Women in DC’s Homestead Market
Homeownership trends in the District of Columbia are shifting amid housing affordability challenges and demographic changes. One notable trend is that more women are becoming homeowners. Figure 1 shows that 2,315 fewer homes (a 26.8 percent decrease) were purchased in the city in 2024 compared to 2014. This decline appears to be related to decreasing housing affordability. Average mortgage rates in 2024 are more than 2.50 percentage points higher than those in 2014 and over 3.75 percentage points higher than in 2021.
