It Now Takes 7 Years to Save for a Down Payment

Saving for a down payment remains one of the biggest barriers to homeownership, but the timeline that it takes to save has declined in recent years. It now takes the typical U.S. household seven years to save for a down payment on the typical home, according to a recent analysis from housing marketing platform Realtor.com. While this figure remains high, it is an improvement from the recent peak of 12 years recorded in 2022.

How much is the typical household saving?

As costs creep up, the typical household can no longer save as much as they used to. The U.S. personal savings rate averaged 5.1% in 2025, below the pre-pandemic norm of 6.5% as well as the pandemic-era high of roughly 30%.

At the same time, however, the savings needed for a down payment has grown over the past several years as home prices have increased. In Q-3 2019, the typical buyer paid roughly $13,900 as a down payment. However, by Q-3 2025, that figure more than doubled to $30,400.

In some parts of the U.S., it takes much longer to save for a down payment

Nationwide, it may take seven years to save for a down payment, but that figure changes depending on the region. In high-cost coastal markets, the time required to save for a typical down payment reaches 20 to 35 years. Meanwhile, in many Southern metros, it takes only five years or less to save for a down payment.

For instance, in San Francisco, it takes about 36.5 years to save for a down payment on a house, and in San Jose, Calif., it takes about 36.2 years. On the other end of the spectrum, it takes just 1.3 years to save for a down payment in San Antonio, and in Virginia Beach, Va., it takes just two years.