,000, putting homeownership out of reach for many households without substantial savings or high incomes.

The South Shows a More Mixed Picture

Unlike the more pronounced patterns in Utah and coastal California, the South has metros near the top of both rankings.

Palm Bay, Florida, has a 63.8% millennial homeownership rate, while Winston-Salem, North Carolina (63.1%), and Greenville, South Carolina (62.2%), also rank among the leading ownership markets.

Meanwhile, renting is more common in Memphis, Tennessee (56.9%), Miami, Florida (56.6%), and Orlando, Florida (54.5%).

While wages tend to be lower across much of the South, relatively affordable housing has historically made homeownership more accessible in many markets.

However, population growth in states like Florida has increased housing demand, contributing to rising prices and making homeownership less attainable for some younger households.

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